The Dark Room
Registered by rem_HHX-328595 on 6/26/2004
3 journalers for this copy...
Absolutely terrifying story! It was my first Walters and I could hardly bear the suspense.
Starts its journey into the wonderful wide world today, travelling with Lot12 to ...
Starts its journey into the wonderful wide world today, travelling with Lot12 to ...
Zo eng dat ze 's nachts opstond om de deur te controleren, zei maupi. Oh-oh... nou, dan maar lezen als ik niet alleen thuis ben. Spannend!
Okay, this may sound weird, but I had a dream about this book this morning. I finished it last night and was very disappointed by the way the plot resolved. Then I dreamed this morning that there was another chapter that I hadn't read. In that chapter the investigating officers found out they were misled about the murderer. It was a different person, someone with a more convincing motive.
I think it is natural for books like this that the ending stays in your mind, more than the rest of it. Well, when it's as plot-driven as this book is. And that is the problem with this book. I found the ending terribly unconvincing, weak and not substantiated. Why do I have to read 500 pages to have thrown a psychopathic murderer with an unbelieveable motive in my face at the end? You don't think I'm that easy to fool, do you, Ms Walters? Why not just throw in an unidentified serial killer at the end? This might come on a bit strong, but she kept me awake for hours last night, fuming with indignation. (Haha, now I'm laughing at myself)
My problem is that the story is well built, the suspence growing on you. The cliche ingredients of a girl with amnesia, who is both suspect and victim and has a nice doctor and a lot of sceletons in the cupboard, is brought very convincing. You know it's cliche, but it is easy to believe, because the woman is not some weak, blubbering, dependent person. She is the strongest element in this novel. Walters is very good at describing strong, independent women, and Jinx Kingsley is one of her best, because she is not just strong, but one could say the strength is induced by insecurity and neglect. The description of her character is rounded, realistic and very recogniseable.
So, though the story is dragged out to long and has too many sidetracks, I enjoyed reading it until... The ending came. In about fourty pages the plot is resolved very hasty and sketchy. The whole story has to be put upside down, all motives reconsidered. All of a sudden the amnesia is gone and without any trouble all the memories have flooded back and can be told. The murderer is so very unlikely, that fourty pages is by far not enough to make it plausible the person is the murderer. It seemed to me the book originally had much more pages and Walters' editor told her to mke the book slimmer. The end suffered most of it. That's the only thing I can think of, except maybe she had enough of the book and just thought up something to finish it quickly.
Stop it, Lot! Enough, enough.
I did like Jinx Kingsley, could believe the way she reacted and would probably do the same. As I said above, I like Walters' women, because they are strong, modern, intelligent, independent and realistic, because they are also insecure, struggling, funny and cynical.
I also liked the various possibilities the plot indicated at first and the way possibilities were ruled out by psychological reasoning and analysing.
On the whole, indignation shoved to the back of my head, it was a decent read. Fast, well-written, full of suspense and interesting themes.
I think it is natural for books like this that the ending stays in your mind, more than the rest of it. Well, when it's as plot-driven as this book is. And that is the problem with this book. I found the ending terribly unconvincing, weak and not substantiated. Why do I have to read 500 pages to have thrown a psychopathic murderer with an unbelieveable motive in my face at the end? You don't think I'm that easy to fool, do you, Ms Walters? Why not just throw in an unidentified serial killer at the end? This might come on a bit strong, but she kept me awake for hours last night, fuming with indignation. (Haha, now I'm laughing at myself)
My problem is that the story is well built, the suspence growing on you. The cliche ingredients of a girl with amnesia, who is both suspect and victim and has a nice doctor and a lot of sceletons in the cupboard, is brought very convincing. You know it's cliche, but it is easy to believe, because the woman is not some weak, blubbering, dependent person. She is the strongest element in this novel. Walters is very good at describing strong, independent women, and Jinx Kingsley is one of her best, because she is not just strong, but one could say the strength is induced by insecurity and neglect. The description of her character is rounded, realistic and very recogniseable.
So, though the story is dragged out to long and has too many sidetracks, I enjoyed reading it until... The ending came. In about fourty pages the plot is resolved very hasty and sketchy. The whole story has to be put upside down, all motives reconsidered. All of a sudden the amnesia is gone and without any trouble all the memories have flooded back and can be told. The murderer is so very unlikely, that fourty pages is by far not enough to make it plausible the person is the murderer. It seemed to me the book originally had much more pages and Walters' editor told her to mke the book slimmer. The end suffered most of it. That's the only thing I can think of, except maybe she had enough of the book and just thought up something to finish it quickly.
Stop it, Lot! Enough, enough.
I did like Jinx Kingsley, could believe the way she reacted and would probably do the same. As I said above, I like Walters' women, because they are strong, modern, intelligent, independent and realistic, because they are also insecure, struggling, funny and cynical.
I also liked the various possibilities the plot indicated at first and the way possibilities were ruled out by psychological reasoning and analysing.
On the whole, indignation shoved to the back of my head, it was a decent read. Fast, well-written, full of suspense and interesting themes.
Ook deze reist met mamalot12 mee naar A'dam, maar ze wil nu geen journal entry maken, want ze moet Sinterklaasgedichten in het net schrijven.
Journal Entry 5 by 
AnonymousFinder
at Amsterdam, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Sunday, August 5, 2012
AnonymousFinder at Amsterdam, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Sunday, August 5, 2012
Funny to find a book with a history!
I didn't read it because when starting I realised that is was the same book I had with me in Greece in the spring translated in dutch.
I love all the Minette Walters books and intend to bring this one with me en leave it on Rhodos for another reader.
Barbara
I didn't read it because when starting I realised that is was the same book I had with me in Greece in the spring translated in dutch.
I love all the Minette Walters books and intend to bring this one with me en leave it on Rhodos for another reader.
Barbara
