Review: Now That She’s Gone – Gregg Olsen

Waterman and Stark #2

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS: Notorious serial killer Brenda Nevins has cajoled, seduced, blackmailed, and left a trail of bodies all across Washington State. Now, after a daring prison escape, she is free to carry out her ultimate act of revenge. The targets: forensic pathologist Birdy Waterman and sheriff’s detective Kendall Stark. The pawn: a television psychic hungry for fame, ratings, and blood. There’s only way to stop a killer as brutal, brilliant, and twisted as this: beat her at her own game… via Goodreads

I wish I had known this was a sequel, it would have explained so much. Things make more sense that I know now. Not that it changes the fact that this was a real chore to read. No, sirree, nothing will change that. I had big problems with the fact that this book comprised of some of the flattest, most boring, one dimensional characters I have ever had the misfortune of reading about. Not only are they bland and boring, they are uneven. There are few things that annoy me as much as character inconsistencies, and Olsen’s characters are riddled with them, which is just unacceptable. I got this book to read about the promised serial killer. Come on, that psyche is something that has always fascinated me. A female one? We get so little of that, so much potential. Nope, not what I got. I got a plain, silly Brenda Nevins with her fake boobs and immensely lacking character. She was lame, she did not scare me or fascinate me at all, which was a real pity. I so wanted more. I felt not one ounce of fear or urgency at any single part of this book. When I come to read a crime thriller, I expect those aspects to be present, and I was sorely disappointed to not have them feature here. I feel that there was no backstory for anything that happened in this novel, though I am unsure as to whether or not that is because I missed the last one. Indeed, if that is the reason, Olsen should have given us enough material to move us along in this one and not leave the reader feeling bewildered and confused within the first two chapters. I found that there were absolutely no characters that I liked or wanted to back and support at all, which is not really what you want from a story. I also found the plot lines to be exceptionally forced. I know this review is harsh, and it really is not what I envisioned, and not what I wanted to write, but the book really just did nothing for me, and then just ended, leaving me hanging with nothing wrapping up, and I cannot stand that in a book. I cannot recommend this book, especially not to those who enjoy thrillers, and expect a page turner, gore, a serious story, and an antagonist and protagonist that will draw you in.