Die for me

by Karen Rose

Paper Book, 2007

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

New York : Grand Central Pub., 2007.

Description

Fiction. Romance. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: When a murder victim is discovered in a Pennsylvania field, a detective and archaeologist must team up to keep a mysterious killer from carrying out a horrifying plan to fill empty graves. COME TO ME The first victim is found in a snow-covered Philadelphia field. Detective Vito Ciccotelli enlists the aid of archaeologist Sophie Johannsen to determine exactly what lies beneath the frozen ground. Despite years of unearthing things long buried, nothing can prepare Sophie for the matrix of graves dug with chilling precision. The victims buried there haunt her. But the empty graves terrify her-the killer isn't done yet. SCREAM FOR ME He is cold and calculating, the master of a twisted game. Even with Vito and Sophie hot on his trail, he will not stop. One more empty grave must be filled, and one last scream must be heard-the scream of an archaeologist who is too close for comfort and too near to resist . . . DIE FOR ME.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member amf0001
This was the last book I brought with me on holiday, and if I had more choice, I would not have read it. (I was on a plane and the tv was broken) It wasn't especially well written with the occasional real clunker of a sentence. The characterizations slowly grew deeper, but the writing never really
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improved.

The murders were too hard core for me. I felt it verged on torture porn. I hate torture scenes and don't need to be anywhere near them, and this was too explicit for me. A crazy man tortures people to hear them scream and then paint them from the video tapes of their deaths. He then puts the images into a computer game which rocks due to its explicit realism. A bit far fetched, no?

Anyways, nice guy cop Vito Ciccotelli enlists the help of gorgeous blond archaeologist Sophie Johannsen and they fall in love against this hideous background. C+
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LibraryThing member dkthain
This one is classed as Romantic Suspense but I found it much more loaded on the Suspense side than the romantic. I'll be honest - I didn't enjoy it as much as I did Count to Ten. I found the graphic nature of the murders a bit disturbing and not enough of the romance to really counterbalance it.
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I'm not used to reading books quite this heavy duty. I was also slightly bothered by the fact that we got into the victims heads before they were brutally tortured. That made it a bit tougher too. Of course, this cold could me making me more week kneed than usual.
Still - she's a good writer and I have two more of her books that I'm looking forward to reading
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LibraryThing member TheLibraryhag
Archeologist Sophie Johanssen is pulled into the investigation of a hidious, hidden graveyard occupied by the victims of a serial killer. Her expertise in Medieval history is invaluable to the police. One detective finds her more than useful in the investigation and Sophie finds herself in a
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romance as well as in danger.

Though this got off to a slow start for me, I am glad that I stuck with it. I really enjoyed it. I am planning to read the next in the series.
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LibraryThing member gogglemiss
Another good story from KR but the juxtaposition of murder and romance did not sit well, side by side, in this story. I feel, when it comes to the love scenes I'm reading another book. Leave the romance out.
LibraryThing member LittleBookWorm17
Very good book, which I enjoyed thoroughly. Karen Rose has a great style of writing which I really get on well with. The plot is brilliant and it was definitely hard / impossible to put down. The way it was split into sections, what was happening from the killer's side, the piecing together of
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details and evidence by the special agents, and from the families surrounding the situation, worked really well. A real page - turner. Her writing is so easy to read (at least I think so) and it just leaves you wanting more. As the 1st part of the 3 - book series, I really enjoyed it and am now straight on to the next book. Very tense, sinister, chilling, as well as being gratifying and satisfying throughout. Some of the twists in the story literally shocked me and grabbed my attention, although I never lost interest during the entire book (all 704 pages of it) =)
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LibraryThing member KimvA
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Karen Rose’s books that I had to try them out and since my favorite bookstore had the whole trilogy in store I got them all at once.

This story is about Vito Ciccotelli, a detective who is called in to investigate a body found in a field. He gets help from
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an archaeologist, Sophie Johannsen, with scanning the field for more bodies. They end up with sixteen graves but there are only nine bodies so they instantly know that the killer isn’t done yet.
There is an instant attraction between the two, but due to the emotional baggage they both carry with them, they have some miscommunications and it really doesn’t start of on the right foot. Normally it would irritate me when both main characters have these issues and/or are damaged, but that didn’t happen this time. Karen Rose did an awesome job of making Vito and Sophie very likeable characters. Yes they have encountered things in life in which they have trouble acting on the attraction they have for each other but it doesn’t inflict everything in there life or investigating these murders.

This book also features scenes through the eyes of the killer, which gives you more of an insight in his sadistic mind. This is one of the most disturbing killers I read in any book. He is heartless, has absolutely no conscious or regard for life and his methods just monstrous. He does what needs to be done for his own agenda and has absolutely no intent on playing games with the police and makes sure there are no traces that lead back to him.
This does make for some scenes which might be a little hard for some people to read. You get a little bit of torture scenes through the eyes of both the killer and the victims. Also the injuries on the victims are quite graphically described.

Karen Rose did a great job in developing the characters, even the secondary characters too. It’s hard not to like all of them. I know Karen writes books around characters who got introduced in earlier books and I can’t wait to see these characters get their own book.
I loved Karen Rose’s writing. With its 695 pages this is quite a big book, but Karen Rose kept my attention and kept me flipping the pages to see what would happen next. And the romance and suspense worked well together.

I’m really looking forward to reading Scream for me.
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LibraryThing member gpangel
I have stated several times that Karen Rose is the best romantic suspense author around, hands down. This book is a reaffirmation of that statement. This is a dark serial killer thriller with medieval torture devices and a very cold blooded sociopathic killer.
Sophie, an archaeologist,is called in
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by Detective Vito Ciccotelli to help with a mass grave discovered in Philadelphia. Sophie has a very strange family and upbringing, plus she hasn't had much luck in the romance department. She and Vito have an instant connection, but Sophie is wary. As the investigation progresses, Sophie finds she is on the killer's short list.
There are several little stories going on in the beginning. We are introduced to Daniel Vartanian and his family. We also follow Vito and Nick and the team as they investigate the murders of the people found in the graves, and we are also following a video game corporation. Of course, we are also following the budding romance between Vito and Sophie. Sometimes the switch between the story threads came to too quickly and I had trouble changing gears, thus making it hard for me to get into the story at first. But, once the stories started to merge and I was able to see where it was all tying together I was really into the book.
There were a few loose ends. The next book "Sream for Me" hopefully addresses some of these loose ends. This is fairly thick book -568 pages in paperback form. But, the story never lagged and wasn't just a bunch of filler. This maybe wasn't my all time favorite Karen Rose novel. I did like Vito a lot. He was the perfect hero. He was strong, able, smart , but not full of himself and arrogant and over the top alpha male. I thought he would be really good for Sophie. I was happy Sophie finally found some peace regarding her career and some stability in her personal life. Over a B+
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LibraryThing member Irishcontessa
This book was very good. The plot line and characters were all very well done. It was just a bit too dark for me. This is definitely not a book to read if you are at all squeamish or don't like anything too graphic. That was the only reason I gave it only 2 stars.
LibraryThing member Dawn772
I was captivated by this romantic suspense from beginning to end even with the many gory events. It was full of action with a complex plot that moved right along. Archaeologist Sophie was asked to help at a crime scene whose investigation was led by detective Vito.
LibraryThing member Natalie_Walker
Quick Synopsis:

Die For Me started with an elderly man uncovering a body in the a field on the large grounds where he lived. After the cops arrived on the scene and discovered that this was more than a simple murder, they called in an expert. Sophie Johansen, an esteemed archeologist, studied the
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grave of the first victim and quickly discovered that the body count was enormous. After a several POV changes, the book settled into a flow. Several plot twists later, Karen Rose reveals "who done it" and how they were going to catch them.

My Thoughts:
I almost didn't read this book. The prologue at the beginning kept me interested but the quick POV changes annoyed me. I don't mind reading from the perspective of multiple characters. It can bet fun if done well, but I was a bit skeptical at first. I was glad that I pushed on and kept reading. I enjoyed getting in the mind of the killer, the victims and other characters.

Many of the characters were developed based on how they were viewed by others. This is a different type of character development than I am used to. I appreciated it and am tempted to read more of her books to see if this is her style.
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LibraryThing member Carol420
When a decomposed body turns up in a field, police call upon an archaeologist to map out the grave. To their horror, they discover not one but 16 interconnected graves; seven yet to be filled. As they work to identify the nine victims (many which were tortured), the killer is busy dispensing his
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own brand of medieval justice on victim #10. it's nearly 600 pages and has so much going on, but as always, It's a gripping read. It could easily be trimmed about 100 pages and been an even more taut and suspenseful thriller.
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LibraryThing member Lauren2013
Die for Me
4 Stars

When several graves are uncovered in a field, Philadelphia detective, Vito Ciccotelli, calls in local archeologist and medieval historian, Sophie Johannsen to aid in the investigation. With the bodies piling up, Vito and his colleagues will have to race against the clock once the
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sadistic killer sets his sights on Sophie.

A tense and exciting if predictable read.

In terms of the plot, it is relatively easy to guess the villain’s identity. Nevertheless, the story is well-developed and suspenseful. Rose’s research into medieval weaponry and torture devices, as well as the computer game industry and forensic investigation, is exceptional and makes for interesting reading. It should be noted that the descriptions are quite graphic and violent, and the books deals with some disturbing themes. As such, it may not be for everyone.

As in most of Rose’s books, there are numerous characters to keep track of from Sophie and Vito’s respective families, colleagues and friends to the killer’s victims and other assorted witnesses. That said, each and every character plays an important role in the story and none are superfluous. Moreover, Rose’s villain is as diabolical as they come and his actions and motivations make for some spine-chilling scenes.

The romance between Sophie and Vito is the weakest aspect of the book. Sophie is not a particularly likable heroine. She is cold, curt, abrasive and self-absorbed. While she does eventually change her outlook on life and become more agreeable, she never quite manages to evoke any sympathy. Vito, on the other hand, is sexy and charming, and his devotion to his family makes him extremely engaging. To be honest, aside from the physical attraction, it is unclear why he wants to be with her.

All in all, a solid addition to Rose’s thrilling if hauntingly dark series.
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LibraryThing member Madison_Fairbanks
Die For Me by Karen Rose
Romantic suspense. #7 in the order of all the author books. Can be read as a stand-alone.
A body is found in a Philadelphia field and Detective Vito Ciccotelli calls in archaeologist Sophie Johannasen to help investigate.

They find multiple bodies and the work starts to
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identify the victims and track down the killer. The empty spots are chilling because you know they are planned.

Intense and gripping. Lots of bodies. Horrifying, torturous kills. And a psycho killer.
Wow.
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LibraryThing member Lauren2013
Die for Me
4 Stars

When several graves are uncovered in a field, Philadelphia detective, Vito Ciccotelli, calls in local archeologist and medieval historian, Sophie Johannsen to aid in the investigation. With the bodies piling up, Vito and his colleagues will have to race against the clock once the
Show More
sadistic killer sets his sights on Sophie.

A tense and exciting if predictable read.

In terms of the plot, it is relatively easy to guess the villain’s identity. Nevertheless, the story is well-developed and suspenseful. Rose’s research into medieval weaponry and torture devices, as well as the computer game industry and forensic investigation, is exceptional and makes for interesting reading. It should be noted that the descriptions are quite graphic and violent, and the books deals with some disturbing themes. As such, it may not be for everyone.

As in most of Rose’s books, there are numerous characters to keep track of from Sophie and Vito’s respective families, colleagues and friends to the killer’s victims and other assorted witnesses. That said, each and every character plays an important role in the story and none are superfluous. Moreover, Rose’s villain is as diabolical as they come and his actions and motivations make for some spine-chilling scenes.

The romance between Sophie and Vito is the weakest aspect of the book. Sophie is not a particularly likable heroine. She is cold, curt, abrasive and self-absorbed. While she does eventually change her outlook on life and become more agreeable, she never quite manages to evoke any sympathy. Vito, on the other hand, is sexy and charming, and his devotion to his family makes him extremely engaging. To be honest, aside from the physical attraction, it is unclear why he wants to be with her.

All in all, a solid addition to Rose’s thrilling if hauntingly dark series.
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Language

Original publication date

2007-09

Physical description

558 p.; 18 cm

ISBN

0446616915 / 9780446616911
Page: 0.5984 seconds