Or Else
- Downloads：2252
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-02 21:23:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Joe Hart
- ISBN：B09D3HSRDF
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Cid Herman
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Sorry， but this one is just dull。Joe Hart's new novel， OR ELSE， never really got off the ground for me。 It is dubbed as a mystery/thriller but fails entirely at the "thrilling" part。 It does have a few things going for it， but not enough to overcome a major pacing problem。Hart is a good writer and he manages to bring his main character to life。 Some of his family dynamics are interestin， amusin and probably the best part of the book。 Unfortunately， the main character is just not edgy enough to b Sorry， but this one is just dull。Joe Hart's new novel， OR ELSE， never really got off the ground for me。 It is dubbed as a mystery/thriller but fails entirely at the "thrilling" part。 It does have a few things going for it， but not enough to overcome a major pacing problem。Hart is a good writer and he manages to bring his main character to life。 Some of his family dynamics are interestin， amusin and probably the best part of the book。 Unfortunately， the main character is just not edgy enough to be interesting。 He is a nice guy， who is a bit of a wimp。 He takes care of his ailing father and is sneaking around with the neighbor， who is married with two children His crush on the neighbor seems both juvenile and sappy。 The main character is the sole narrator for the story， and may be why the book seems as dull as he does。Even a great story can be diminished by a poor story teller， and I am not sure this ever could have been a great story。 The plot is intricate with several dead people and multiple shady characters， and yet it still seemes like not much happens。 There are multiple red herrings， but any mystery fans will have it figured out fairly early。 Some of the clues that are "discovered" had already been overlooked by the police beause they were so obscure， they should never have been used as clues， at all。 The main character's amateur sleuthing is almost pathetic。 Yet he manages to dig up lots of trouble， helped by the fact there is an almost unheard of number of criminals within walking distance of his house （located in a small religious community， in the shadow of a church）。 Really？？This book has a lot going on， and yet it feels like nothing ever happens。 The book isn't awful， but it is forgettable and a waste of time。 。。。more
Audriana
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I’ll be honest， I did not like this book at first。 I found it hard to relate to the main character， which resulted in me being annoyed by him for the first half of the book。 I felt no sympathy for him or the situation。 The last 40% is what made me like it。 I had no idea what to expect for Rachel and the boys， no idea who did it or what really had been done。 It was a shock to learn the “who-done-it”。
Sandi Wallace
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4。5 stars。 Advance review copy received with thanks from the publisher and NetGalley。 More in my next Good Reads blog at www。sandiwallace。com/blog/。 4。5 stars。 Advance review copy received with thanks from the publisher and NetGalley。 More in my next Good Reads blog at www。sandiwallace。com/blog/。 。。。more
V
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The setting for this murder mystery is a small town in the Adirondacks。 There are many residents who have grown up， married， had children， go to the same church， started businesses and never left。 They know everyone， they gossip， spy， and hide secrets。Andy has relocated to his hometown to assist in the care of his dad， recently diagnosed with early dementia。 His sister， Keli， single mom of two young daughters， lives nearby。 Andy is a crime novel writer， currently in a slump。 He's spending all th The setting for this murder mystery is a small town in the Adirondacks。 There are many residents who have grown up， married， had children， go to the same church， started businesses and never left。 They know everyone， they gossip， spy， and hide secrets。Andy has relocated to his hometown to assist in the care of his dad， recently diagnosed with early dementia。 His sister， Keli， single mom of two young daughters， lives nearby。 Andy is a crime novel writer， currently in a slump。 He's spending all the extra moments making memories with his dad while he still can。Rachel is married to David， with two kids and they live on the same street。 Their parents are powerful and well known families。 They all went to school together。 David has a lending agency business that's in financial trouble， with his business partner， Ryan。Andy follows his heart and emotions instead of logic and reconnects with Rachel。 Their affair doesn't stay a secret。 