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emilyrobben's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Guests are stock in an Egyptian hotel during Covid. When a kid joins the pseudo family, tensions rise as their way of life is challenged and havoc ensues
katiepw's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bananniegrams's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
epugliese's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty
hiraeth18's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Frustrating lead character and I had figured out the plot twist early on.
Found it repetitive and wished the lead characters physical maladies were repeated a little less.
Found it repetitive and wished the lead characters physical maladies were repeated a little less.
smittykay's review
dark
mysterious
tense
5.0
A slippery, unsettling, and engrossing story set in the Egyptian heat; Death on the Nile meets The White Lotus.
goggles4's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
crmckenna14's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was wild! Gave strong Hitchcock vibes. I also love an unreliable narrator, and Maggie is one of the finest of her kind. Definitely an interesting one to pick up if you like a thriller.
writeguy's review
5.0
I totally loved this even if Bollen doesn’t quite stick the landing in the end. Havoc is the rare book where the cover blurbs are truthful about what’s inside. It’s like someone took Marnie, Melrose Place and Bette Davis’ The Nanny and blended them up. The cat and mouse games between an 8 year old and an octogenarian are delicious and deliciously evil. The slow build of tension and creeping unease were very accomplished, but once they reached their peak it felt like Bollen didn’t know where to go and we get a rushed ending that, even though you knew it was going there, feels unnatural to the story before it.