What do You think about On, Off (2006)?
This book is nothing more than creepy. I am slightly sorry I read it. Carmine is such a perfect man that he is noted as using the line "In my family, a man who let a woman pay would be lynched." (p. 291)This is said after asking his newly found girl to have dinner. I had to check the copyright to see when this book was written after that statement. It was written in 2006. Amazing. The ending is even more amazing. A sign of the times, I guess. Following the great writers of history who attempt to chronicle current society with their stories? Or maybe this author just uses the trends of the era to craft her story as directed by her study of literature and creative writing. Not so hard to tell. It borders on disrespect and horror. Makes you mad and more. It's definitely much more twisted than "The Surgeon" and leaves more of a bitter after taste.Does this book review make me a "mean" lady?
—Sara
My book club was advertising a sequel to this and it sounded quite interesting. But what’s the point in reading a sequel before you’ve read the original? And I wasn’t planning on buying the book anyway, just borrowing it from the library, so it made sense to get the first one first.This is quite intriguing – the book is published in 2005, but set in 1965. it doesn’t seem long enough ago to be regarded as a historical novel (murder mystery, actually) – though my children and grandchildren might argue with me there. Perhaps the author was thinking of the younger generations, or perhaps she was aiming for the older reader (60+) who might enjoy the nostalgia, and who might find the modern whodunits too full of gratuitous sex and violence.Where do I fit? Well, I was really impatient with it for quite a while, and almost decided to stop reading it. But I was curious to know who the murderer was. What shall I do? – just keep reading even though I’m feeling annoyed by the pace …? or go to the end of the book and read the last chapter or so? I opted for the latter, also browsing a couple of pages midway through.I met somebody once who said that she ALWAYS reads the back page before deciding whether to bother with any book. Now, I’m glad I didn’t read the very back page because when I ultimately got to it, it was a nice surprise. But I’m also glad I read towards the end – I found out who the killer was (giving me one up on the detective, Carmine Delmonico, and his cohorts), which made me really curious about how he got away with it so well and how they caught him.So, in the end, I enjoyed this book a lot.
—Kathleen Dixon
As a fan of McCullough's _Tim_ (one of my all-time favorite books), and also of _The Thorn Birds_ and _The Ladies of Missalonghi_, I was incredibly surprised to spot this book at the bookstore. That didn't stop me, of course, from buying it immediately. Briefly, the book takes place in 1965 in Connecticut and follows a detective, Carmine, as he attempts to solve a "multiple murder" case that is closely tied to the heavily endowed neurological research center, the "Hug," in the earliest days of forensic science and criminal profiling. This is a difficult case with many details and characters, and the climax and resolution, along with a surprise twist, occur in the last few pages. McCullough is expertly detailed and accurate (from what I could tell), from the intricacies of neurological research to the 1960s setting and chronology. She is an excellent writer, but I agree with another review that pointed out that the first part of the book was overwritten - I was surprised to find quite so many details about a woman's outfit coming from a male detective, even if it was explained by one sentence, that a detective had to be observant of everything. Also, in the beginning, some descriptions are overdone. McCullough does fall into stride, however, and the writing isn't an issue within a few chapters. Like other reviewers, I found this book to be impossible to put down - I read it in a little more than a day, even with working full-time. The story never stumbles or bores, and the characters, even though there are a lot of them, are easy to know and keep track of. My biggest criticism of the book is the same as that of other reviewers, that there are a few red herrings and details that are not explained or tied up by the end of the story. Although I understood the overall outcome and general motive by the end of the book, I was left with many unanswered questions, such as the Hug's specific involvement and why the crimes were committed in the exact way that they were. Other than the niggling of those questions, I really enjoyed the thrill of this book, and am wondering if there will be a sequel.
—Jennifer Ready
