Lady Killer

Interesting plot Richards pens a unique story in Lady Killer. I haven't read anything from this author before, and I liked this story. Mitch considers himself one of the world's greatest lovers, and here he is, divorced with two children. There is a lot of tension and characters within Mitch's world. It's a novella, and is one of those chilling stories that have creepy characters, stalker-ish characters, and some that just have those underlying secrets. The story got three stars only because I felt the story could've flowed a lot better, and some details aren't necessary to the plot, but can be entertaining though. I do feel that the characters were pretty well developed and had their own "baggage." This author's characters develop and interacts well with the other characters. I not only read the book, but I also listened to the audiobook, where the narration and performance will get a four star review. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author. This book is recommended by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews.

Great thriller. Well put together. Once I started this book I didn't want to put it down. It kept my interest all the way to the end. Highly recommend it.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. I spent a good bit of time wondering how the synopsis and title related to the story, and it's still kind of a toss-up. The dialogue and prose felt forced and unnatural to the point that the story didn't flow very well. It felt jagged and sharp or maybe it felt like a soap opera? Same goes with the abundance of superfluous details and actions, and name-branding things (ie. she sat in the Nissan, I want to go to Chuck-E-Cheese, mission-style coffee table), something I never understood because they don't add anything to the story. I also was left waiting for something big to happen in the story, and when it finally did, it was so lackluster. If you have any history of, or are sensitive to, domestic violence, I would not recommend this. Most upsetting was as I got further into the book, I found it to be extremely demeaning to women, from the descriptions of them and their bodies down to their conversations. It made men out to be sex-craved, smooth-talking narcissists. I don't mind unlikeable characters because it's way more realistic than having every character be a saintly do-gooder. Mitch came off as extremely unlikeable, making him the most interesting character, but he was incredibly cringy. As were the sex scenes; these were unbearable. Please don't use the word "Pecker" in a sex scene. The narrators...weren't right for their roles. Monsef was fine, but has a growly tone more suited for a western novel, in my opinion. Which I guess is okay for Mitch. Adrianne aged Gail's voice and was quite monotone. It sounded like she was just reading a bundle of words instead of acting the part out.

I received an audio excerpt of this via NetGalley enjoyed it and agreed to received a code to access the full audiobook. It’s perfect escapism. The story line is a bit soap opera in nature. As a newly single dad Mitch is loves his kids and his new found singlehood. His dating life is lively in there small town of Tacoma Park, a suburb of DC. It appears the dating pool is even smaller with is paramours are selected from a pool of friends he and his former wife have known since high school. Complications in Mitch’s dating life set in when he begins dating his ex wife’s bestfriend, Dee. The ex, Cathy questions his intentions but Mitch is dismissive choosing not to have this conversation with his ex about his new lover. Mitch’s love life gets him into trouble again when he’s caught kissing another friend Gail, who unlike Dee is married. Rumors begin to circulate in their small town. And word gets back to Dee who feels betrayed and vows revenge with her ultimate goal to remove the others woman from Mitch’s life. The story unfolds with lots of twists and turns and an ending that is unexpected and entertaining. Two narrators are used throughout the book. They alternate telling the story and are good in portraying the characters in three dimensional way. The description of characters and settings is detailed but not overly done. The story follows an orderly flow that’s easy to follow. There was only one scene that I found out of place. Mitch and Gail are away for a week end and they run into another couple. They suspect the wife is being abused. This scene is a vehicle to see how Mitch reacts to domestic violence but it just seems out of place.