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Was Sie Nicht Weiß (2012)

by Simone van der Vlugt(Favorite Author)

3.48 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

3453291514 (ISBN13: 9783453291515)

languge

English

genre

Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction

publisher

Diana Verlag

series

Lois Elzinga

review 1: Ever since I was a kid, I loved Simone's writing. I grew up with her YA novels and now I enjoy her adult literature. For as far as I know, this is the first series that she's ever started.The book sounds cliché enough. It's about a female detective, trying to solve a (as it later turns out to be) series of murders. This detective, Lois, is so caught in her job, that she doesn't really have a social life. She has one sister, who's married up, and Lois is having a rather difficult time to adjust to her sister's new status, which requires different (posh) behavior and possessions that she can't afford herself. She recently broke up with her ex-boyfriend, so she's not yet over him and hasn't entered the dating scene yet. Now, the murders. Well, they are gruesome enough if you... morer mind creates pictures of what you read. The men are stabbed and left in a uh...compromised state. The book has an excellent way of describing the scenes and the process of solving the murders. There's no blabla technical aspects; you follow the train of thought of a detective on and off work, her meetings with colleagues, suspects and superiors. They are portrayed very realistically, which makes it an easy and interesting read. Though the plot sounds simple and one-in-a-dozen, it turns out to be something completely different from what you're expecting. Trust me, even seasoned readers will not see the twist coming. That is a good thing. There's also a consistent build up of tension towards the eventual climax. You notice through the dialogues how the atmosphere changes with every step forward into the murder investigation(s). Recurring themes in this novel are psychology/psychiatry and youth experiences. There's a lot of talk and questioning into what makes a person tick. And with person, I mean the perpetrator. He or she is not just your average loon-on-a-spree taunting the police and frightening the locals. With youth experiences, I mean to say that they shed a lot of light onto every single character's past and how it influences the choices they make today. In my opinion, the writer sometimes goes a little overboard with this. Do we really need to know every character's history in so much detail? Is it important to know how popular one was in high school or how sweet she used to be until she met The One? There is only one thing lacking in this book, which is the reason why this book got four stars instead of five. Characterization. A crucial part of every novel. Though you'll definitely learn all about one's history, you barely discover what they are like at present! This excludes the murderer; some chapters are written in his or her point of view, so you'll get to know this character intimately. I have a few examples of this:- Main character Lois is dedicated to the job, works extra hours and is always tired. Witnesses a suicide at the beginning of the novel. This event and the effect it takes on her, are not mentioned again until the end of the book. At that point, it just feels uninteresting compared to the unraveling of the case! You no longer care. She also rarely shows any emotions. For some characters, that is a characteristic on its own. For Lois, this just gets lost into all the dialogue and advancing of the investigation.- Sister Tessa went from an average, educated girl to the wife of a rich husband. Is she happy? Does she have trouble adjusting to a life of etiquette, a new 'vocabulary', staying at home full-time and throwing big and expensive parties? One can guess the answer, but it is not given in the book. - Colleague Fred is close to retirement. What are his plans and thoughts for the future? Does the case maybe influence his decision about the when and how? Who knows...?- Potential date-material Onno. A psychiatrist. He is interested in Lois. Yeah...that's pretty much all there is to say about him. - Ex boyfriend Brian. He's just a Facebook profile these days. The lack of characterization caused me to feel rather apathetic towards most characters. They didn't come alive enough for me. I wish I was given more on the characters current state of minds rather than their pasts. And no, chronically tired is not a characteristic. And now the summary for the bored people:*Positives*- Lots of dialogue and interaction with the characters- Realistic story and ending- Unforeseeable plot twist- It's not just murders; psychological aspects are considered- Great and constant use of tension building and atmospheres *Negatives*- Focusses a lot on characters' past rather than their present- Characters don't show (a lot of) emotions and therefore appear rather one-dimensional
review 2: Pas op! Deze review bevat spoilers! Ik ben geen fan van Nederlandse literatuur maar deze boekenserie werd me zo vaak aangeraden dat ik het uiteindelijk maar ben gaan lezen. Simone's schrijfstijl trekt mij niet zo. In sommige situaties worden er teveel onrelevante details beschreven. Persoonlijk hou ik daar niet van, maar ik begrijp dat anderen dit juist aantrekkelijk vinden.Wat ik ook jammer vind is het verhaal beschreven vanuit Maaike/Tamara's point of view. De eerste keer wanneer je de geheimzinnige moordenaar 'ontmoet' is het interessant. Zodanig het verhaal verder gaat is het al snel duidelijk dat Maaike de moordenaar is, logisch, maar jammer.Wat sommige lezers als een 'plottwist' ervaren, de meerdere persoonlijkheden van Maaike, was voor mij al duidelijk na slechts enkele hoofdstukken. Het was gewoon te obvious, een mens die eerder van dit fenomeen heeft gehoord heeft al snel door wat er aan de hand is. Jammer en ook weer clichè, hoeveel boeken/series/films maken tegenwoordig gebruik hiervan. Ik kan ze niet meer op twee handen tellen. Ondanks mijn negativiteit heb ik toch van het boek genoten. Het leest lekker vlot weg. Ik zou het een 2,5e ster geven, maar omdat dit niet mogelijk is heb ik gekozen voor 3 sterren. less

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