Official Review: Ever Told by Benjamin Bremasi
Posted: 20 Jul 2019, 08:54
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ever Told" by Benjamin Bremasi.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Ever Told by Benjamin Bremasi is a brilliantly crafted crime thriller. Ten members of the wealthy Harryngton family stay in an isolated house for their vacation. Two of them are found murdered one morning in their bedroom, which is locked from the inside. Detective Jill and her partner Caiden investigate this locked-room murder mystery. However, as the investigation moves forward, dead bodies start piling up, and Jill is stalked and threatened. The detectives also find that the Harryngton family members hide countless secrets. What is actually happening? Who killed the two people inside the locked room? Moreover, why is everyone reluctant to reveal things? These questions are answered in this extremely thrilling, fast-paced page-turner.
The story starts with a multitude of characters. There are already ten people in the Harryngton family. People in Jill’s neighbourhood, her friends and family add to the character list. Jill also meets her love interest, Nick. Then, a reporter and the owner of the house (where the murders took place) appear in the story. With more people added to the mix, the suspect list gets bigger. I finished the book in a very short time because I could not focus on anything else. I wanted desperately to know the ending. At the same time, I did not want to miss any clues the author was leaving all over. Trust me; the author has designed many brilliant red herrings. The mood of each scene is set in an incredibly realistic way, and the reader is carried away exactly as the author intends.
The narrative begins in the third person and the murder victims are not revealed until we get into 15% of the book. Once the victims are revealed, the first-person narrative is commenced. This voice pops up intermittently when we least expect it. I went crazy trying to guess who it was. Unfortunately, every single twist in the story, as well as the big reveal, took me by surprise. Benjamin Bremasi is a master craftsman and I felt like I was in the presence of a supreme talent like Agatha Christie. Not even a single character in the book disappointed me. Each of the characters is intricately crafted and there is not a single dull moment.
I know that I sound like a love-struck fan girl. I confess that I am; I am intrigued by how deep the book took me into the story and how it taunted me. Each time I felt like I knew what was happening, I was taken by surprise. As if the book is not a wonderful package already, Jill takes care of her aged and ailing father who was a police officer, and this is a really tender and beautiful part. If I had to find something wrong with the storyline, here are two things: Firstly, Jill, despite being an independent woman, sometimes seemed to relinquish control to her partner Caiden because he was a man and she seems to think he could handle certain situations that she could not. Secondly, she falls very fast for Nick who is essentially a stranger. These minor factors did not deter me from being a fan girl anyway.
It pains me terribly that I cannot give this book a perfect rating. This is because there are many grammatical errors and this book could use better editing with regard to typos. Nevertheless, the writing, plot and character development are exemplary. In light of all the above, I give Ever Told by Benjamin Bremasi a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fast-paced murder mysteries. There is no profanity or explicit scene in this book. I cannot think of any mystery lover who will not enjoy this book. However, there is a slight element of violence and the concept of child molestation that might be a bit problematic for younger readers.
******
Ever Told
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Ever Told by Benjamin Bremasi is a brilliantly crafted crime thriller. Ten members of the wealthy Harryngton family stay in an isolated house for their vacation. Two of them are found murdered one morning in their bedroom, which is locked from the inside. Detective Jill and her partner Caiden investigate this locked-room murder mystery. However, as the investigation moves forward, dead bodies start piling up, and Jill is stalked and threatened. The detectives also find that the Harryngton family members hide countless secrets. What is actually happening? Who killed the two people inside the locked room? Moreover, why is everyone reluctant to reveal things? These questions are answered in this extremely thrilling, fast-paced page-turner.
The story starts with a multitude of characters. There are already ten people in the Harryngton family. People in Jill’s neighbourhood, her friends and family add to the character list. Jill also meets her love interest, Nick. Then, a reporter and the owner of the house (where the murders took place) appear in the story. With more people added to the mix, the suspect list gets bigger. I finished the book in a very short time because I could not focus on anything else. I wanted desperately to know the ending. At the same time, I did not want to miss any clues the author was leaving all over. Trust me; the author has designed many brilliant red herrings. The mood of each scene is set in an incredibly realistic way, and the reader is carried away exactly as the author intends.
The narrative begins in the third person and the murder victims are not revealed until we get into 15% of the book. Once the victims are revealed, the first-person narrative is commenced. This voice pops up intermittently when we least expect it. I went crazy trying to guess who it was. Unfortunately, every single twist in the story, as well as the big reveal, took me by surprise. Benjamin Bremasi is a master craftsman and I felt like I was in the presence of a supreme talent like Agatha Christie. Not even a single character in the book disappointed me. Each of the characters is intricately crafted and there is not a single dull moment.
I know that I sound like a love-struck fan girl. I confess that I am; I am intrigued by how deep the book took me into the story and how it taunted me. Each time I felt like I knew what was happening, I was taken by surprise. As if the book is not a wonderful package already, Jill takes care of her aged and ailing father who was a police officer, and this is a really tender and beautiful part. If I had to find something wrong with the storyline, here are two things: Firstly, Jill, despite being an independent woman, sometimes seemed to relinquish control to her partner Caiden because he was a man and she seems to think he could handle certain situations that she could not. Secondly, she falls very fast for Nick who is essentially a stranger. These minor factors did not deter me from being a fan girl anyway.
It pains me terribly that I cannot give this book a perfect rating. This is because there are many grammatical errors and this book could use better editing with regard to typos. Nevertheless, the writing, plot and character development are exemplary. In light of all the above, I give Ever Told by Benjamin Bremasi a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fast-paced murder mysteries. There is no profanity or explicit scene in this book. I cannot think of any mystery lover who will not enjoy this book. However, there is a slight element of violence and the concept of child molestation that might be a bit problematic for younger readers.
******
Ever Told
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon