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The Fisherman's Lily

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When Lily Dietz, an ambitious yet short-tempered Asian-American NYC homicide detective, and longtime partner John Fremont begin to work a unique but gruesome murder case, cryptic clues in the evidence start to link with Lily’s dark and troubling past—one deeply imprinted with many psychological and emotional issues.

Borderline manic-depressive and a self-destructive alcoholic, Lily is strikingly beautiful and spoiled by her younger brother, CJ, a NBA All-Star basketball Knicks player, due to guilt uprooting from their own family history; separations of heart-wrenching losses and disappointments. The hunt for the killer escalates when the detectives discover more than one murder. Someone with cruel and twisted intentions motivated by a taste for sophistication yet also depravity is targeting and brutally mutilating Asian-American women. And somehow, the murderer knows Lily far too well.

Soon the game of cat-and-mouse becomes a thrilling chase from beginning to end, where Lily’s reality and the people in it begin to doubt her, not only as a detective but as a person. Who will be able to save this damaged soul? Or who will be the one to destroy it?

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 26, 2015

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About the author

Suzanne Spiegoski

1 book93 followers
Suzanne Spiegoski’s work has been published in the Michigan State Press, Complex’d, L'Oeil de la Photographie, Westfall Music Group, Figure Skating in Harlem and Backstage. She grew up in Los Angeles and Detroit, and has a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University. She is also a photographer and professional figure skating coach. She lives in New York City with her husband and German Shepherd, and is currently working on her second novel.

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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede.
1,956 reviews833 followers
September 21, 2017
Lily Dietz is a homicide detective in NYC. Together with her partner John Fremont is she investigating the brutal murder of an Asian-American girl. When another body turns up it starts to make clear to Lily that the murders somehow are connected to her and something that happened to her in the past. It doesn't make it easier that she is working closely together with her ex that is now married to her best friend Janelle.

This a debut novel and I think that Suzanne Spiegoski has done a really good job with the book. I had some problems getting into the story in the beginning, not that it was bad, just some words here and there felt a bit odd, but after a while, the story took off and the writing felt much more evenly.

For most of the book, the story was OK. I wanted to know what the connection was between the murderer and Lily. Why was he obsessed with her? But I had some problems with her partner and ex-boyfriend; John Fremont, he is a character that just is so unlikable that I can't understand why any women would want him, especially after I found out why he left Lily and then found out what was the reason for his married problems with Janelle, Lily's best friend whom he's been married for some years now. But I could live with that, Lily had her problems too. She's an alcoholic and has some mental problems not to mention family problems. She is a mess, and this serial killer problem isn't making her life any easier.

But even though the story was mostly good I had some real problem with the ending. Besides the fact that it was predictable did Lily make some quite illogical decisions that were just so frustrating that I couldn't believe that she; as a cop didn't think about calling in for backup before she rushed in to save the day. Even though I enjoyed reading the book, the ending knocks of a half star. It was tragic, yes, but I mostly felt that Lily should have handled everything a bit different. But that's just me, others may find the ending more to the likening than I did.

In the end, I want to say that Suzanne Spiegoski has done a good job, how I feel about the book is just my thoughts and even though I felt that there were things that just didn't work with me was it a well-written book and I would very much read more from her in the future.

I would like to thank the author for providing with a free copy of the book for an honest review!
Profile Image for Linda Strong.
3,880 reviews1,672 followers
April 11, 2015
Wow! I should probably end my review right there. That seems to say it all.

So many emotions reading this one. Mystery ... yes. The usual cast of characters ... yes and no. There were homicide detectives and a really bad guy .. but everyone in this book seemed to be ...more.

Lily Dietz and John Frement are homicide detectives. They have been partners for a long time; at one time they were lovers, but John is now married to someone else.

Lily is a network of unresolved issues ... a dysfunctional family, a father who she can barely tolerate, a brother and his family she loves, but it just doesn't seem enough. She has a hot temper and drinks to 'cool down'. She isn't into long relationships, preferring very short ones so that no one sees beyond the steel exterior she purposely shows to the world.

Young Asian women are found dead ... tortured and murdered in gruesome ways. It is only after the second body is found with a note that Lily realizes her past has caught up with her and now her family and those close to her are threatened.

