Originally posted on my blog: http://book-spark.blogspot.com/

Review: My 5-word description: Suspenseful but not well executed

Plot: One should keep in mind while reading this book that it is a true crime novel and thus everything recounted in it has actually happened. I though that this book had a marvelous plot, especially with the nonfiction aspect, and both the investigation and court case were authentic and well-written.

Characters: The protagonists were fairly likable. You can’t feel for the antagonist, Kristin, at all. Okay, so she’s the antagonist and we’re not supposed to sympathize with her, but I feel like the author should have given us something to help us understand her actions a bit better. There is certain something missing in the development of the characters.

Style of Writing: One of the unique things about Caitlyn’s books is that she just lays out the whole story for the reader without any of the descirbing emotions (she’s a bit like Hemingway for that reason) most authors use. Her journalist background is the reason for this unemotional retelling of events in Poisoned Love. She spent innumerable hours just researching the case and getting all the facts straight. That’s one thing I admire about the book. It is filled with those minute details that make a crime story believable. Also, a bit of an academic tone through the narration, with few instances of everyday language. Although this is unique, it isn’t something I particularly enjoyed. I actually like having the author use a conversational and informal tone while narrating.

Descriptiveness: Rother lays out everything for you in a journalistic tone, but she isn’t overly sentimental. She does however add in innumerable detail, a lot of which wasn’t actully necessary to understand the background. In fact, all the detail kind of detracted from the suspense. I don’t think the book needed 500 pages to explain the case: after about 150 pages, Rother starts to get really redundant, and that really starts to get on my nerves. The book also contains a few pictures of the Greg and Kristin earlier in their life, and some of the investigation and court case. This was one of my favorite parts of the book because it's so shocking and you realize just how real this story is.

Recommended for: Adults; fans of true crime and Ann Rule

You are left wondering - “Why?”