Weird.The Dead End is a psychological mystery thriller.I found this book at a sidewalk sale for 25 cents. The back cover:The phone rang. She picked it up and a chilling voice said: “You’ve been a bad girl. I’m going to take down your panties and spank you…And them I’m going to kill you….”What can I say? I’m a sucker for spankings and death! Sold!Unfortunately, the only reason I finished this book is because I HAD to find out WHO the stalker psycho was. I suppose that’s the point of the book. Some nutjob makes weird phone calls and scares the crap out of a housewife and mother. Her husband recently left her. Her kids are at summer camp. Her friend is completely losing her mind. What more can a girl ask for?The first 25 pages slammed me into a coma. I slept so hard and woke up revived! Best night’s sleep in a long time.Next 50 pages, I’m trying to decide whether or not I should toss the book aside and hope it never resurfaces or to organize my kindle.The next 150 pages, the drama and back and forth became pretty damned tiresome.Joanne struggled through this entire book and deserving so. The problems with her children trying to eat each other alive is the least of her problems. Her best friend of 30 years scares the shit out of her. And her bastard of a husband “needs more time to think about his life.” Bastard.What do you do, she asks herself, when somebody suddenly stops loving you?Out of all of the screwed up bits in this book, the relationship with her husband irritated me the most. I mean, being married for 20 years is something to fight over! Sure, that sounds wonderful. But what if there is a little skanky blonde named Judy that’s buffing your husband? Do you still wait around hoping he’ll come home? Do you still pretty yourself up just in case he wants to have coffee?That about says it.I did not like this book. It was slow and about bored me to death.I will not recommend this book to anyone. I’m sure there are others out there that just soak this kind of book up. Not me. Let them recommend it, I’m sticking with my story! Heh .. Coma worthy. On the other hand, a great sleep aid.
I got this book entirely by accident, while looking for a new novel by the same name. And guess what? I really enjoyed it. It was not long nor recent but it was very tight from a plot perspective and moved along at a good clip. Fielding's characters were very real. The twp women were mirror opposites but they were tightly written characters. It was almost a ying-yang balance of personality between the two. The plot was tight, real tight, and at times quite scary, I was almost hesitant to read it late at night. I am a brave girl with the husband snoring next to me, but reading it at night, alone in the house would not have happened. I thought I knew who the bad guy as but I was not even close. That made me like it the best. I will be sampling some more of her books. I hope they are as good as this one.
I was with the heroine of this story from page one when the ringing phone, she won’t answer, hints strongly at what is to come. Joanne is a woman in her mid forties, with a husband who has just left her. Her two teenage daughters are , well, teenage daughters! Her best friend of 30 years, Eve, who lives next door with her Policeman husband, is going crazy (or is she?) To add to this already stressful and upsetting life, a serial killer is on the loose and he is stalking Joanne. We know this is true as we are with Joanne when she receives the threats and warnings from this crazy person. But no one will believe her as she is always alone when the phone calls are made. Joanne is telling us her story in present time. We are with her as she matures from a bit of a doormat wife and mother (just there to make life as wonderful as possible for her husband and daughters) into a woman, proud to be who and what she is, despite the fact that she knows her days may be numbered.The clues to the identity of the stalker are very cleverly hidden and woven into the story. You discover who the manic is at the same time as Joanne does... and will panic right along with her as she realizes she has called wolf one too many times. The tension is high and the atmosphere most chilling as author Joy Fielding brings our paranoid heroine to a totally unexpected realization!!A great summer read!!
—Jan
Da passiert ja niddamolnix! NIX! Bei meinem ersten Fielding-Buch konnte ich nächtelang nicht richtig schlafen und hab mich die ganze Zeit wie auf Drogen gefühlt. Und jetzt sowas! Die ganze Zeit waaaarte und waaaaaaarte ich drauf, dass dieses uäääh-creepy-Gefühl einsetzt, aber es wird ja nur langweilig geschwätzt über einen Mörder der dann doch nicht mal irgendwie ansatzweise versucht zu morden (oooh er schneidet ihr die haare ab...uuh) und eine total durchgeknallte Freundin, die am Ende noch gen
—Schmasi
3 STARS"Joanne Hunter's secure suburban world is falling apart. Her husband's desertion after twenty years of marriage leaves her stunned. Eve, her best friend, is strangely distant. Her grandfather, who has been a pillar of strength and support, lies ill and helpless in a nursing home. Lana and Robin, her teenage daughters, claim every ounce of her energy and devotion and all the love she feels she has lost. Only one person seems to care -- a stranger with a rasping voice, a tormentor with a vicious mind. Danger and despair close in with each ring of the telephone. Each deadly message lures her inexorably towards the deep end…" (From Amazon)Fielding is great at suspense...a female version of Harlan Coben with female heroines trying to get through bad situations in every day life.
—Kris - My Novelesque Life
