Wednesday, May 25, 2016

City of the Lost



City of the Lost is a suspenseful thriller (a genre I don't read a lot of) about two women who go off the grid to escape secrets in their past. Casey is a cop with a dark secret and her friend Diana is trying to escape from an abusive marriage- but when Casey's past returns and Diana's ex-husband shows up, they take an extreme measure to get away. Diana hears about a town in the far north of Canada where people can get away- for a price. Naturally it's hard to get in, but they manage to do so and that's when things get interesting.

Turns out the town needs a detective to solve several murders that have occurred- there's a lot of stuff going on in this town and the sheriff has his hands full. Him and Casey get off to a rough start and this story is at least as much about their relationship as it is about the murders. This is a straight up thriller mystery with a strong romance element- I wasn't expecting the romance to be such a part of the book, but it mostly works. I did get a bit annoyed towards the end as it threatened to take over the story- but readers who enjoy romance probably will have no problem with that. Even though it's handled well it seems a bit trope- ish.

The story itself started out a bit slow and I thought it took off at about the twenty percent mark. Once they got to Rockton (the town) the story picked up and became quite compelling. There were hints that a scifi element might be introduced but that didn't really happen, and I was a little disappointed in that. Characterization is strong and I enjoyed all the interplay in the town- the web of relationships, the secrets and lies you would find in a place like that. It's perhaps a little implausible that a place like that could remain undetected, but it's way out in the middle of nowhere and the author does a good job of setting it up.

This story would have worked a lot more for me if there were a paranormal or scifi element- that's why I don't usually read straight thrillers. I'm always looking for that out there element. In spite of that this was a good read with a flawed and broken character (several, actually) and if you like strong characterization mixed with secrets this would be a good pick.


9 comments:

  1. I'm glad this one picked up for you. I like paranormal aspects in my thrillers as well, but I also like straight up thrillers so I would try this one. I will say because it's Kelley Armstrong I would have expected a paranormal aspect so thank goodness I saw this first before I read it and was disappointed lol! Excellent review!!

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  2. Glad to hear you generally enjoyed this one! Armstrong is one of my favorite authors. Based on her other series, I wouldn't be surprised if a Scifi or paranormal element of some sort eventually pops up in this series.

    I haven't read this one yet but it's sitting on my TBR pile.

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  3. I don't read a lot of suspense thrillers either - though I've enjoyed the ones I've read! I haven't read a ton of Armstrong books, but I really like her Age of Legends trilogy. SO good!

    Have a lovely week, Greg. =)

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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  4. I didn't realize Kelley Armstrong also wrote thrillers. And I get what you mean with the extra element of paranormal added. I prefer that as well.

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  5. I've been wanting to try this author for a long time. This one sounds really good.

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  6. I absolutely love Armstrong's supernatural series, but her thrillers like this are always hit and miss for me.

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  7. I got this from the library but have to return it this weekend. Someone else reserved it so I can't renew it. I will definitely put myself back on the list for it because I LOVE Armstrong's writing.

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  8. I never read a book based on romance alone. I don't mind if it's well done but I don't like when it takes over the plot. I could see being annoyed by it here just like you were. I do quite like Kelley Armstrong though so I'd be willing to give this one a shot! I didn't know she'd come out with a straight up thriller, I've only read her paranormal books so far. She writes SO MANY books there, I can't keep up LOL! Glad you enjoyed this one for the most part Greg :)

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  9. I like romances, so it didn't bother me it was a big part and I thought it was handled very well. Also usually Armstrong includes romance in her books so I guess I've come to expect that. It was fun to see them go from not liking each other to becoming friends to more. And the characterization was great, I really enjoyed finding out more about the characters as the story progressed.
    I don't read thrillers a lot either, so I was pleasantly surprised I enjoyed this one as much as I did. And yes the start was a bit slow, and it picked up when they got into town. Great review!

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