This is more than 'just' a murder mystery. It tells the story of a woman, all the good and bad. As I began reading, it seemed a little slow to me ... it starts with a basketball game. But as I kept reading, the characters just popped out at me and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. The ending just blew me away ... it was one I had not even considered.

Suzanne Spiegoski is a new author to me. She graciously sent me a free digital copy in return for an honest opinion. I am so glad I did not pass up the opportunity. I do hope this author graces us with more stories to come.

Profile Image for Noelle.
Author 6 books268 followers
March 28, 2015
4*
The Fisherman's Lily by Suzanne Spiegoski

If you followed my updates on Goodreads while reading this book you may have noticed that it did not first initially grip me. I found the text to be way overly descriptive at times...to the point where I almost lost what the story was about. However the story itself had some promise so I continued to read despite my initial misgivings.

Lily herself is an interesting character. A NYC Homicide detective with a slightly unhealthy and obsessive nature. There is an interesting love-triangle between Lily, her partner and her best-friend. When the author referred to this, it was a bit over the top initially but I could see the reasoning behind it as I read on.

You are introduced fairly early to the killer in this book and eventually the link to Lily herself. I suppose that was supposed to be the twist, but I had figured it out early on...not the exact link but close enough. Despite this, the chase between Lily and the killer is interesting and picks up pace towards the end of the book.

I believe this is the author's debut novel and for that, she should be commended as the plot, characters and overall feel of the book was really good. Certain characters really drew me in --Lily's niece, Lily herself and her partner, John. Some characters I felt needed more to them--Her father, her brother, her best friend...as you only get to know a little bit and it was not enough to keep me interested in them despite the part within the storyline itself.

Would I recommend this books to others: simply put...YES...it was a good story with some interesting developments, but word of caution--do not expect a spectacular twist, as sadly, for me there did not appear to be one. Despite this, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading what Suzanne creates for her next book!
Profile Image for Regina Foo.
Author 1 book25 followers
February 22, 2016
The Fisherman's Lily is the first crime novel that I read. Thanks to the author - Suzanne for sending me a signed copy of this book.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange of my honest review.

The Fisherman's Lily talks about how a homicide detective - Lily Dietz comes across a case which the clues gathered from the victim's body shows her a sign of her dark past.

When I first started reading the book, I immediately fell in love with Suzanne's writing. I'm a person with short attention span and I prefer reading books with shorter chapters. The length of each chapters in this book is short and they're quite consistent except for those chapters which show tense moments.

The story is quite engaging throughout the book except that a bit draggy near the end. I read about a few flashbacks and info-dumping here and there before the climax of the book is presented. To be honest, my mind wandered a bit when reading these parts. However, the parts where the author talks about Lily's past did solve some mysteries in my mind on why she acted and treated someone in such ways.

The parts that I enjoyed reading the most are in the chapters where the author describes how the suspect tortured the victim when he held her in custody. I nearly missed my arriving station when I was reading the chapter in a commuter because it's really gripping. Perhaps due to the fact that the author has a degree in Criminal Justice, I personally think she is very good in bringing out the details in the cases.

Even though the suspect is cruel and seems lunatic at times, I could understand why he became who he is due to his past which is quite depressing and melancholy. I do pity him. There are times where we might come across these kind of person who acted like normal in public, but deep down inside, they might be crying for help with psychological issues.

Okay, enough for the goods, here comes the bads. First of all, John Frement, who is the partner and ex-husband of Lily, is simply unlikeable. Though he's quite supportive towards Lily sometimes, I found his character quite flat in this book. I would always wonder what makes John so attractive that he could juggle between Lily and his wife Janelle, who is also a close friend of Lily.

The ending is considered an expected one except that I didn't expect the number of survivals after the final confrontation with the suspect. That is simply too sad for Lily. However, Lily, under the pen of Suzanne, is a tough and strong-willed lady. So I guess she'll live happily ever after with her family members.

