Puppet

For many readers of this book, Amanda was not a particularly likable character. I, however, did like her. I felt sorry for her, thinking that her upbringing must have been strange and that she had been her own worst enemy. I found her to be a believable character despite her personality flaws. The fact that she was a lawyer, that she never wanted children, that she had a negative outlook as well as a low tolerance for stupidity reminded me of one person I know well in real life! I would not mind meeting Amanda again in another Joy Fielding book. I still wonder, though, why Amanda left her first husband Ben (not a spoiler) in the first place.

As this story opens, Amanda returns to her hometown of Toronto, Canada, from her current show more residence of Jupiter, Florida. She learned that her mother shot and killed a man she did not know and is now being held in a detention center awaiting bail hearing. Amanda is ambivalent about being back in Canada because she never had a close relationship to her mother and her ex-husband Ben is her mother's attorney.

I thought this book was done very well. I loved that the plot revealed itelf constantly in little pieces as opposed to having the whole explanation at the end, a process which make me despise most mysteries. In addition, I was intrigued by the dark undertones of some psychological weirdness which pervaded this story. I was certainly surprised by the ending and found the story most engaging. I'm not sure why others gave this book only lukewarm reviews as I found it a fun read. show less

First of all, Amanda is the most annoying woman you could ever meet. Originally from Toronto but living in Florida, she is a lawyer living a fast lifestyle. She has 2 ex-husbands and apparently no desire to settle down. One day, her secretary tells her that she has received phone calls from 'Ben'. Ben tuns out to be her 1st ex-husband and after putting off calling him for some time, she eventually gives in and calls him back. He tells her that her mother has shot and murdered a man in front of several witnesses in the four seasons hotel in Toronto. She is estranged from her mother and reluctantly flies home. Shes angry at her mother for her childhood but tries to solve the mystery around why her mother just murdered this man. Her mother show more wants to plead guilty and accept the punishment. Amanda starts searching for the tuth and uncovers a strange past. She also seems to love her ex-husband too who is currently in a relationship.
I didn't expect the twist at the end. It took me by complete surprise and it made putting up with Amanda all worth while. Once I got to the main twist, I could not stop reading. Definately worth reading for me. It appears other fans of Joy Fielding feel like this isnt her strongest work which leads me to believe that I will read more from this author. show less

I enjoy reading books by Joy Fielding. The protagonist is always female, and even if the character is dealing with extremely difficult circumstances, they always seem to find an inner strength or courage or resourcefulness to "solve" whatever mystery the book presents. I think the author takes a real chance in this book, because she makes the heroine very unsympathetic through much of the book. She's promiscuous, she drinks too much, she avoids any kind of real feeling of connection with anyone, she's ruthless in the courtroom. We gradually find out how her childhood formed her when she returns to her childhood home in Toronto when notified that her mother has inexplicably shot a perfect stranger in the lobby of the Four Seasons hotel. show more As she unravels the mystery, we learn why she has spent her life avoiding real intimacy with anyone, although she still has a long way to go at the end of the book. It is a very tricky tale so that it is difficult to guess most of the plot turns, but it seems that the clues to put everything together either miraculously fall into her lap or can be ferreted out with very little digging in less than a week. Ms Fielding has a very engaging writing style, but I enjoyed this less than most of her other books. Ultimately, the heroine never became really likable to me, and the story pretty far-fetched. A good book for an airplane, a beach vacation, etc. show less

Well it speaks to the storyline and gripping writing style of this novel that has me finished in 8 days. Yes, it was a quick read. The fact that the story had me guessing and flipping pages trying to put the pieces together in this murder mystery, i'm delighted to have had a chance to read this book.

I didn't like the main character's whinny, over the top personality. It prevented me from really sympathizing with her much. Sure she had a rough childhood and the truth that rocks not only those in the story, but the readers themselves was a lot for anyone to go through. It still had me telling her to grow up a lot.

I have never read any of Joy's books so this was a positive introduction to her books. I look forward to the ones I plan to show more read in the future.

If you're looking for a book to captivate your mind and keep you guessing to the very last pages, then this is the quick mystery for you!

I'm rating this as high as possible, 5/5, because the writing was so intriguing and the twists and turns in this book rival those of my favourite books and writing styles. You can't do much better than that. show less

Foi o meu primeiro contacto com a esta escritora e de imediato fiquei surpreendido pelo ritmo da história. Apreciei bastante a construção dos personagens; estavam bem delineados, reais.
A história desenrola-se numa cadência vertiginosa, culminando num final em cheio. Aconselho para quem gosta de bom suspense, bom policial.

There were some redeemable qualities in the story that saved it from being a total disaster. The beginning and middle parts of this book took you on a roller coaster ride. The ending was disgusting, creepy and wrong. Setting takes place in Canada. Not too familiar with Canada, so that portion of it was interesting.

Finished last night. I did end up liking this book but like other reviewers before me, some parts were boring. Especially the parts where indeed she is talking to herself or thinking about her ex husband. Loved the end and it was hard to put down. I've read just a few Joy Fielding books. I loved Grand Avenue and The First Time. The first book is more a fiction book than her usual mystery/thriller style. I am planning to borrow some more books from the library by this author.