Five: Book summary and reviews of Five by Ursula Archer

Reader Reviews

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Debb R. (Grand Island, NE)

No Sleep for me!
Five.

Simple word, Simple title. But Ursula Archer blew me right out of the water. This author needs to keep doing what she does best....and that is, write mysteries!
Detective Beatrice and her partner, Florin, investigating crimes of murder and mayhem. Throw in a snarky ex-husband and random body parts, this book will keep you entertained. Have you ever heard of Geocaching? You are about to learn more than you may want to know! I am looking forward to reading Ms. Archers next book.

Surely this can't be the end of Detective Beatrice!

Cheryl P. (Lebanon, PA)

Five
I was really skeptical of this book at first. I normally read historical fiction. But, I do have to say from the first page I was hooked. Ursula Archer kept you guessing as to who was the master mind of the game. As soon as you thought you had it figured out, she threw another loop hole into the story. The story was very entrancing and I enjoyed how she wove the personal trials of the main character into the crimes she was researching. This story will not disappoint the reader.

Melinda W. (Los Angeles, CA)

A geochache nightmare
I must love the macabre because I could not put this book down. I read it in the bathtub, I read it while I blow-dried my hair, I read it until I fell asleep. It inspired me to look at geochaching sites in my own neighborhood (maybe I will try a few). Before reading "Five" I was unaware how popular geochaching was. Though I have no desire to encounter the grisly, and I think I have better judgment (hope so) than some of the novel players, I am intrigued. The book was suspenseful, original, informative, and even had a bit of love story twist. I would recommend it to a friend, but only those who like grisly murder mysteries, as this is not "light reading fare." But I thoroughly enjoyed it, one of my favorite books since joining Book Browse - especially as it opened a whole new world/hobby to me. Well Done Ursula Archer

Donna W. (Lansing, NY)

Classic whodunnit with a contemporary twist.....
This was a page-turning journey into the life of a serial killer. The suspects were intricately woven into characters who kept you guessing throughout their mysterious and erratic behaviors.

Beatrice was sort of an irritating character, oftentimes impulsive and not so likable, but I enjoyed the mystery nonetheless, and the book kept me guessing till the very end.

Dona H. (Muskegon, MI)

Five
Readers would never guess that "Five" is the work of an award winning author of children's and YA books penning her first adult novel. Adult indeed!
"Five" is a page-turning psychological thriller sprinkled with enough graphic and gory descriptions to turn off some faint-hearted readers.
I empathized with the main character Beatrice Kaspary throughout. She's a detective with an uncanny ability ability to intuit solutions to difficult cases, a single mother with a nasty ex-husband, an angry, woman-deprecating boss, and an empowering partner, Florin Wenninger.
On the feet of the first victim, Beatrice and Florin find tattoos indicating location coordinates directing them to the first site in a series of geocaches. I found the use of the geocaching sport lent a welcome change from the usual serial killer plot and I enjoyed the very clever clues. As the novel progresses, the killings come faster and faster and the danger to Kaspary and her family increases. I could not put down the last hundred pages of "Five".

Judy K. (Conroe, TX)

Could NOT put it down!
I love mysteries and have read about a million of them and am never happier than when I've read a good one, one that keeps me up at night, reading way past a sensible hour. FIVE was one of those books. It started out with a bang and picked up speed until the very end. I struggled with Beatrice, the lead detective on the case, felt her anxiety, worried about her children, her rotten ex-husband, her hateful boss. The clues kept arriving, but, mercy! Arriving steeped in blood and were seemingly unconnected. If you want a read that will keep you riveted, pick up FIVE by Ursula Archer. You won't be disappointed.

...18 more reader reviews