Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around a double dose of thriller sequels… Surprisingly, Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver didn’t work for me as well as I thought it would, especially since I was completely blown away by the first book. My last meeting with Archie and Gretchen in Let Me Go by Chelsea Cain was more successful though, although it’s once again not my favorite of the series.
Title: Nothing Important Happened Today
(Detective Sergeant Pace #2)
Author: Will Carver
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: September 14th 2019
Publisher: Orenda Books
Finished reading: June 15th 2020
Pages: 300
“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would have preferred to talk.”
Right… I’m still not sure what happened here, but somehow I didn’t actually enjoy this one? Trust me, I’m still flabbergasted myself, because I recently read the first book and it blew me away completely… And I fully expected to have a repeat experience with the sequel. I still don’t understand how, but somehow the writing style this time around just didn’t do it for me. While I can’t deny Nothing Important Happened Today should be applauded for its sheer originality, and the plot itself is ingenious with its mix of third person, collective first person, the introduction manual and detective Pace’s POV, I sadly wasn’t able to connect to the writing style at all this time around. The short sentences, the constant switches in POV, the you, you, you, you… While I have to stress once again just how unique this book is, sadly unique this time around just wasn’t my cup of tea. Was it simply the wrong time for me to pick up this sequel? Maybe. But I’m having a feeling that at least part of the writing style wouldn’t have worked for me at any moment in time. And no, my less than positive reaction wasn’t due to the sheer twistedness of Nothing Important Happened Today, the mass suicide element nor the fact that this is basically partly a manual on how to start your own cult and kill as many people as possible. No, those elements my twisted mind actually did appreciate and a lot at that. It wasn’t the late and not as noticeable appearance of detective Pace either, as the main story itself will keep you more than busy and deserves the spotlight. I really do believe that the only reason this story didn’t work is simply that the writing style and me clashed horribly, which in a way I still don’t understand after my love for Good Samaritans. Fingers crossed this was a blip though and book three will manage to blow me away again!
Title: Let Me Go
(Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell #6)
Author: Chelsea Cain
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: August 13th 2020
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Finished reading: June 17th 2020
Pages: 368
“This was one of the things that Gretchen had taught him – his instincts, always so reliable when it came to crime, could fail him when it came to people.”
This is already my final journey with Archie and Sheridan… After neglecting the series for years, I’ve finally stepped up my game and read the final four books in record time. I know that technically the author promised more books were yet to come, but as it’s been seven years since book six was published I don’t think that will happen any time soon. That said, while Let Me Go is not my favorite of the series and not as strong as the first books, it was without doubt still a thrilling read. I’ve grown close to the characters and it’s been great meeting up with them in what is without doubt another dangerous and shocking ride. What initially seems more like a mafia vibe kind of read, soon gives us another dose of that serial killer element and of course Gretchen will make her appearance once again. These books are engaging and if you don’t mind things getting dark, gory and sexual in points and love a good serial killer thriller with a twist, Let Me Go is without doubt another hit. I would definitely recommend reading these books in order though, because you will be missing out on the dynamics and history between the characters otherwise.
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I think Will’s book is a hit or miss, and I can totally understand why the magic didn’t work this time. Wonderful review, as always. I love how you manage to express your feelings xxx
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Aww thank you! ❤ His books are so unique and I think it's one of the reasons why his stories either work or don't work for you… I'm still surprised I wasn't able to enjoy Nothing Important Happened Today though, as I loved the first one. xx
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Funny, I had this with Good Samaritans But I LOVED NIHT. 😄
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Haha that IS funny! I don’t remember: have you read Hinton Hollow Death Trip yet? I enjoyed it better than book two myself, although the first is still my favorite. xx
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No. I didn’t. I even have to buy it still. As I am a slow reader, I am mostly very late to these parties, but I was very intrigued by NIHT so I took it before all my other books. X
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All the more to look forward to! 😉 Hinton Hollow is fascinating though with the whole narrated by Evil angle.
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Fantastic reviews Yvo! xx
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Thanks! xx
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Glad to see you’re still enjoying Chelsea Cain… I’ll get to her series someday.
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It’s a great series for whenever you are in the mood for a dark thriller for sure. xx
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Oww I thought I was the only one and I’ve been debating not writing a review for Nothing Important Happened Today. I only finished it (well sort of) last weekend. The writing style really wasn’t my cup of tea.. Your review gives me strength though to finish the review after all. I don’t mind writing the review itself but knowing it will be shared so much and the author might notice it (not that I would tag him) makes me feel awkward. Thanks Yvo, great reviews!
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Oh that does make me feel better though! I still feel awkward myself for not enjoying Nothing Important Happened Today more, especially since I did love the first book and everybody seemed to love the second book too… I never tag authors either, and decided to just get a shortie review out there with my thoughts on this book anyway. It’s such an unique writing style, and I think it’s one of the reasons people seem to have such strong reactions to it (good or bad, like in our case). xx
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I agree that Let Me Go wasn’t my favorite of the series but it still had a lot of my favorite elements that made me love the series. Great reviews!
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I agree! While not my favorite, Let Me Go was still a very entertaining read for many reasons. xx
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