2018.11.26 Meeting Notes

Crime & Beyond met in November to discuss the critically acclaimed and latest in the domestic thriller genre, The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn. Many thought the book was written by a woman, using the initials to look more masculine. It was actually written by a man (Daniel Mallory) using initials to disguise his masculinity—I would venture to guess.
As I said, the book has received rave reviews since it came out in January of this year, and a movie is in the works starring Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, and Gary Oldman—due out in 2019. But did Crime & Beyond give the book rave reviews, you might ask? Well, let’s see...
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The scores were: one 8.5, eight 8s, four 7s, one 6.5, one 6, two 5s, one 4, and one 3. Clearly the majority scored it pretty high, so it’s a safe bet that on the whole, we agree with the reviews. I was one of the 5s, but I still plan to see the movie. Stay tuned for a C&B field trip.
Those who scored it a 7 and above really seems to like the plot twists and turns, movie references, well written characters, creepy characters (Ethan), and were hooked in by the story and the writing. It drove Denise crazy (but she gave it an 8 so that must be good), Sharon K was among the surprised that the husband and daughter were dead, Jay liked being put in the perspective of each character, and Gail was hooked in right away.
Those who gave the book a lower score were frustrated with yet another female character who is a drunk, comes across a crime, and isn’t believed because of her drinking (or pills too in this case). It’s kind of the shtick of the domestic thriller to not only have an unreliable main character, but one who is so messed up that she doesn’t even trust herself. Amy didn’t like the book because it was a copycat of so many other plots (books and movies), Kim is tired of the wine and pill theme, Connie thought the beginning was too slow and the end too fast, and Allie stopped at page 160 because she didn’t even care what happened.
My favorite comment of the night: even though Dennis gave the book a 6, which isn’t a bad score, he made a reference to the fact that the book took place in a time frame of about 2 ½ weeks. He was heard to say,“Two and a half weeks? It felt like five years.”
We are all set for the Christmas party on Friday, and I will see those who are attending at my house. The next time we will meet at the library is on January 28 and we will discuss The Fallen by David Baldacci. Terri is leading and Kim is bringing snacks.
Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, & Happy New Year!
See you in 2019.
Kerry