David is murdered， Rachel and the kids disappear， Andy spirals。 There's a threatening note， other deaths and/or murders follow。Andy doesn't trust the local police to find Rachel if she's even still alive。 He makes more poorly thought out choices。 He riles gangsters， neighbors， his own family， the cops， even drags the church into his schemes to find her。 The predicaments he gets into threaten not only his own life， but puts those he loves at risk。 He's also a suspect so there's lots of sneaking around， breaking and entering， trespassing， basic criminal behavior。The family dynamic is messy， funny and interesting。 Andy's capers are hair brained and a tad over the top but， sure didn't keep me from racing to the conclusion。 Couldn't wait to see what happened next， who the killer was and what the motives were。 Plenty of suspense， good plot， easy to read， would recommend and would read this author again。Many thanks to Netgalley， Joe Hart and Thomas & Mercer for the digital advance copy of "Or Else"。 These are my personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily。 。。。more
ShireenWrites
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Cute
Judy
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A great mystery with surprises and twists。 Andy， a novelist， has come back to his hometown to take care of his father， who is suffering from dementia。 He reconnects with his childhood friend， Rachel， who is now married to an emotionally abusive husband， and this turns into a secret affair。 Then Andy gets a note that tells him to end the affair - or else。 Then Rachel's husband is murdered and Rachel and her children disappear。 Things fall apart from there as Andy is consumed with finding what hap A great mystery with surprises and twists。 Andy， a novelist， has come back to his hometown to take care of his father， who is suffering from dementia。 He reconnects with his childhood friend， Rachel， who is now married to an emotionally abusive husband， and this turns into a secret affair。 Then Andy gets a note that tells him to end the affair - or else。 Then Rachel's husband is murdered and Rachel and her children disappear。 Things fall apart from there as Andy is consumed with finding what happened to Rachel。I enjoyed the character， Andy， who is always thinking of how things are connected and what might have happened。 He's perfect in the role of a crime novelist as he delves into the mystery of what is happening in the neighborhood。 There are a few murders， some may be suicides， a mob character， and an affair that may be connected。 I didn't guess the bad guy/guys ahead of time。 The book was absorbing and a quick read。Thanks to Thomas & Mercer through Netgalley for an advance copy。 This book will be published on April 1， 2022。 。。。more
Kelly Young
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What an absolutely phenomenal book！ I'm so happy to have received an ARC of #OrElse from #NetGalley ！This well-written page-turner grabs you right away and doesn't let go。 The fact that main character Andy Drake is a novelist drew me in， and he describes the world of a mystery writer with an accuracy that can come only from being one himself。 I really enjoyed the segments where he looks at what would happen next if he were writing the events in a novel。The characters are relatable and human， wit What an absolutely phenomenal book！ I'm so happy to have received an ARC of #OrElse from #NetGalley ！This well-written page-turner grabs you right away and doesn't let go。 The fact that main character Andy Drake is a novelist drew me in， and he describes the world of a mystery writer with an accuracy that can come only from being one himself。 I really enjoyed the segments where he looks at what would happen next if he were writing the events in a novel。The characters are relatable and human， with plenty of heart wrenching drama that makes the reader care while providing clues。 The tangents Andy goes on in his search for Rachel and her sons make for exciting sequences and the suspects in the family's disappearance， and the murders that follow， pile up。 I have to say that I am seldom surprised by a resolution， but this one I didn't see coming until almost the last moment。Or Else is riveting entertainment。 You should read it #OrElse 。 。。。more
Karin Carlson
