I got hooked by the cover. The mixture of red, black and the various pink tones fascinated me and together with the summary, my interest was aroused. Though I am no pink fan. The English title could be Heart Of Glass. Usually, I am not that much into a mystery. But after reading the summary of this book, I somehow got curious. A curse and some true historical facts seemed to be a good combination.
Herz Aus Glas*
by
Kathrin Lange
Herz Trilogy #1
Publisher Arena on January 7, 2014
Genre Mystery-Thriller
Pages 413
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
Goodreads
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Juli is little enthusiastic when her father suggests spending the winter holidays on Martha´s Vineyard. On the island, she meets David, whose girlfriend recently died in a fall from the cliffs. Although he meets her with repellent coldness, Juli immediately feels drawn to the good-looking boy. But then she learns of a centuries-old curse, which is to be responsible for the death of more girls. A ghostly voice begins to whisper to her warnings and soon Juli no longer knows what is reality and what is dream. When she finally falls in love with David, she is in deadly danger. (personal translation Cover ©Arena Verlag)
Juli is kind of amused over the American lifestyle. She isn´t so happy to stay with her father on Martha´s Vineyard, but it is the only way for her to see him on a regular basis, she agrees. And when she meets David, she feels something strange going on. Yes, she is fascinated by him, but she also senses that there is way more behind the story of his girlfriend´s death as everyone wants her to know.
The thriller is written in a partly old-fashioned vocabulary, that sounds sometimes very tense. Not only because there is a certain tension to feel between David and his father, but also because some parts of this thriller are very dark.
Kathrin Lange writes open but sensitive about death, how it feels to lose loved ones and that not everything that looks great and shiny has to be good. There is always a hint of danger between the lines, a threat you can´t quite catch until you are right in the middle of a dangerous situation. And though the author doesn´t need to use loud tones, her voice is clear and very intense.
The author limited her character descriptions to the essentials and breaks with conventions. That way she creates fascinating persons. And in so many points of cruelty are not to be surpassed. Her figures have great intensity and are drawn with only a few words. The way how the author brings a psychological touch into the game, how she plays with opposites and how she lets Juli see and hear things is amazing.
Charlie Sandhurst is the most serious figure. She is there all the time without even showing up. Her relationship with David is the key to everything in this book. On one side she is described to Juli as a radiant beauty, on the other as a manipulative beast who better got what she desired.
Conclusion
A wonderful and very unusual mystery thriller, who contains true history. The plot is very haunting, the story thrilling and some great figures proof that even a curse can complicate lives. A great start that´s for sure.
Happy reading
*This book was, at the time this review was published, only available in the German language.
Kathrin Lange
Kathrin Lange was born in Goslar in 1969. Although she initially had plans to join the police dog squad, her love for books then won the day and she first became a bookseller and then a writer. Today she is a member of the International Thriller Writers and writes bestselling novels for adults and teenagers. She lives with her husband and two sons in a small village near Hildesheim in Lower Saxony, Germany.
