"You Belong to Me" sounds like a trashy romance novel, but don't let that put you off. In actuality, it is a crime novel. It revolves around the story of a young girl, who, years ago, was beaten and raped while onlookers did nothing. Now, those onlookers are, one by one, being murdered. Set in Baltimore, a homicide detective and forensic pathologist must follow the trail to find a killer who is taunting them, and always seems to be one step ahead.Karen Rose - You Belong To MeI picked this book up, and didn't put it down for four hours. That may not seem like much, but seeing as I started it at midnight, reading through to 4am was impressive. This was a notch above your typical catch-a-killer book. Starting out, the reader immediately garnered a pretty good idea of what the bad guys' motive was, but over the next few hundred pages, the twists and turns Rose used kept the plot riveting. The different threads of the story combined slowly, without driving the reader insane.Rose avoided numerous cliches; Lucy the pathologist could have been just a pathologist with a secret, and in many other books, that's all she would have been. However, in this book, Lucy was also a black-leather-wearing, violin-playing, mysterious pathologist. A random, but interesting, extra layer to her character. Not only were the characters full of background depth but all the extra information was somehow relevant to the plot, making it all that much better.Rather than weigh the reader down with complicated criminal procedures, or an overly-detailed backstory, Rose managed to keep the pace of the story fast and flowing; you were drawn into the plot and carried along with the characters, discovering as they did, rather than fighting to keep up. I will admit, the romance-sounding title was not entirely off base - somehow, among murders and break-ins, the characters found time for some fairly intense moments. But they were well-written, so didn't detract from any crime solving!I'll admit, towards the end, things started getting a little slow... but the story was so good that I almost didn't notice. Plus, all the loose ends were tied up neatly, and I love that. Recommended! What I like about Karen Rose is that she introduces characters with two great features: A great past and a great present. The characters are very easy to relate to when the reader picks up whichever wonderful book they happen to choose. Then, over time, Rose gives hints about the characters' pasts, until finally it is all revealed at the best possible moment.Unfortunately I didn't feel that was done as well in "You Belong To Me" as in Rose's other books. It was still very enjoyable; Lucy was stubborn and smart, not walking down scary alleys just because she's not going to be bossed around; JD was brooding and tough...But the chemistry between the characters happens so fast - Literally the MOMENT they lay eyes on one another Lucy and JD are feeling proprietary, despite the fact that they don't know one another from Adam - that it takes the reader a few chapters to catch up. After reading the first ten chapters, then putting it down, I picked it back up. I was determined. And I am glad I stayed with the book. Romantic Suspense always has a couple that is drawn to one another, that faces hardships, and that comes out on top (hopefully with a few cuts and bruises along the way). I just wish Rose had allowed the characters time to get accustomed to one another before they tumble - not so delicately - shortly after meeting. This is a small problem, however. On the positive side, once I made it through those chapters, I saw the good attributes. One is that both Lucy and JD have great pasts. I would have liked them to be expounded upon a BIT more, but I'm all about the dialogue first and the crime second. In past books Rose focuses a lot on how characters from current books relate to OTHER characters. Since this is a new series of characters, we get less of this, which is less distracting.Overall the book did what Karen Rose so often does: it enticed me to read more, it provided me with a villain both mysterious and terrifying, and it made me sigh over the noteworthy couple that DOES come out with a few cuts and bruises.A good read. Not my favorite of Rose's, but still enjoyable.
What do You think about Bana Aitsin (2012)?
Solide geschriebener Thriller, aber nix für mich. Zu viel Liebesgeplänkel.
—tyler
one of her best books yet, excellent thriller right up to the end
—jessica
This book had me on my toes. You will never guess the ending.
—airbear
