Title: He Who Sings Last
Author: Lisa Laird DiRosso
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Publication Date: 28 July 2009
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Source: Review Copy
RATING: 2/10
GOODREADS SUMMARY:
Just how far will one fan go to prove her loyalty? In her novel He Who Sings Last, Lisa Laird DiRosso expertly knits a blanket of obsession laced with suspicion and murder in a suspenseful crime novel centered on has-been celebrity Jimmy Covelli. He leads a quiet, post-fame existence until some ghosts from his past come back to haunt him after nineteen years, when an unsolved murder case is reopened by a zealous New York detective. Covelli charms and harms wherever he goes, and in his destructive path, he leaves behind a host of resentful family members and brokenhearted fans. Will the detective catch him and be able to prove his guilt? Find out in He Who Sings Last.
REVIEW:
The novel is centered around Jimmy Covelli, a has-been celebrity who leads a quiet, post-fame life until, after nineteen years, some ghosts from his past come back to haunt him. An unsolved murder case is reopened by New York detective, Vintoni, who is intent on charging him with the murder. Covelli manages to charm his way through life, but in his path he leaves behind feelings of resentment, anger and brokenhearted fans. Will detective Vintoni be able to prove his guilt and stop Covelli from causing more harm?
When I first read the synopsis I was quite pleased as I like a good crime novel, but unfortunately as I read through the chapters I realised that this book wasn’t for me.
I continuously struggled with the limited descriptive prose which added to the books lack of atmosphere, and found the characters difficult to connect with as they didn’t have any real depth. I also felt that there were too many of them and was constantly jumping between voices, which became annoying.
The dialogue was unnatural at times and didn’t really flow and some of the important events in the book that should have been made more of, felt rushed and made the story unrealistic. However, I did like Detective Vintoni. He was quite a strong character and I liked his determination and felt it was a shame his character wasn’t developed further. The author also succeeded in creating a rather nasty and unpleasant character in Covelli.
VERDICT:
The ending of the book was a bit abrupt, as if the writer had stopped mid-flow. This may have been intentional – a sequel maybe? Unfortunately, it left me feeling a bit short changed.
This is the authors debut novel and will be published by Tate Publishing on July 28th, 2009. Thank you to Tate Publishing for sending me the ARC PDF for review.
7 Comments
Thanks for the review. I think I'll steer clear of this book – I'm not crazy about books with under-developed characters, and I have just a hard time getting into a book when there are too many characters.
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I didn't think this book was bad, it was a debut after all, I think the second book will be better…
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Oh and by the way have I told you how much I looooove your layout! It's so cityish lol…oh and I agree with the ending of the book, very abrupt, I got mad when I ended it ;P
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Wow! I'm kinda' shocked…I guess this won't be on top of my tbr pile! Thanks for the GREAT REVIEW!
xoxo Park-Avenue Princess (Amy)
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While reading your review, I felt a sense of "ah, so I'm not the only one." I wasn't really trying to see if others have reviewed this very book, but I'm glad to know that our reviews agree on a number of aspects, which makes me feel that I'm not crazy.
I find your review is better than mine. When I read the part saying that the characters don't have enough *depth*, why didn't I think of that? How could I not remember to use that word… But that's precisely what I thought too: too many characters and getting annoyed by it.
I'm loving the layout of your blog! It's very cosmo. Me like. =)
Do you think you would have enjoyed the book more if you had read a physical copy instead of a PDF? As for myself, I can only wonder.
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Angie – yes, I agree, I'm not crazy about books that aren't written very well. But these are only my views – you may like it.
Eleni – I understand it was a debut, but it still should be well written and I just felt that this book wasn't. I'm glad you liked it though, it just shows how everyone has different experiences when reading books. Glad you like my blog design
Amy – Remember, these are only my thoughts, as I said to Angie, you may like it
Linda – to be honest, there is sooo much more I could have written about this book, indicating areas that I thought were bad etc, but thought I said enough and got my point across. It's a shame, as it is her debut novel. When it's released, I will be interested what the reviews are like and if they are similar to mine. I don't think I would have enjoyed the book more if I had a copy of the book and not PDF. I did wonder about that myself, but no, it wouldn't have changed my opinion. Glad you like my blog design
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Great review! I just reviewed this book myself. I read in the comments that you had a pdf? I wasn't aware that that was an option. It's probably for the best, I'm not a big fan of reading off of my computer. The only book I remember reading (diligently) on my computer was the first half of Breaking Dawn and the first 12 chapters of Midnight Sun that SMeyer posted on her website.
He Who Sings Last had so much potential; it could have been better.
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