USA TODAY International Edition
‘Say You’re Sorry’ is an imperfect thriller
Readers looking for a female-led thriller that will keep your pulse racing may be drawn to Karen Rose’s “Say You’re Sorry,” the first in the USA TODAY bestselling author’s Sacramento series (Berkley, released Tuesday). But if you’re assuming the speedy murdermystery from the romantic suspense novelist will elicit a similar experience to plowing through a Gillian Flynn novel (a la “Gone Girl” or “Sharp Objects”) you’d be both right… and sort of wrong.
Here’s the deal:
Rose’s serial killer story begins with the torture of a woman named Miriam, told from the point of view of the man inflicting the pain, who has a penchant for carving letters into his victim’s bodies. But the protagonist of this story is Daisy Dawson, the rapist/killer’s next victim who manages to escape his grasp and snatches Miriam’s locket in the process, which holds a mysterious connection to a cult Special Agent Gideon Reynolds has been trying to track down for more than a decade. Daisy and Gideon embark on a mission to find the cult and unearth the killer, all while he stalks them in return.
Upon reading a summary of this book, it’s clear the reader is heading on a disturbing roller coaster. The book takes on tough topics like the serial killer, the cult – plus alcoholism, child molestation, kidnapping, sexual harassment and rape.
But wait, there’s more
Rose also throws in a romance that includes racy and vivid sex scenes, more often than not at a time where it couldn’t make less sense that the characters would be in the mood. This is so much the case that there is an entire dialogue between the lovers regarding why on earth they want to have sex when they are both in hysterics (literally, taking turns crying) as yet another
graphic murder is unearthed. Of course, they do it anyway.
Like in many of Flynn’s works, Rose has a female character leading the charge, and the heroine isn’t without her flaws, though it’s fair to argue Daisy comes pretty close.
She’s beautiful, charitable, kind, loving, an athlete and an artist. Anything else? Yes, she’s great at puzzles and great in bed and can fire a gun with better aim than an FBI agent. So, Rose makes her a recovered alcoholic; a plot that seems like an afterthought with a few obligatory mentions throughout reminding the reader that she isn’t perfect.
Same goes for her checkered family drama that mostly just seems like an excuse as to why Daisy is so well trained in self-defense. Can Daisy kick a man’s butt? She sure can. Why? Because her dad taught her to.
And oh yeah he’s a war veteran with PTSD just to throw another complex character in the mix. And do they get along? Of course not. Why?
Well, there’s a whole back story there but can we please get back to catching that pesky serial murderer and not waste focus on trying to remember the names of Daisy’s three sisters (and crazy stepmom, and the stepmom’s exhusband and that guys other daughter, yes, really)?
If all this sounds like a lot, it’s because it is, but remember, “Say You’re Sorry” is the first in a series so that could explain the clunky back stories.
It’s fast – if you can hang on for the ride
One thing fans of Flynn’s and similar works will find familiar with “Say You’re Sorry” is the pace. To call this book a page turner is an understatement, but does that make it easy to race through it? Not quite.
Similar to the creepy “Sharp Objects,” even horror aficionados may need to put the book down from time to time because it’s just that disturbing.
Plus “Say You’re Sorry” diverts from similar tales by the fact that it’s more than 600 pages. Every 100 pages, you need to take a breather to remind yourself there is hope outside this dark world that Rose has created.
What’s more eerie? That each segment of her terrorizing tale is plausible, though it’s thankfully unrealistic that all these horrifying plot lines would take place at once and involve the same group of people.
Rose tries to pepper in several humanizing moments into her murderer’s behavior that when combined should give you some insight into why he is the way he is, but if she intended to elicit sympathy or understanding, she falls short.
So will you like it?
Rose’s “Say You’re Sorry” delivers on the promise of a pedal-to-the-metal thriller with plenty of developed characters and converging mysteries. But is it the quick, creepy read that Flynn has perfected?
Not exactly. It’s long and the focus frequently shifts from one character’s back story to another, from one crime to another and from one tragedy to another.
Plus, there are a lot of graphic details to stomach so the reader should beware – and perhaps have a night light nearby. This isn’t a book you want to read before bed, and for the faint of heart – you likely won’t want to read it at all.