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When novelist Andy Drake returns to his hometown to care for his ailing father， a reconnection with his childhood friend Rachel escalates into a secret love affair。 For Rachel， struggling to maintain the facade of a picture-perfect life， it’s an escape from an emotionally abusive marriage。 Then Andy receives an anonymous note warning him to end the affair。 Or else。 And the or else involves murder。 I can't believe I have never read anything by this writer before。 Where have I been？ His style is a When novelist Andy Drake returns to his hometown to care for his ailing father， a reconnection with his childhood friend Rachel escalates into a secret love affair。 For Rachel， struggling to maintain the facade of a picture-perfect life， it’s an escape from an emotionally abusive marriage。 Then Andy receives an anonymous note warning him to end the affair。 Or else。 And the or else involves murder。 I can't believe I have never read anything by this writer before。 Where have I been？ His style is amazing and grabs you from page one and holds you until the surprise ending。 I am now going to go back and read everything Hart has written。 Clearly I have been missing out。 Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review。 。。。more
Sandra Pipitone
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Kinda of a nail biter！ Garbs and sucks you in！ Very quick read and enjoyed。 Known they are many ELSE's Kinda of a nail biter！ Garbs and sucks you in！ Very quick read and enjoyed。 Known they are many ELSE's 。。。more
Sharon
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Thank you to Netgalley， the publisher and the author， for an ARC of this book， in exchange for an honest review。I read "Obscura" by Joe Hart in 2018 & I loved it so when I saw that his new book "Or Else" was available to review I couldn't wait to request a copy。I loved the storyline of the book， it was fresh， original & well written。It was a dark， twisty & suspenseful thriller that kept me thoroughly engaged the entire time。The final reveals were very unexpected。I'm already looking forward to Mr Thank you to Netgalley， the publisher and the author， for an ARC of this book， in exchange for an honest review。I read "Obscura" by Joe Hart in 2018 & I loved it so when I saw that his new book "Or Else" was available to review I couldn't wait to request a copy。I loved the storyline of the book， it was fresh， original & well written。It was a dark， twisty & suspenseful thriller that kept me thoroughly engaged the entire time。The final reveals were very unexpected。I'm already looking forward to Mr。 Hart's next book。 。。。more
Nicole
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I thought this book was ok。 It dragged at parts but I didn’t hate it。 Lots of twists and turns take place when Andy returns home。 His life is complicated by old relationships and lies。 The ending was a twist I did not see coming and it tied everything up nicely。
Leslie Horton
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I only slept 4 hours last night， I hold #JoeHart personally responsible！ I made the mistake of starting this book at 8:00 pm at 1:00 am i turned out the light at 5:00 am i woke up wondering what happened to Rachel and her boys。 Her husband was killed and they disappeared。 I won’t rehash the story， but i will say， this book has everything I love。 It’s told first person，short chapters， ending sentences that lead to reading one more chapter， great relatable characters and some plot twists i didn’t I only slept 4 hours last night， I hold #JoeHart personally responsible！ I made the mistake of starting this book at 8:00 pm at 1:00 am i turned out the light at 5:00 am i woke up wondering what happened to Rachel and her boys。 Her husband was killed and they disappeared。 I won’t rehash the story， but i will say， this book has everything I love。 It’s told first person，short chapters， ending sentences that lead to reading one more chapter， great relatable characters and some plot twists i didn’t see coming。 I’m pleased i was able to read an advanced copy。 I will be recommending it to all my reader friends。 #NetGalley #JoeHart #Thomas&Mercer 。。。more
Kathleen
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Andy Drake’s life starts to go off the rails when he returns home to take care of his father who is in the early stages of dementia。 Suffering from writer’s block， bored and still grieving the death of his younger sister， Andy begins an affair with neighbor and childhood friend Rachel。 The first problem is that she’s married。 Unhappily married but no one in town knows that。 The second problem is that someone in town does know about the affair and sends Andy a threatening note warning him of cons Andy Drake’s life starts to go off the rails when he returns home to take care of his father who is in the early stages of dementia。 Suffering from writer’s block， bored and still grieving the death of his younger sister， Andy begins an affair with neighbor and childhood friend Rachel。 The first problem is that she’s married。 Unhappily married but no one in town knows that。 The second problem is that someone in town does know about the affair and sends Andy a threatening note warning him of consequences if he doesn’t immediately end the relationship。 The third problem comes when Rachel’s husband is found dead and Rachel and her children are missing。 Trying to stay one step ahead of the police who he knows will consider him a suspect， out of desperation Andy starts his own investigation。 What he discovers will reveal many long hidden secrets and other deaths。Or Else is a slow paced， deliberate thriller。 It is full of family drama， with interesting characters， especially Andy’s father and sister Keli， and an evocative small town setting with Andy as the main narrator。 We see how Andy’s past affects his judgement and relationships and how townspeople seemingly ignore serious problems。 This is a 5 star read。Thank you yo NetGalley， Thomas & Mercer and Joe Hart for this ARC。 。。。more