This review is originally posted on: http://wp.me/p6Uw1h-jG
Profile Image for Catherine Putsche.
Author 4 books105 followers
March 26, 2015
The Fisherman’s Lily is set deep in the heart of New York City. The story begins when the body of a young female Asian is discovered wrapped in an oriental rug. Detective Lily Dietz and detective John Fermont are called into investigate the gruesome murder and soon discover that the unknown victim had been tortured and died from several brutal and horrific sexual assaults. Lily also notices a distinctive beauty spot on the victim’s upper right cheek. However, before Lily can progress any further into the case she must wait patiently for the autopsy results and check the crime scene photographs. Impatient and anxious to find out what happened to the victim Lily appoints a close friend of hers, Dr Janelle Wopelle, to examine the victim’s body ASAP, only to find a number of cryptic clues in the preliminary evidence that provide a link back to Lily’s troubled past. Without further warning another young Asian female is discovered wrapped in an oriental rug by a tramp who manages to call the emergency services. However by the time the EMT arrive the young women dies. Lily notices that although the second victim shows no signs of malnutrition and that her nails are not worn down like the first victim there is however a manmade spot on the second victim’s upper right cheek and Lily is in no doubt that this is the work of the same serial-killer and it’s not long before the autopsy results find the same cause of death, both women died from internal bleeding. Victim number three is soon discovered in a children’s playground in the same fashion as the two previous victims and provides more vital clues as Lily discovers another cryptic message from the killer.
Lily convinces herself that the serial-killer who is responsible for the murder of these three young women is the man who once had raped her back in college and feels an overwhelming sense of guilt for never reporting the rape all those years ago. Lily is suspended from the case for withholding evidence and her boss orders her to go for psychiatric evaluation. Lily convinces herself that the killer will stop at nothing to capture her and will go to any extreme to fulfil his mission and becomes increasingly concerned for her high-profile brother and his family as she senses the killer closing in on them all. As the weeks turn into months and Lily’s suspension is lifted she wonders if the killer is just a figment of her imagination as everyone around her seems to doubt her claims as she has no evidence to back up her theories and senses the killer is having a cooling off period. She decides its high-time to turn the tables and goes in pursuit of the killer alone.
Will lily’s mission succeed? And if so, at what cost? Will there be anything left of her family, or the people who she cares about in this breathtaking, edge of the seat thriller?
The Fisherman's Lily is a fast paced, exciting read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes crime fiction.
My Ranking:
4 Stars
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Profile Image for Dani.
127 reviews41 followers
March 28, 2015
Read the full review and more like this at: Polkadot's Book Blog

Like scavengers, all of them fed on the detectives for answers. All they received was neglect.

What better way to start a crime thriller with a dead body being found in a creepy way, which is exactly how The Fisherman's Lily starts. We first meet Lily Dietz when she races from her brother's basketball game to a crime scene involving a dead body being wrapped in an oriental rug. Seriously, how can you not be gripped by that?! So much was set within the first three paragraphs of the story that I could not begin to describe my excitement of this story from the very beginning.

There are layers upon layers of Lily's character, she is independent and strong willed but there is so much more to her that I found myself pouring over the pages being ultimately surprised by the amount of depth to her character. I was constantly being amazed in the beginning because more and more was being revealed and it was just adding to her development in so many ways. I absolutely adored it. It set her up in a unique way that I found her completely gripping from only a couple of paragraphs.

All in all, there were so many things that I loved within this story. The case was chilling, the writing was captivating and Lily was extremely well developed. However there were times when the twists were slightly predictable and in some cases I felt that it jumped around slightly without any real reason too. Making it go from one extreme to another which, while intriguing, was slightly confusing. But they were only little things that didn't really affect the enjoyment of this story. Making The Fisherman' Lily a definite read for any crime thriller enthusiast. With it's fast paced, slightly gory and extremely enthralling story it will keep people on the edge of their seat.
Profile Image for Donna Maguire.
4,505 reviews115 followers
September 26, 2015
https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

Wow, just wow - I really loved this book - it was fast paced and right up my street - I love crime and serial killer thrillers and this one did not disappoint.

I was genuinely delighted when I was contacted by the author and asked if I wanted to review this book for her in exchange for an honest review. I read the blurb and immediately knew I wanted to read it. I love books that are based in areas that I have visited too as I feel they come more to life in my imagination and I loved reading this knowing I've been where the characters are walking.

