Die vielen Wendungen in der Gegenwartsgeschichte haben mich tatsächlich öfter in die Irre geführt und ich habe das Ende so nicht kommen sehen. Das liebe ich ja und ist für mich ein Muss für einen guten Thriller.

Three years ago, David Hunter moved to rural Norfolk to escape his life in London, his gritty work in forensics, and a tragedy that nearly destroyed him. Working as a simple country doctor, seeing his lost wife and daughter only in his dreams, David struggles to remain uninvolved when the corpse of a woman is found in the woods, a macabre sign from her killer decorating her body. In one horrifying instant, the quiet summer countryside that had been David’s refuge has turned malevolent—and suddenly there is no place to hide. Then on a scorchingly hot summer in July 11 year old Niel and his younger brother Sam, age 8, were headed to the local pond to for some relief from the searing sun and heat when they came across a dead body in the woods. David is called out to visit the Yates home shortly after as the boys, Sam in particular is badly shaken by the discovery. The plot is very good. If you like crimes in a small town where everyone knows each other, but the neighbors suddenly start to suspect each other, then you will love this story. Although I warn you that this is not a book for people very sensitive to drastic descriptions and scenes of autopsies. The murderer kills in a very brutal way, the victims are women and their bodies bear traces of torture, and sexual abuse is also possible. I didn't remember the previous book being so violent. But I have been reading it a long time ago.

Multibuys

Die Charaktere waren für mich undurchschaubar. Ich mochte Jonah als Protagonist sehr gerne, aber bin der Meinung, dass er sich ziemlich oft dämlich angestellt hat. Ich finde, es ist dem Autor gelungen, dass Jonah mehrfach an seine Grenzen gerät, aber hin und wieder wirkte er mehr als nur hilflos. Im Prinzip hat Jonah nichts alleine auf die Reihe bekommen und ordentlich in seinem Job versagt. Besonders unterhaltsam waren für mich die Dialoge zwischen Jonah und dem Polizisten. Beide harmonierten auf humorvolle Weise miteinander. Ich kann mir jedoch vorstellen, dass diese Dialoge manchen Lesern nicht gefallen könnte. This is the beginning of David's story. I admit that I didn't remember much about that book, which I read many years ago. The story of David losing his beloved wife and daughter is heartbreaking. This is one of the things that makes him such an interesting main character. That and, of course, his knowledge and skills as a forensic anthropologist. As a stranger in this village, though he has been a local doctor for several years now, he is perfect for telling this story. This one if the best thrillers I have read in a long time. I personally think that this thriller should be made into a film.

Mit Jonah entwirft der Autor einer sehr einzigartigen Figur, der unter seiner Vergangenheit leidet. Man kann total mit ihm fühlen, sodass dieser einem wirklich nur leidtun kann. Zudem ist er so entworfen worden, dass er hauptsächlich nur Charaktereigenschaften aufweist, die eher einem Antihelden ähneln. Dies fand ich total gelungen, da er dadurch einfach menschlich wirkte. Anderseits geriet er so stark in den Fokus, da meines Erachtens nach, die weiteren Figuren untergegangen sind. Dies ist aber nur eine kleine Kritik. Das Buch wird mit einem sehr miesen Cliffhanger aufgewiesen, da teilweise auch Fragen offengelassen worden sind. Jetzt heißt es auf Band zwei warten!Das düstere verlassene Krankenhaus mit seinem Labyrinth von Gängen ist jedenfalls gut in Szene gesetzt. Man kann sich dieses Areal wirklich bildlich gut vorstellen. Apparently I'm okay (in love, I'd say) with serial killers and other dark shit but there's where I draw the line. Now, if you don't mind that kind of descriptions, I'm sure you'll find an incredible book here. Just not for me. Undoubtedly. Like so many cops in crime fiction, Jonah is a wounded soul with a tragic past. We get to know him 10 years on from the disappearance of his young son Theo, who vanished during a trip to the park with his father. Jonah has blamed himself ever since – and understandably so seeing as he nodded off, allowing someone the time to take the little boy. Das Buch ist spannend aber für mein Empfinden recht ruhig erzählt und brauchte eine Weile um richtig in Schwung zu kommen. Das Finale empfand ich spannend erzählt, auch wenn mich die Auflösung nicht ganz so überzeugen konnte.

The Lost is a crafted work with hooks and cliffhangers. A tense, dark and compulsive read, it’s well-paced with an exciting, unexpected and dramatic conclusion. Whilst examining the dead woman in the loft, the rotting floor collapses to reveal a deliberately sealed room, where two further dead bodies are strapped into beds. This is a twisted and hugely compelling story as the police and David seek to try and identify the bodies and the truth of what happened amidst intense media scrutiny and protests at St Jude's led by the commanding and charismatic ex-human rights lawyer, Adam Oduya. Subject to various forensic tests and disturbing procedures, the dead begin to eventually speak about the nature of their grisly fates. Serving as a main character in it's own right, the atmospherically gothic and malevolent presence of St Jude's is writ large in the narrative. An oppressive and dismally congealing aura hangs heavily in the monstrously derelict hospital, stinking of damp, mould, squalor and urine, with its darkness and claustrophobia that seeps into all who enter the building. It is bone chilling in its creepiness and menace, harbouring dangers and ambushing the police and David with its host of nasty, unexpected surprises.Three years later, just as life for both men seems to be settling into a comfortable routine, the corpse of a woman identified as Sally Palmer, a local writer, is found by two young children playing in the woods.

It has taken me a while to get around to reviewing this one. The main reason is that I have been trying to think of something interesting to say about my experience. Problem is, there is not much interesting content to discuss. Als wäre das noch nicht genug, läßt sich auch Hunter von all dem Ärger ins Boxhorn jagen und an sich selbst zweifeln. Angesichts seiner Erfahrung und seines Renommees ist das aber nur sehr bedingt plausibel und hat mich zumindest doch sehr gestört.But getting involved in the case also catches him between the police and the villagers as even after three years, Dr. David Hunter is still considered an outsider which makes him a suspect in the murder in the eyes of the village locals. David Hunter is a beautifully drawn main protagonist, very human, not infallible therefore highly relatable, he’s certainly faced some huge challenges both in his professional life and his personal one, this case will test both his skill and his sense of self. As such it is completely compelling with often unexpected moments and a slow, absorbing build to a clever and emotional finale.