Tori | readandsip
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✨ NEIGHBORHOOD THRILLER MEETS FAMILY DRAMA ✨Author: Joe Hart Genre: mystery / thriller Mood: mysterious， dark， tense Rating: ⭐️⭐️/5Pub Date: April 1， 2022#readandsiprecommends to read if you like:* Lots of mysteries to untangle at once * A big dose of family drama * Neighborhood thrillers like Not a Happy Family or Every Last Secret Review: While it was a fast read with chapter endings that kept me wanting to turn the page， Or Else was in general quite underwhelming。 As I do when something doesn ✨ NEIGHBORHOOD THRILLER MEETS FAMILY DRAMA ✨Author: Joe Hart Genre: mystery / thriller Mood: mysterious， dark， tense Rating: ⭐️⭐️/5Pub Date: April 1， 2022#readandsiprecommends to read if you like:* Lots of mysteries to untangle at once * A big dose of family drama * Neighborhood thrillers like Not a Happy Family or Every Last Secret Review: While it was a fast read with chapter endings that kept me wanting to turn the page， Or Else was in general quite underwhelming。 As I do when something doesn’t quite work for me I’ll keep this short。Starting with some elements I liked:* Fast page turner with lots going on to keep me interested* Small town neighborhood vibes where everyone knows everyone’s business* Unexpected outcome What didn’t work for me:* Too much happening that was disconnected and pure coincidence it was at the same time * Odd changing of POV throughout and sometimes stream of conscious which was hard to follow * Characters could have been developed more strongly if there weren’t as many and as much going onThanks to Netgalley for sharing this e-ARC with me in exchange for my honest thoughts and review。 🚨 TW: mentions of child molestation 。。。more
Nicole
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Andy Drake returns to his hometown and reconnects with his old friend Rachel。 Andy just suffered the loss of his mother and Rachel is looking for an escape from her abusive husband。 Eventually the friendship turns into a full blown affair。Andy receives a threatening note pinned to his door warning him to end the affair， “or else”。 A few weeks later， Rachel’s husband is found shot to death and Rachel and her children are nowhere to be found。 Can Andy put the pieces of what happened together witho Andy Drake returns to his hometown and reconnects with his old friend Rachel。 Andy just suffered the loss of his mother and Rachel is looking for an escape from her abusive husband。 Eventually the friendship turns into a full blown affair。Andy receives a threatening note pinned to his door warning him to end the affair， “or else”。 A few weeks later， Rachel’s husband is found shot to death and Rachel and her children are nowhere to be found。 Can Andy put the pieces of what happened together without incriminating himself？ I thought this book was ok。 It dragged at parts and I didn’t connect with any of the characters at all。Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc。 。。。more
Meg Williams
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…sighMy first reaction to this story is: why？ Why would someone go to lengths like this for someone they barely know？ This whole story is incredibly frustrating - no way in the world I would’ve put myself in these situations！ Because of this， most of the time I spent reading this book， I was looking for reasons to dislike it。 The story isn’t very thrilling （except the chase with Drake’s neighbor through the woods）， and while there are a few red herrings thrown in the mix， the plot is pretty pred …sighMy first reaction to this story is: why？ Why would someone go to lengths like this for someone they barely know？ This whole story is incredibly frustrating - no way in the world I would’ve put myself in these situations！ Because of this， most of the time I spent reading this book， I was looking for reasons to dislike it。 The story isn’t very thrilling （except the chase with Drake’s neighbor through the woods）， and while there are a few red herrings thrown in the mix， the plot is pretty predictable。 Character development is lacking - I don’t know much about Andy other than he’s a writer who takes care of his dad and had a “deep” love for Rachel。 I’d have to give this one 2。75 stars。 Sadly I feel like after a few weeks， it’ll be a pretty forgettable story。 。。。more