There are brilliant twists and turns that kept me gripped, it is genuinely a page turner. I found Lily to be a really strong character that held the book throughout, the supporting characters allow the book to progress so well, I wish I was able to write a book of such good quality. The writing style was great and it just flowed.

Will definitely be looking out for more books from this author in future. It was a pleasure to read.
Profile Image for Keith.
63 reviews22 followers
April 23, 2015
"The Fisherman's Lily" by Suzanne Spiegoski is an exciting thriller that stars a New York detective named Lily Dietz as she hunts for the serial killer who knows more about her than she thinks. The author demonstrates extraordinary flair for creating a nail-biting suspense while exploring a methodical and cunning serial killer. The Fisherman's Lily is told with a strong voice. The dialogue is about perfect and images are a real treat. Apart from her male partner (he was very unlike-able) the characters are well-written - they are memorable and intriguing. Its hard to be unaffected by the writers descriptions - poetic even in the most horrible scenes. Seeing these scenes through the character's eyes, we realize the depth and beauty of the author's mind. The story has a number of facets that work well together. All in all, it’s a really great book and I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good cat-and-mouse story.
495 reviews55 followers
July 7, 2015
*Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. *

A woman's body has been found in the park, mutilated, wrapped in a rug. It is Lily's case. She and her partner John are working on this very disturbing case. Is there a serial killer on sight?

Lily works for the police department her entire life. Solving murders is her priority in life and often comes before anything else. Her best friend is a dog named Cuffs and sometimes it seems that the German Shepherd is the only friend she has. From the very first page we can see her relationship with her brother CJ, who plays basketball for the NBA. That relationship is the strongest she has, her brother and his daughter are the only family she has chosen to have. Her love life is a mess, she even involves herself into a sexual relationship with her partner John, knowing that he is married and his wife is her friend and a colleague. No saint at all, Lily is devoted to her work, and this case triggers something familiar, something deeply hidden in the past.

Almost in the same time with finding the first body, we meet the killer. Too soon, according to me. Page after page, we can get into his mind and see how he chooses his victims and what is his final goal. We can see his obsessions and be there when he hurts and kills his victims. They all have one thing in common.

The murder cases are solid and creepy enough, and the main character is a real anti-hero. What bothers me, is the pace of the story. Sometimes goes too fast, sometimes too slow. Sometimes is very detailed, sometimes is skipping months. Also, the killer is introduced very early in the story, the purpose of his murders is revealed too soon, not at the end. But I must say that the end did surprise me. I wasn't expecting that kind of outcome. There is a big plus for the surprise effect, but still not sure how I feel for that kind of ending.

Overall, The Fisherman's Lily is an adrenaline rushed thriller. The characters are Asian-American, but you won't see much of the Asian-American culture. There are moments when your blood freezes in your veins, and others that make you literally burst into tears. The whole story brings mixed emotions. It is an interesting story with serial killer vs. detective and definitely deserves a try.

My opinion: 3.5 / 5.
Profile Image for Alysha.
171 reviews
August 31, 2015
Spiegoski has a degree in Criminal Justice and it definitely shows, I found Lily's investigations to be intriguing at times and definitely detailed. This could have been something really good, but it didn't end up working for me because there were too many details and too much description about things that didn't add depth to the plot, character, or setting in an interesting way. There was a lot of 'telling' instead of 'showing' in general. Large information dumps were difficult to get through, unnecessary details about character's backstories.

For full review visit: http://foldedpagesdistillery.blogspot...
Profile Image for Priscilla.
158 reviews18 followers
September 9, 2015
Aside from the well-paced plot, I do think that the dialogue could use some work. They lack conviction. The ending was also a bit of a cliché for me, however, seeing how this is Spiegoski’s debut novel, I’m willing to let it slide. All in all, The Fisherman’s Lily was a satisfying read.

Full review on Priscilla and her Books
Profile Image for Andra Weis.
704 reviews14 followers
Read
June 21, 2015
I got about 1/2 way through....just could not finish. I found the writing stilted; the book in serious need of a good editing job. This was so distracting, that I could not finish.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews

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