Review of Senseless
5 posts
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Senseless" by Barbara Gural.]
Senseless by Barbara Gural is about someone in the state of New York going about and taking away one of a person's five main senses, and then they end up murdered, all in the name of revenge.
Dylan Dougherty arrives in New York just as a crime is happening; she officially starts her job as a detective a day early by helping to secure an incident that happens when she lands. She is then just barely introduced into her new job on the force before we get to the first kill from the Maimer. She is driven with a passion to the point of obsession to figure out who this person is. Even to the point of straining relations between the people she cares about, like her sick mother and her boyfriend, Scott. Meanwhile, the Maimer keeps surgically removing one of the five senses from his victims, and they each die not long afterward. Scott even gets hurt during her investigation and decides to leave her just when she needs him the most. Olivia, who is the wife of the first victim, becomes her friend, and she, like the New York Times reporter Amanda, takes a personal interest in Dylan and her life, telling her that she needs to consider other things besides work in her life, like children. However, Dylan refuses to even consider anything until she finds the Maimer, and because of her pointed focus, she loses her rock and confidante in her life and turns to another, Dr. Justin Clark, to let out the feelings she has been repressing. As the Maimer incidents continue, Dylan discovers a secret about herself she didn't know, which puts her in an even more stressed mood that hypes up her determination to solve the case. The Maimer is somehow also getting more interested in her. Will she catch the Maimer before they take away the final sense and another victim dies needlessly? Find out in this whirlwind of a story that doesn't seem to stop for a breath.
What I liked about Senseless by Barbara Gural was that the story was very unique. I was drawn into the murder mystery of it all, and the fact that it involved a person's five major senses and how they were being punished due to them was a compelling factor. For a first novel, this story was really thought out, and I enjoyed it immensely. I enjoyed playing detective along with Dylan, trying to figure out who the Maimer was.
Now, what I truly disliked about the novel was just the errors/mistakes within the novel. They were so in your face and easy and there that they shouldn't have even been made. Especially the time in chapter 46, which, when you read it, you'll see exactly what I mean. Then there was the constant capitalization (or lack of) of things that needed to be capitalized. It drove me nuts. It made reading the story really slow at times, and at others, it was just frustrating to see odd words capitalized when the others also needed/didn't need to be.
I rate Senseless by Barbara Gural a 3 out of 5 stars. The reason why I took off 1 star was due to the mistakes and errors within the book. The 2nd star was due to the fact that the author left a plotline open between David and Dylan, one which I feel should have been closed, considering his part in specifically wanting to meet her.
I would definitely recommend this book to others, especially those who are drawn to murder mystery novels. However, I would not recommend it as it is right now; the author has a few errors/mistakes that need to be changed. Once corrected this will definitely be a gem for any bookshelf.
******
Senseless
View: on Bookshelves |
Senseless by Barbara Gural is about someone in the state of New York going about and taking away one of a person's five main senses, and then they end up murdered, all in the name of revenge.
Dylan Dougherty arrives in New York just as a crime is happening; she officially starts her job as a detective a day early by helping to secure an incident that happens when she lands. She is then just barely introduced into her new job on the force before we get to the first kill from the Maimer. She is driven with a passion to the point of obsession to figure out who this person is. Even to the point of straining relations between the people she cares about, like her sick mother and her boyfriend, Scott. Meanwhile, the Maimer keeps surgically removing one of the five senses from his victims, and they each die not long afterward. Scott even gets hurt during her investigation and decides to leave her just when she needs him the most. Olivia, who is the wife of the first victim, becomes her friend, and she, like the New York Times reporter Amanda, takes a personal interest in Dylan and her life, telling her that she needs to consider other things besides work in her life, like children. However, Dylan refuses to even consider anything until she finds the Maimer, and because of her pointed focus, she loses her rock and confidante in her life and turns to another, Dr. Justin Clark, to let out the feelings she has been repressing. As the Maimer incidents continue, Dylan discovers a secret about herself she didn't know, which puts her in an even more stressed mood that hypes up her determination to solve the case. The Maimer is somehow also getting more interested in her. Will she catch the Maimer before they take away the final sense and another victim dies needlessly? Find out in this whirlwind of a story that doesn't seem to stop for a breath.
What I liked about Senseless by Barbara Gural was that the story was very unique. I was drawn into the murder mystery of it all, and the fact that it involved a person's five major senses and how they were being punished due to them was a compelling factor. For a first novel, this story was really thought out, and I enjoyed it immensely. I enjoyed playing detective along with Dylan, trying to figure out who the Maimer was.
Now, what I truly disliked about the novel was just the errors/mistakes within the novel. They were so in your face and easy and there that they shouldn't have even been made. Especially the time in chapter 46, which, when you read it, you'll see exactly what I mean. Then there was the constant capitalization (or lack of) of things that needed to be capitalized. It drove me nuts. It made reading the story really slow at times, and at others, it was just frustrating to see odd words capitalized when the others also needed/didn't need to be.
I rate Senseless by Barbara Gural a 3 out of 5 stars. The reason why I took off 1 star was due to the mistakes and errors within the book. The 2nd star was due to the fact that the author left a plotline open between David and Dylan, one which I feel should have been closed, considering his part in specifically wanting to meet her.
I would definitely recommend this book to others, especially those who are drawn to murder mystery novels. However, I would not recommend it as it is right now; the author has a few errors/mistakes that need to be changed. Once corrected this will definitely be a gem for any bookshelf.
******
Senseless
View: on Bookshelves |
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