I love to read books written by Tess Gerritsen. But why she had to work with a co-author to produce Choose Me, remains a question mark. Despite the fast-paced plot, the rest is only average. Sad, but this one wasn´t for me.
Die Studentin*
by Tess Gerritsen, Gary BraverTranslation Andreas Jäger
Original Title Choose Me
Publisher Limes on July 26, 2021
Genre Thriller
Pages 382
Format Paperback
Source Limes
Goodreads
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He admires her passion. She´s hungry for attention. Both are caught between morality and temptation …Taryn Moore is young, attractive, and brilliant – what could have caused the student to kill herself? And why did she choose this cruel way of death, jumping from the fourth floor of the balcony of her apartment? These are the questions Detective Frankie Loomis inevitably asks herself as she meticulously investigates the crime scene. A finished attachment next to the laptop. In the microwave a lukewarm serving of macaroni and cheese. A cell phone nowhere… Did someone make it disappear to cover up traces? Detective Loomis senses that there is more to the alleged suicide. But who would be interested in killing the student? (Personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary).
Story
Death doesn´t look good. Especially not after a fall from your balcony on the fourth floor. Nobody knows why Taryn jumped. Detective Frankie Loomis and her partner are investigating what seems to be a cruel suicide but there is something that irritates detective Loomis. Why can´t they find Taryn´s cellphone?
Style
Unfortunately, I was unable to establish a connection to the individual characters or the story itself. The figures remained alien to me and, especially Frankie Loomis was too omniscient. I am not used to such a poor performance from Tess Gerritsen. Sure, the reading speed is very fast and because of the plot, I read the book through very quickly. The author´s simple word- and writing style also helped me get through the story well. But otherwise? The plot is not new and very predictable. There can be no question of a successful build-up of tension or real enthusiasm for the plot or even the characters.
Characters
As I said, the characters remained alien to me. It was as if I were watching them from a certain distance but had absolutely no access to their lives or their way of life. On the one hand, the figures are rudimentarily well worked out, but on the other hand, they are unfortunately not very profound. Right, that sounds confusing and somehow doesn´t fit together. And yet it hits exactly the point. Especially detective Frankie Loomis couldn´t convince me at all. She seems powerless and pale, and you hardly learn anything about her as a figure. Except that she has twins, is a widow, and appears to be omniscient. Didn´t make her more personable.
Taryn, the student, is an ambitious but naïve young woman who is desperate to save her high school love. Unfortunately, Taryn confuses the attention given to her with love and develops more and more borderline behavior after each corresponding disappointment. On the one hand, I felt sorry for her, but on the other hand, I soon found myself unable to understand or even pity her.
Conclusion
All in all, a solid crime thriller with well-crafted characters, but this story didn´t really grab me or inspire me. I missed the whistle, the tension that was building up. The plot is unfortunately not new and not breathtakingly well presented. Just hold solid. It´s a shame, but unfortunately, that wasn´t for me. No recommendation from my side.
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by Limes in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.
Deutsche Rezension
Stil
Ich bin eine solche schwache Leistung von Tess Gerritsen nicht gewohnt. Sicher, dass Lesetempo ist sehr zügig und aufgrund des Plots hab ich das Buch auch sehr schnell durchgelesen gehabt. Der einfache Wort- und Schreibstil von der Autorin hat ebenfalls dazu beigetragen, dass ich gut durch die Story kam. Aber sonst? Die Handlung ist nicht neu und sehr vorhersehbar. Von einem gelungenen Spannungsaufbau oder echter Begeisterung für die Handlung oder gar die Figuren kann hier keine Rede sein.
Charaktere
Wie ich schon sagte, blieben mir die Charaktere fremd. Das war, als ob ich denen aus einer gewissen Distanz hinweg zusehe aber überhaupt keinen Zugang zu deren Leben oder Art und Weise bekomme. Einerseits sind die Figuren ansatzweise gut ausgearbeitet gewesen, auf der anderen Seite leider aber auch wenig tiefgründig. Stimmt, das klingt verwirrend und passt irgendwie auch nicht zusammen. Und trifft doch genau den Punkt. Vor allem Detektive Frankie Loomis konnte mich so gar nicht überzeugen. Sie wirkt kraftlos und blass und man erfährt so gut wie nichts über sie als Figur. Außer dass sie Zwillinge hat, Witwe ist und allwissend zu sein scheint. Hat sie nicht sympathischer gemacht.
Taryn, die Studentin, ist eine ehrgeizige, aber naive junge Frau, die verzweifelt versucht ihre High-School Liebe zu retten. Leider verwechselt Taryn die ihr geschenkte Aufmerksamkeit mit Liebe und entwickelt nach jeder entsprechenden Enttäuschung ein mehr und mehr grenzwertiges Verhalten. Mir tat sie einerseits leid, andererseits konnte ich aber schon sehr bald kein Verständnis oder gar Mitleid für sie aufbringen.
Resultat
Alles in allem zwar ein solider Krimi mit gut gearbeiteten Figuren, doch wirklich packen oder begeistern konnte mich diese Geschichte nicht. Da fehlte mir der Pfiff, die sich aufbauende Spannung. Die Handlung ist leider nicht neu und auch nicht atemberaubend gut aufgemacht. Halt nur solide. Schade, aber das war leider nichts für mich. Keine Empfehlung von meiner Seite.
*This book was originally published Choose Me by Thomas & Mercer on July 1, 2021
Tess Gerritsen
New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen earned international acclaim for her first novel of suspense, Harvest. She introduced Detective Jane Rizzoli in The Surgeon (2001) and Dr. Maura Isles in The Apprentice (2002) and has gone on to write numerous other titles in the celebrated Rizzoli & Isles series. A physician, Tess Gerritsen lives in Maine.
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It always sucks when a story or characters just don't connect with you. I've been there too. I hope your next read will be better!
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