Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Camouflage

Book source ~ ARC
My review is voluntary and honest.
23 September 2018
Mystery | Paranormal
241 pages

My Rating ~ 3 bites

Sean Dermott is not only the new police chief of Winston, but he’s the youngest to be appointed. So he feels like he has a lot to prove. But he’s good at his job, so that shouldn’t be an issue. Until the local high school coach goes missing and something big and scary with really large teeth is found in Quarry Head Park. Sean wonders if the two cases are connected. In the meantime, he has to protect the public from something that hasn’t been seen for millions of years. The time to gird his loins and wade into battle came quicker than he expected, but with the help of his men, the state police, and some scientists, he hopes to resolve this prehistoric dangerous situation before anyone dies.

I wish I could say this is a nail-biting, on-the-edge-of-your-seat monster suspense, but the execution is lacking. I love the concept of some prehistoric creatures being found and trying to figure out where they came from, how they got to where they are, and trying to save them without killing them. It’s a great idea. The facts about the creatures, their brethren, and their habitat are fascinating. But the writing. Oh, the writing. This book is filled with unnecessary description that slows the pace way down. It’s stilted in ways that is, at times, painful to read. Multiple POVs help carry it forward, but each time there’s an exciting part, it’s followed by boring exposition. In addition, the timeline is really wonky. I had no clue how much time had passed. Sometimes it seemed like only a day then it was a week later and I was left scratching my head. Totally unclear and frustrating. Overall, I think this could have been better written, but I love the “monster” angle and the characters.

6 comments:

  1. Darn it. I'm almost finished with a book similar to this called Fossil River, except it's set in Alaska. I just recently grabbed this and was hoping for something as thrilling. I'll keep your comments in mind when I start it and not go into it with my expectations too high.

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    1. I hope you enjoy it more than I did. I'll have to check out Fossil River. :)

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  2. It sounds like the story has an identity crisis and it tries to fix itself with lots of prose. I'd prefer either lots of action with quick, concise writing for a story like this. I think I just read too much GRRM and I'm done with long-winded stories. Great review! I'm glad you liked it :)

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    1. My take is the writers were trying too hard, but it could just be me. :)

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  3. Thank you Carol. I too enjoyed the premise and facts about the creatures.

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    1. You're welcome. The woods part was definitely creepy for me. lol

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