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Book Review of Obedience

Obedience
Obedience
Author: Will Lavender
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Hardcover
shybusch avatar reviewed on + 9 more book reviews


I've owned this book for almost a year and I kept putting it off and putting it off. The blurb on the back made it sound interesting, but I thought other books were MORE interesting. I wish I had read it sooner.

This book was one of the best psychological thrillers that I've ever read. It was gripping. I started the book and could not set it down. I kept finding ways to sneak in a page or two while at work. I'd read it sitting at red lights. My stomach turned with excitement with each new twist and turn. References to Stanley Milgram's obedience study and Kitty Genovese by-stander effect just added to the suspense for this psychology major.

I kept guessing at what was really going on and several times I guessed correctly, but each new clue caused me to second guess my guesses. By the end I had given up trying to figure out the mystery and just let it unfold on its own. And it was genius.

Lavender's writing style is simple and easy to read. Although the writing itself was not great, Lavender does an excellent job building suspense. Some parts of the book seemed unnecessary, such as the relationship between Dennis & Elizabeth. It was as though he needed something to tie things in to the finale to make it more plausible, but it would have made more sense to leave the relationship out of the plot.