Melissa iorio
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I had such high hopes for “Or Else” based on the description which makes this This difficult for me to write because I’m extremely grateful for a chance to have read this book， but it just didn’t do it for me。 The characters， really none of them were likable， in my humble opinion。 Another reviewer said it also， so I’ll reiterate that the main character was really “pretty stupid” throughout。 That’s too harsh， but for a character who’s a mystery writer， as this character is， you’d think he would h I had such high hopes for “Or Else” based on the description which makes this This difficult for me to write because I’m extremely grateful for a chance to have read this book， but it just didn’t do it for me。 The characters， really none of them were likable， in my humble opinion。 Another reviewer said it also， so I’ll reiterate that the main character was really “pretty stupid” throughout。 That’s too harsh， but for a character who’s a mystery writer， as this character is， you’d think he would have had a lot of “real life” experience on the topics of solving crimes， procedures， and common sense， etc by having researched for his books。 His dad who has early stages of Alzheimer’s， was the only likable character， but otherwise there simply isn’t anything over the moon about the characters or the story。 I did read through to the conclusion， which was my goal and need to know where the story went， otherwise I wasn’t wowed and I was happy when I did make it to the end so I could start my next book。 I do not like giving negative feedback and/or low ratings， however I have to be honest here。 One thing I found hilarious， was the MC， aka the author in the story， joked about how he used too many metaphors in his books。 That made me laugh and wonder， does the author of this story know that he’s used far too many metaphors in this book？ I’ll leave my thoughts at that except to add that I’d recommend if someone wants a super quick mystery to read。 I’d expect to find this in an airport gift shop or grocery store checkout lane and I feel awful for saying that……。however on the plus side， I think that’s preferable than saying it belongs somewhere worse。 I hope that’s some consolation。 Yikes！ This hurts to be writing because I know authors put their hearts into their work。 Many thanks to NetGalley， the publisher Thomas & Mercer and to the author Joe Hart for the opportunity to read this story for my honest thoughts。 I’m sure plenty of people will find this very enjoyable。 Unfortunately， it didn’t work for me。 I will share this to Goodreads， Twitter， and Amazon upon its release date。 。。。more
Phil
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is the first of Joe's books that I've come across and thanks to Netgalley I got the opportunity to read it。 I was gripped from first page to last， a really rich set of characters and some really tender moments between family members。 I would absolutely recommend to anyone to read this， it will keep you guessing to the very end， and doesn't fall into the trap of the crime writer knowing exactly what's going on from the start。 This is the first of Joe's books that I've come across and thanks to Netgalley I got the opportunity to read it。 I was gripped from first page to last， a really rich set of characters and some really tender moments between family members。 I would absolutely recommend to anyone to read this， it will keep you guessing to the very end， and doesn't fall into the trap of the crime writer knowing exactly what's going on from the start。 。。。more
Jessica Woods
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Or Else was a disappointment for me。 The writing style really turned me off of just about everything。 The writing feels like a clinical letter to someone and the main character is a writer。 I failed to develop any connection to the main characters and infidelity for any excuse leaves me disappointed。 I know some people would probably enjoy this book but I am not among that crowd。 It’s just not my cup of tea but the best of luck to the writer。 My voluntary， unbiased review is based upon a review Or Else was a disappointment for me。 The writing style really turned me off of just about everything。 The writing feels like a clinical letter to someone and the main character is a writer。 I failed to develop any connection to the main characters and infidelity for any excuse leaves me disappointed。 I know some people would probably enjoy this book but I am not among that crowd。 It’s just not my cup of tea but the best of luck to the writer。 My voluntary， unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley。 。。。more
Agnes Muscoreil
