When A Thriller Loses Its Thrill

You may recall one of my recent blog posts (March 13^th) where I mentioned starting a thriller that gave me anxiety from the very first chapter. And honestly, to me, that’s usually a great sign. A good thriller should make you uneasy right away. It should hook you, pull you in, and make you think, Oh my gosh… what would I do if I were in this situation?

This one did exactly that in the beginning.

I’m a little over halfway through it now, and unfortunately, I’m pretty disappointed.

It started out strong—mysterious, tense, and full of that “what the heck is going on?” feeling that keeps you turning pages. But somewhere along the way, it lost momentum. I hate to say the word boring, but honestly… that’s the only word that fits.

The story shifts between multiple characters, which is fine. I love a good multi-perspective thriller. But the author spends far too much time focusing on one character who, frankly, isn’t the one we should be spending all that time with. Meanwhile, the two characters who are actually central to the mystery seem to get pushed aside.

And then comes the real problem.

At one point the husband’s point of view basically gives the whole thing away.

So now the tension is gone. The mystery is gone. And the rest of the book feels less like a thriller and more like waiting around to see if and how the husband and this other woman get caught—and what happens to the actual victim of the situation.

I’m still reading because, well… curiosity. And because once I start a book, I feel compelled to finish it.

But at this point?

It’s feeling like a whole lot of buildup that wandered off somewhere and forgot to come back.