Laurie

I'm not by nature a huge fan of this genre but I loved this book. The story was intriguing, the characters lovable, and the narration could not have been better. I will remember this story for years to come, especially in regard to Kennedy's assasination. This book was so spot on in the accuracy of the facts surrounding what we know about the man who killed JFK that it even led me to reserach Marina Oswald and find out a little more about her. Very interesting.
I rarely give a book 5 stars, reserving that honor for books that hit me on a level that captures all my senses. I think the only ones I have ever rated this highly in the past were The Help and Unbroken. This book is in their league.

Great character development, which to me is 80% of what makes a book great.

I am not sure what happened at the end... Don't know if the author had to answer the doorbell, or catch a flight, but the book ended very abruptly. The timing in the narration at the end of the book was off too and made the abrupt closure more noticeable. All in all though, this was a good book, that could have been great. I will read more Thomas Perry in the future, but hope he masters the wind down a little better.

I have given very few books a five star rating. The HELP and Pillars of the Earth are two that come to mind, but most books that I really like I give 4 stars. Only books that I LOVE get 5. This is a 4 1/2 star book for me.

This story is completely intriguing, but difficult to review because I don't want to give anything away. I read it knowing absolutely nothing about it, having not read any reviews or even a synopsis of the story. Therefore, it blew me away.

If you enjoy twists and turns, and completely developed characters that you love, hate, sympathize with, blame, and laugh at all at the same time, this is the book for you. The characters are very human and real. So real that the story often reminded me of some of the more publicized criminal cases of recent years. But then it pops up and surprises you again.

I completely expect this book to be made into a movie. I can't imagine how they will capture all the inner thoughts of the characters though...

This is an excellent piece of fiction that you will NOT regret reading.

Character development and surprises

They were funny and human.

I loved the prequel to this book and anxiously awaited the follow up. I was very disappointed. Although Archer is an excellent author, I felt this was another one of those "contracted to write a second book so I have to" kind of things. I often found myself wondering if I had missed something. The gaps in the story and the poor character development made me feel like I was reading an abridged book. Too much time elapsed between "check ins' with characters and it felt disjointed. This book could have been so much better and a lot longer. I felt like Archer was rushing. Very disappointed.

I am about half way through this book and HAD to write a review already because of the incredibly awful narration. The reader's tone is stilted and slow. It is so bad it sounds like a computer animated voice. I don't think I could read that precisely and clipped if I tried. As much as I am appreciating and learning from the content, the narration is so bad it almost makes it unlistenable (is that a word?),
Great information
HORRIBLE reader.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it highly. Something about the character development and writing style reminded me a little of some of Jodi Picoult's work. The characters were developed so honestly that most parents can relate to the feelings of the Jacob's parents.
I would recommend reading it 'blind'. In other words, the less you read about it and know about it ahead of time, the more enjoyable you will find it. I read it completely blind so was surprised by the twists and turns it takes. Great book, great performance. Solid hit!

Great novel that sets the stage for what surely will be a collention of Archer's greats. Loosely autobiographical, this book gives much insight into the author himself. Warm, heartbreaking, and enjoyable. Can't wait for book 2.

I read a lot of audiobooks and rarely find one that is this good. Everything about this was right on the mark. The narration was perfect, the character development was superb, the story was intriuing, and inspiring...it is a wonderful read. For those of you who might be history junkies, this WW2 POW book is a MUST read. For all others, you will be sorry if you don't read it. A TRUE 5 stars.

Normally I love Baldacci but this book was a bit disappointing. The violence in the torture scenes were painful to read. I almost couldn't make it through. And the relationships between characters never really got off the ground. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't great. Just okay....

This book was more like a first novel than that of an accomplished author. It seems that me that Ms. Picoult couldn't get it all together. The book has great character development but very little plot development. I solved the 'murder' early on and waited for some surprise or twist but it never came. The ending was VERY abrupt and disappointing. If not for the general quality of the story (prior to the ending) and the gift of character development I would have rated the book much lower. I would only recommend this book to someone interested in learning about autism because that is the only thing I really gained from it.