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This was a fun read！ Andy moves back home to help take care of his dad who is suffering from dementia。 He lives across the street， and soon becomes a regular member of this community。 When he is pulled into an affair with Rachel， he soon received a threatening note telling him to stop it， or else！ Shortly afterward， Rachel’s home is broken into， her husband murdered and she is missing along with her two kids。 Andy now becomes an investigator， trying to solve the question of what happened and whe This was a fun read！ Andy moves back home to help take care of his dad who is suffering from dementia。 He lives across the street， and soon becomes a regular member of this community。 When he is pulled into an affair with Rachel， he soon received a threatening note telling him to stop it， or else！ Shortly afterward， Rachel’s home is broken into， her husband murdered and she is missing along with her two kids。 Andy now becomes an investigator， trying to solve the question of what happened and where Rachel is。 I recommend this book， it keeps your interest right to the very end！ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of Or Else！ 。。。more
Kisxela
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Great thriller， twisting， exciting， and total surprise at the end。 Although there may be those who say it was predictable。I really liked Andy Drake’s character， a perfect investigative writer， he’s where he needs to be， the air around him is glowing， he’s always on track， we’re not bored with it。Police action/inaction reinforces the existing stereotype that the goal is not to find and capture the real killer， but to find a sucker with zero work who can be tricked into committing the murder。 Not Great thriller， twisting， exciting， and total surprise at the end。 Although there may be those who say it was predictable。I really liked Andy Drake’s character， a perfect investigative writer， he’s where he needs to be， the air around him is glowing， he’s always on track， we’re not bored with it。Police action/inaction reinforces the existing stereotype that the goal is not to find and capture the real killer， but to find a sucker with zero work who can be tricked into committing the murder。 Not to mention that for a death， the police immediately realize it was an accident or a suicide， despite the facts to the contrary。 Unfortunately， this is already common in books。 And unfortunately in real life。 We were not short of murders， we were moving pretty slowly， tracing the perpetrator。There’s not a page I’m bored with， the book is almost impossible to put down。My favorite character was the father， despite his illness， he saw the events most clearly。Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this book。 。。。more
Erica
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I received an ARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 A struggling author， Andy Drake， returns to his hometown to care for his ailing father。 He reconnects with his first love， Rachel， resulting in a secret affair they try to keep hidden from her abusive husband。。。but someone knows。 Soon after Andy finds a threatening note Rachel's husband is murdered， Rachel and her children are missing， and Andy is quickly becoming the prime suspect。 Or Else is a new mystery/thriller I received an ARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 A struggling author， Andy Drake， returns to his hometown to care for his ailing father。 He reconnects with his first love， Rachel， resulting in a secret affair they try to keep hidden from her abusive husband。。。but someone knows。 Soon after Andy finds a threatening note Rachel's husband is murdered， Rachel and her children are missing， and Andy is quickly becoming the prime suspect。 Or Else is a new mystery/thriller from author Joe Hart in which an affair turns deadly and the whole town appears to be hiding secrets。 I was excited about this new novel， I usually enjoy Hart's novels but I will say this one was a bit of a letdown。 The plot was intriguing with several twists and turns but the characters felt really bland。 Nothing was particularly bad but nothing really stood out as noteworthy either。 The characters felt flat， the narrative was a bit dull， and it took a long time to get to a climatic ending that was rather abrupt。 That being said， I didn't dislike the novel it was still a decent mystery with an enjoyable plot I just wasn't as impressed with this one as I was with his other novels。 。。。more
Kay Oliver
