The Bullet
By Mary Louise Kelly
(Gallery Books, Hardcover, 9781476769813, March 17, 2015, 368pp.)
The Short of It:
Interesting premise but the execution was a little heavy-handed and the outcome, predictable.
The Rest of It:
Caroline Cashion is a 37-year-old professor at a university. She’s got a slew of brothers and is very close to her parents so she’s rather surprised to find out that the pain in her wrist is due to a bullet that is lodged in her neck. An MRI and CT scan reveal what is absolutely impossible for her to believe. Shot? How could she have been shot? There’s no scar to indicate an entry point and yet, there it is, the bullet, clear as day.
The bulk of the story centers around how this bullet managed to find its way to her neck. This alone, makes for an interesting read. It started off slow for me but mid-way through, I was pretty curious to know the scoop and the writing, which started off a little forced, seemed to even out and become more fluid. I enjoyed this middle section quite a bit.
By the last third of the story, I was bothered by the romantic interest. It seemed a little out-of-place, given Caroline’s preoccupation with discovering the truth. As for the ending, it was predictable but given where the story was going, I feel that the author did the best she could with the ending. I think for it to have been any different, something should have happened much earlier on to change the outcome.
I wanted it to be more suspenseful than it was and maybe include more forensics than it did but overall, it wasn’t a bad way to spend an evening.
Source: Sent to me by the publisher via Edelweiss
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.
Book Chatter 
Great review,Ti. You helped make up my mind about this one. I had been on the fence about it.
I just got this one from NetGalley yesterday after someone posted the intriguing intro on my blog. Sorry for you, it just was just so so.
Wow, that sounds like a story with great potential!
Quite a premise, huh?
I’m pretty interested in this one and will likely read it at some point. I keep slipping other books in between and then my ‘schedule’ goes down the tubes. LOL
I am trying really hard to get my ARCs read but I know what you mean. I pick one up according to my ‘schedule’ and then something else grabs my attention so I try to read it at the same time. Sometimes that works, sometimes not.
Amazing premise indeed! Too bad about the execution – perhaps the author lacks in experience? In any case, brilliant review, and thanks for pointing me to this story.
I believe the author writes for NPR. I am not sure if this was her first book. It didn’t have that first book feel. Parts of it were very good but it was spotty. #yiv4416083675 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv4416083675 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv4416083675 a.yiv4416083675primaryactionlink:link, #yiv4416083675 a.yiv4416083675primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv4416083675 a.yiv4416083675primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv4416083675 a.yiv4416083675primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv4416083675 WordPress.com | | |
I downloaded this one from NetGalley, because it sounded so good. Now I’m not so sure I’ll even enjoy it. Oh well. Sorry it wasn’t better than you had hoped.
Nadia, it just could have been a wowser instead of just an entertaining read. I would still read it. And then come back and tell me what you think. I really liked the premise. From: Book Chatter To: thereedfamily@sbcglobal.net Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2015 10:11 AM Subject: [Book Chatter] Comment: “Review: The Bullet” #yiv1514773606 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv1514773606 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv1514773606 a.yiv1514773606primaryactionlink:link, #yiv1514773606 a.yiv1514773606primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv1514773606 a.yiv1514773606primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv1514773606 a.yiv1514773606primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv1514773606 WordPress.com | | |
The premise is certainly super fascinating. I would definitely buy the book on just that description. But looks like the execution was poor and struggling – that would bum me out a lot.
It does sound like an interesting premise. I would be curious about how that bullet got there too.
Dammit! Someone else posted a rave review about this one and got me all excited about it. Now, I’m rather glad I did not go out immediately and hunt down a copy.
Just brought this one home and look forward it.
This sounds really intriguing… I’d be curious to read, just to see how the bullet ended up in her neck.
This has such an intriguing premise. I’m definitely a reader who’s more inclined toward the suspenseful, but it does sound like a great way to spend the evening.