Riptide

Rating:
Summary: Very good ... many twists!
Review: I'll admit that I had my doubts about this book (when I first picked it up, the bookstore had it under romance: why I have no idea). I read the synopsis on the cover and became intrigued; and considering the error from the store, a little confused.

Needless to say after reading the first two chapters, I was hooked ... I din't want to put the book down! As others have reviewed, I did find a few repetitions and what-not, however the story in no way (and I highly emphasize that point)was ruined.

The author's story telling was among the best I have read (being an avid fan of King, Koontz, to name a couple)and her way of twisting and turning the plot and characters is masterful! She had a the main group thinking the bad guy is one suspect, and leaves the reader thinking it could be three or four others... who is it? You'll have to read to find out!

Rating:
Summary: This got published?? One star is too much.
Review: I have always found it difficult to part with a book once read, so I keep building bookcases. However, Riptide is the second book in my many years of reading that I cannot wait to get out of my house. I bought the paperback because the name Catherine Coulter was familiar and she was a "best-selling" writer. Then there was all this critical praise in the front pages. Was I ever stupid to believe that. This book is so poorly written that I found myself underlining and cross-referencing all the stupid things that were written. (It reminded me of one of the two Danielle Steele books I read - I only read a second one to give her a chance, but she failed again - in which one of the female characters is descibed as having "endless legs" over and over again. Gag.) Where was the editor of Riptide?? Was this originally published unread?? Here's a couple examples from early on in the paperback edition of Riptide:

Chapter 5: Becca is in her rented house on the coast of Maine when she checks the weather report on TV and hears that the worst storm in years is approaching and everyone is being warned to go to shelters. The wind and rain hit. The lights flicker. She has bought candles and set them on her bedside table (perhaps in case the power goes out??). The thunder is deafening and the house is rattling. Get the picture? Then the last line of Chapter 5:

"Suddenly, with no warning, thunder boomed, lightning streaked through the sky, and the lights went out."

Suddenly?? No warning?? This was a surprise?? I should have thrown the book away right there.

Then there's page 45: "Had she come here just to be killed in a ferocious summer storm?" followed on p.48 by: ". . .making her wonder if she'd come to Maine only to be done in by a wretched storm." Did Coulter think we had forgotten she's already said that?

I could go on and on. My personal opinion is that anyone who thought this book - with it's convoluted plot(s) and inane, unrealistic dialogue and narrative - is a good read has NEVER read a really good book. Or they are 12 years old. This book stinks. I am not even giving Coulter the second chance I gave Steele. My review in a word, Yuck.

Rating:
Summary: Where was the editor?
Review: How this author actually got anything published is the real mystery to me.
As an aspiring writer, I try to read a little bit of everything. That's how I came to read this book. What is strange is that this book seemed to have gotten good reviews by the media. But when I read the first few chapters of this book, I wondered if somehow the first draft had accidently been published without an editor.
The characters are unimaginative and cookie cutter. They talk in long-winded paragraphs like only Hamlet would. It's like the author uses dialogue instead of narrative to tell the reader how the character is thinking and feeling. Successful dialogue has witty banter and people interrupting each other.
And sometimes, it bores me to read what the characters are wearing. Who cares if her shorts are brown or whatever!
Come on Catherine...if you are a New York Times Bestseller, then hire a good editor. And Jove Publications, you should look elsewhere for authors. There are some good ones out there! Me! Me!

Rating:
Summary: Where was the editor?
Review: I was really looking forward to reading Riptide as I had read other Coulter books and found them interesting. The book started out fine, but somewhere near the middle just lost its way. I really couldn't believe how many different characters started saying or thinking the phrase, "down to his toes" -- and I wondered why the editor(s) didn't catch this. It stuck out like a sore thumb, or maybe, uh, toe! There were times in the book when I just thought Coulter didn't know where to go with the story. Then as I continued reading, I would laugh out loud at how she tried to manipulate the story in a direction it really shouldn't have gone.

If this had been a first novel, it never would have made it into print. Or maybe it would have, if the editors didn't let her ride on her name and had taken the time to offer some constructive criticism.

Let this book pass. I still can't believe I read the whole thing. I just kept hoping it would get better and the story line would get bact on track. It didn't.

Rating:
Summary: Waste of Money
Review: As a writer myself, I would hate to get such negative reviews on something I worked hard on; however, in this case, I was so disappointed and disgusted with the read, that I had to voice it strongly. I was really looking forward to reading Coulter for the first time, seemingly in a mainstream setting, and couldn't have been more disturbed that something of this low calibre could have gotten published. Where were the editors? Where was the critique group? This work should have been much more tightly written and edited, for plot structure and characterization, as well as a dialogue overhaul. I haven't read any of Coulter's other books, but I'm hoping her historicals are much better. She seems to have a following, so one would think so. But, it'll be a long time before I can ever pick another one of her stories without worrying if it will be a big waste of time and money.

Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed the book
Review: I am not a romance reader but enjoyed reading this book. The whole book was great but I was very disappointed in the ending.

Rating:
Summary: I Can't Believe I Read the WHOLE Thing!
Review: This book was TERRIBLE! I don't know why I bothered to finish it. The premise wasn't bad to begin with, but the plot was disorganized to me. People and events just sort of appeared from nowhere, like they were thrown in randomly. However, my major complaint was the dialog. It was flat, repetitive, and didn't do a lot to either move the plot forward or develop the characters. Some of it was just stupid. For example "I know I'm not dead beacuase I would kill for some water. And I don't believe that if someone is dead, she's particularly thirsty. May I please have some water?" The attempts at "witty banter" or "romantic antagonism" just didn't ring true at all. I've read a few of her other suspense/ romance novels, and I don't remember them being this stilted. I definitely don't recommend spending your money on this book -- borrow it from the library.

Rating:
Summary: Characters are alive.
Review: Reading the book is one that cannot be put down. The characters capture you and lead you through the book with a vision and excitement to continue. You laugh at times, and are mystified at times, but you never want to stop until you get to the next line, next chapter, finish this episode. Before you know it you are through, and can say that you really enjoyed the book from cover to cover.

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: Having heard some about the author and enjoying a good mystery - I had high expectations. When I have time to read I like to choose and enjoyable, well-written book. Well-written by my standards includes what one might think - good character development and a compeling,engaging plot. While I felt the author had outlined a good plot and had sketched out the characters interestingly - the development of both seemed to stop there. The characters were never more than cliches and paper cut-outs of characters. The plot was predictable and not all that engaging. The author seemed to know and care more about the weapons the characters carried than the characters themselves.

I would not recommend this book to anyone. I will try other Catherine Coulter books after reading some of the reviews of her other books - but I would warn people away from starting with this book as an introduction to the author.

Rating:
Summary: i had to cheat!
Review: I loved this book! It has lots of "twists" in the story which I like. I could not stand the suspense and browsed thru the book until I found out who the stalker was-I had to do it so I could sleep! I thought this book was great and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes suspense novels.