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Thank you Netgalley and Author Joe Hart for this ARC。 I loved this novel。 Andy is writer who's moved back to the suburb he grew up in to take care of his father who was recently diagnosed with dementia。 He's also been having a fling with the married woman down the street。 And apparently， someone knows and they don't like it because they leave him a note telling him to put an end to it。 A week later the woman and her two sons go missing and her husband is found dead in their house。 The mystery de Thank you Netgalley and Author Joe Hart for this ARC。 I loved this novel。 Andy is writer who's moved back to the suburb he grew up in to take care of his father who was recently diagnosed with dementia。 He's also been having a fling with the married woman down the street。 And apparently， someone knows and they don't like it because they leave him a note telling him to put an end to it。 A week later the woman and her two sons go missing and her husband is found dead in their house。 The mystery deepens and broadens， a rabbit hole of red herrings， dead ends， and more questions。 The ending was a twist I did not see coming and I loved it。 It tied everything up nicely。 Hart knocked this baby out of the park。 A perfect mystery with a lot of suspense and intrigue。 。。。more
Irene
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Or Else by Joe Hart Alot of things going on in the story， just got lost in all the twists and turns of Andy's relationships and all the lies。 A good read， just couldn't connect with the characters。Thank you to the author， publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book。 Or Else by Joe Hart Alot of things going on in the story， just got lost in all the twists and turns of Andy's relationships and all the lies。 A good read， just couldn't connect with the characters。Thank you to the author， publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book。 。。。more
bookscheapestvacation
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A married woman's affair becomes complicated when her husband is found murdered。 The wife and sons are missing。 This story is told from the male "mistress" point of view。 I enjoyed the plot and the characters in this small town。 4 stars because one of the characters has dementia and that bummed me out！ A married woman's affair becomes complicated when her husband is found murdered。 The wife and sons are missing。 This story is told from the male "mistress" point of view。 I enjoyed the plot and the characters in this small town。 4 stars because one of the characters has dementia and that bummed me out！ 。。。more
Catherine Clapton
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What an amazing read， the story just sucked me in， I couldn't put it down。。。。。。Mind please write more， you are a wonderful writer！ What an amazing read， the story just sucked me in， I couldn't put it down。。。。。。Mind please write more， you are a wonderful writer！ 。。。more
Hillary
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Can something be deeply bland？ Do those words make sense together？ This story is fine。 The plot is fine， the writing is。。。fine。 The experience of reading this book is a bit like eating pudding。
Heather L
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This was an enjoyable book， an easy to read story that pulled one in and keeps the interest high。 Andy has recently moved back home to look after his father who is in the early stages of dementia。 Andy lives across the street from his dad and spends time in the morning and evening with him。 He also gets invited to neighborhood events， like a get together at another neighbor， Rachel， who ends up kissing him while they are both alone in kitchen。 That kiss leads to a full blown affair， until Andy r This was an enjoyable book， an easy to read story that pulled one in and keeps the interest high。 Andy has recently moved back home to look after his father who is in the early stages of dementia。 Andy lives across the street from his dad and spends time in the morning and evening with him。 He also gets invited to neighborhood events， like a get together at another neighbor， Rachel， who ends up kissing him while they are both alone in kitchen。 That kiss leads to a full blown affair， until Andy receives a note telling him to stop seeing her， or else。 Not long after receiving the note， Rachel's house is broken into and her husband killed， Rachel and her two kids are no where to be found。 Andy is distraught， and starts to investigate her disappearance on his own， his first step is to search her house to see if he can find anything out of the ordinary。 He doesn't find anything， but he does find another person in the house， Andy makes his escape but is pursued by the person and eventually gets away。 Andy is a very diligent investigator， likely attributed to his being an author of mystery/thriller type books。 As Andy's investigation gains traction， there are some red herrings along the way and he is visited by a mob enforcer， a scary dude for sure。 There are family dynamic issues， his older bother is a pain （that's putting it mildly） and his younger sister had committed suicide a number of years earlier after an intervention by her mom。 Overall a very good book and I would recommend。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more
Stephanie
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