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Anna's Reviews > Dead Scared
Dead Scared (Lacey Flint, #2)
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I loved SJ Bolton's first three stand-alone books Sacrifice, Blood Harvest and Awakening, giving them each 4.5 or 5 stars. They were so atmospheric, so unsettling in their chilling yet subtle creepiness. My heart would pound with nerves as I read them, and I'd savour every delicious gothicky word.
Bolton's latest three books are all part of her Lacey Flint series. Her writing style has changed; she now seems to favour a more direct style, and it sadly isn't working for me. The first, Now You See Me, was a decent enough 3 star read, but after starting well, Dead Scared petered out to a skim-read, which is something I'd never thought I'd do with a Bolton.
I wish she'd go back to her original style. The Lacey Flint books are more disturbing, but they lack the sinisterly subtle malevolence which freaked me out so beautifully in her earlier works. Less Lacey, more chills please.
Bolton's latest three books are all part of her Lacey Flint series. Her writing style has changed; she now seems to favour a more direct style, and it sadly isn't working for me. The first, Now You See Me, was a decent enough 3 star read, but after starting well, Dead Scared petered out to a skim-read, which is something I'd never thought I'd do with a Bolton.
I wish she'd go back to her original style. The Lacey Flint books are more disturbing, but they lack the sinisterly subtle malevolence which freaked me out so beautifully in her earlier works. Less Lacey, more chills please.
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Reading Progress
January 4, 2012
– Shelved
May 30, 2013
–
Started Reading
June 2, 2013
–
Finished Reading
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I've been meaning to read some S.J. Bolton. Looks like I'll be starting with one of her other novels.
Looks like you guys agree on this one, I liked it, and liked the earlier ones too, guess we're all different. Which reminds me I downloaded If Snow hadn't Fallen onto my kindle and haven't read it yet! Will try and do so and see how that one goes.
Hannah, it's so frustrating when we know what she can do. The next Lacey book Like This, For Ever has just come out, but I won't be in any great rush to read it :-(Caitlin, definitely start with the earlier three. Sacrifice has a bit of a crazy ending (like we were chatting about on another thread), but the other two maintain the creepiness without going ga-ga!
Carol, it's great that you're enjoying Lacey Flint as much as the earlier books. You'll probably be the first of us to read Like This, For Ever - hope that goes just as well for you :-)
I agree with you, Anna........More chills and creep...more isolated British villages....more PRIESTESS OF GOTHIC SUSPENSE...not WRITER OF ROMANTIC POLICE PROCEDURALS...Jane
Yep, swapping the intimate eeriness of 'isolated British villages' for police procedurals in wide open London/Cambridge has been a big mistake. Such a shame :-(
I agree, Anna, this was not the best Bolton. It was too disturbing in some ways. As a mother of teenagers, really did not appreciate some of this story at all! My first Bolton book was a Lacey, which I very much enjoyed, so that was my expectation of her writing. The older books were a perk. I believe a good part of reading is about expectations. I expected the Lacey fromula and mostly liked what I got.
I think in this book the biggest problem, and like Kearsley in Firebird, was that she tried to tidy up old story lines that perhaps did not end well to her liking. But, like G G Martin in the Game of Thrones has said, things happen to your characters that as a person you do not like but as a writer you do to carry on the storyline, and as well as, to provide good tense writing. Bolton, like Kearsley fixed an earlier book's ending to provide a happier ending for her characters. And, perhaps also wanted the Lacey to finally have a relationship. But, Lacey as a character works better as a lone wolf. Unfortunately, in both these stories it just does not 'feel right' in the end for the reader. Feels forced. We all say we like happy endings, but, really happy endings are boring, less satisfying stories.
Yep, as mum to one teen at uni and another due to start next year, the subject matter was not me-friendly either! I agree that expectations played a big part in my huge disappointment. Interesting that you read Lacey first - I can see how that would change my view, because as crime books they're good. I guess I was spoilt by the earlier creepy books and anything else now falls short. Lucky for you that you enjoyed Lacey and then found the better stuff!
((thumping fists on table))
BRING BACK THE CHILLS, BRING BACK THE CHILLS, BRING BACK THE CHILLS!