Sandra Block

Bachelorette Party

I love thrillers for their fast pace and uneasy feeling. I like to fear for the character’s well-being and feel reticent for what’s yet to come. Unlike horror, the point is not to scare or disgust. Thrillers pick up the attention without going too far. Although thriller and horror are next-door neighbours. And this time, I think it just knocked on the other door.

This is one of the most intense thrillers I’ve read. Also one of the fastest. In about three chapters, the crime happens. Just a few hours after falling asleep, Alex finds her friends are missing, and there’s blood everywhere. Obviously, she jumps to the worst-case scenario. Maybe the real killer is still out there. And now, he has found his new victims.

The story is told between the present and the past. That’s where we find out about the 666 Killer, see Alex interact with him, and how the whole investigation interferes with her personal life. This also brings some uneasiness to the story. And so, there’s a high-intensity potential murder happening in the present and a stressful look into the past. All these emotions reached a point where I didn’t trust any character. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong. Alex was in constant danger. She couldn’t get any help. And nothing was making any sense.

At some point, the book reminded me of Psycho, which is even referenced in the story. There’s this constant feeling that something is wrong. That something bad will happen at any moment. That something is very very wrong. And the danger is constant. So, I think the movie is a good comparison. Although story-wise, they are different. I’m just talking about vibes here.

The best part of the book is without a doubt the ambient. The story gets really intense and involves me in all the uneasiness. And for that, I love this book. Although it comes with its flaws. The ending was a bit of a stretch. For a lack of a better word… A bit stupid. For me, it doesn’t make much sense in the context of a bachelorette party. It wasn’t a total failure. Although it throws a curve ball I was not expecting it and looks like an easy way out to explain the horror night the protagonist went through.

The characters aren’t fully fleshed out. We spend a lot of time with Alex, and she is a bit bland. She doesn’t have much personality other than being obsessed with her investigation of the 666 Killer. Even calling it an obsession is an exaggeration. However, that can be somewhat intentional since she will go on a self-discovery journey afterwards away from her job and her romantic relationship. In general, the characters each have a unique trait that distinguishes them from the rest, but the story doesn’t explore more than that. It’s a characterisation on a surface level. And I don’t mind it. What I wanted from this book was to be on the edge of my seat. That’s what I look for in a thriller. And this book delivered that in a great amount.

Also, the focus of the story isn’t always the mystery. Alex’s investigation is often on the back burner while the story focuses on her relationships and presenting everything about the 666 Killer. She doesn’t make many breakthroughs. The book doesn’t lay out the puzzle pieces for the reader to solve. It’s about enjoying the vibes more than anything. The author doesn’t exactly hide information. It’s just never fully explored by the character. I could still guess the identity of the killer because it was the plot that made more sense. And if you read enough murder mysteries, you will start to correctly guess some endings.

Overall, I liked this book a lot. The high-intensity thriller, almost falling into horror, created a great atmosphere. The story just jumps straight to the point without losing any time, and so it grabs the reader straight away. It’s a great company for a moody read in the colder months.

Joana

I love thrillers for their fast pace and uneasy feeling. I like to fear for the character’s well-being and feel reticent for what’s yet to come. Unlike horror, the point is not to scare or disgust. Thrillers pick up the attention without going too far. Although thriller and horror are next-door neighbours. And this time, I think it just knocked on the other door.

This is one of the most intense thrillers I’ve read. Also one of the fastest. In about three chapters, the crime happens. Just a few hours after falling asleep, Alex finds her friends are missing, and there’s blood everywhere. Obviously, she jumps to the worst-case scenario. Maybe the real killer is still out there. And now, he has found his new victims.

The story is told between the present and the past. That’s where we find out about the 666 Killer, see Alex interact with him, and how the whole investigation interferes with her personal life. This also brings some uneasiness to the story. And so, there’s a high-intensity potential murder happening in the present and a stressful look into the past. All these emotions reached a point where I didn’t trust any character. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong. Alex was in constant danger. She couldn’t get any help. And nothing was making any sense.

At some point, the book reminded me of Psycho, which is even referenced in the story. There’s this constant feeling that something is wrong. That something bad will happen at any moment. That something is very very wrong. And the danger is constant. So, I think the movie is a good comparison. Although story-wise, they are different. I’m just talking about vibes here.

The best part of the book is without a doubt the ambient. The story gets really intense and involves me in all the uneasiness. And for that, I love this book. Although it comes with its flaws. The ending was a bit of a stretch. For a lack of a better word… A bit stupid. For me, it doesn’t make much sense in the context of a bachelorette party. It wasn’t a total failure. Although it throws a curve ball I was not expecting it and looks like an easy way out to explain the horror night the protagonist went through.

The characters aren’t fully fleshed out. We spend a lot of time with Alex, and she is a bit bland. She doesn’t have much personality other than being obsessed with her investigation of the 666 Killer. Even calling it an obsession is an exaggeration. However, that can be somewhat intentional since she will go on a self-discovery journey afterwards away from her job and her romantic relationship. In general, the characters each have a unique trait that distinguishes them from the rest, but the story doesn’t explore more than that. It’s a characterisation on a surface level. And I don’t mind it. What I wanted from this book was to be on the edge of my seat. That’s what I look for in a thriller. And this book delivered that in a great amount.

Also, the focus of the story isn’t always the mystery. Alex’s investigation is often on the back burner while the story focuses on her relationships and presenting everything about the 666 Killer. She doesn’t make many breakthroughs. The book doesn’t lay out the puzzle pieces for the reader to solve. It’s about enjoying the vibes more than anything. The author doesn’t exactly hide information. It’s just never fully explored by the character. I could still guess the identity of the killer because it was the plot that made more sense. And if you read enough murder mysteries, you will start to correctly guess some endings.

Overall, I liked this book a lot. The high-intensity thriller, almost falling into horror, created a great atmosphere. The story just jumps straight to the point without losing any time, and so it grabs the reader straight away. It’s a great company for a moody read in the colder months.

Bachelorette Party

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