Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

I enjoyed Carme Chaparro's debut novel. It was relatively fast paced and unpredictable. The sideline involving the hacker's information contributed well to the plot. The writing was good for the most part although it was quite obvious that it wasn't originally written in English in my opinion. The plot was heartbreaking at times though due to the descriptive powers of the author, a skill that is very evident from the writing. I enjoyed this read and I am very interested to read the second instalment from Carme Chaparro.

The beginning dragged a bit, but the story really picked up half way through. And I truly did not expect that ending! Fans of mysteries and thrillers will enjoy this book.

"I Am Not a Monster" is a translated work about a serial kidnapper and the officer seeking redemption after being unable to capture them after a previous kidnapping. I found this to be a relatively gripping novel let down a bit by the rather dry translation. It's an overall well done story with some rather predictable moments that don't weigh the story down. It's definitely worth the read.

I Am Not A Monster was a deliciously dark read which was written by Carme Chaparro and translated by Dick Cluster I absolutely loved this book. Chief Inspector Ana Arén has a second chance to redeem herself. She has been charged with solving the kidnapping of a young boy after failing to catch a similar kidnapped victim years earlier. Ana is fierce in her commitment to saving the young kidnapped victim and for her efforts, she’s thrust into a world of darkness and depravity but leaves no stone unearthed in her search.

This book was a slow burn and after the first 100 pages, I didn’t think it would be as great as it was. The scaffolding and multiple perspectives added value to the character development and the storytelling was pretty genius.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I felt like there were some difficulties with the translation of this book. Some words just seemed "wrong" and paragraphs would end abruptly. That said, I liked the main character and felt like it could be expanded into a series. The story is a classic (missing kid) but different enough it kept me interested.

New author for me but pleasantly surprised. Thank you for the approval and look forward to a book relationship with other reads in the future,

This was a pretty interesting book. I have not read anything by this author before and I am ready to read more to see what develops. The descriptions that the author used for this book made it a more interesting read. There were so many questions to be asked and mysteries to be discovered and solved. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

This book was written well. It sucks you in like you are apart of the team. I would highly recommend, this book to anyone and everyone. The ending was a twist, really good.

Set in Spain, I Am Not a Monster is a police drama surrounding the mysterious disappearance of a 4 year old child at a local shopping mall. A child that bears a striking resemblance to a child that went missing four years before. Two women-one a journalist, the other a police officer are both at the centre of this investigation. For Chief Inspector Ana Aren, she faces a lot of the same challenges other literary and television characters do. A successful women in a boy's club, complicated relationships with men, and determination to always solve the crime.

My thoughts:
I had such difficulty getting into this book and I read a lot of other stories and kept returning. Although necessary for an author in starting a new series to frontload us with info on the main character, I felt myself forgetting what exactly it was about. So I was approaching a 2 star. However, once this book hit the 50% mark, it spun into a 3 as the case heated up and another boy goes missing. Overall, a bumpy debut for the author but there is definitely enough to invite me to check out book 2.

I am not a monster by Carme Chaparro is a first in a new series.

It’s unusual for me but I have to start with ending because the ending caught me totally unawares. And that is the reason why I am giving 4 stars. What bothers me is that instead of police work, what achived the breakthrough in the case was an accident. Some people were at the right place at the right time.

Ana Arén is Chief Inspector assigned to the disappearance of a boy called Manuel. What’s most disturbing about this case is that 2 years before there was a disappearance under the same circumstances. They couldn’t solve that case. So the police is most desperate to find this boy now.
Inés is a journalist and she too wants to find out who took the boy. She has a four years old son called Pablo so the disappearance feels more personal to her.
There are lots of additional information about their past that at first seemed unrelevant but made complete sense as the story goes on.

What was interesting that Inés’s chapters are in the first person while the others are in the third. I just couldn’t figure out the reason for that until the last chapter.
I like that the story is told from different points of view so we get to know what the people who are connected to the case are going through, what state of mind they are in.

Thank you NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

No one in Madrid forgot about the unsolved kidnapping of four-year-old Nicholas Acosta. Two years later, another child, similar in age and appearance to Nicholas disappears from the exact same shopping center. This is Chief Inspector Ana Aren's chance to solve the mystery she couldn't crack before. As fear of a serial kidnapper threatens the people of Madrid, Ana wonders how much information she can leak to her reporter friend, Ines, to help her solve the case. When Ines's son disappears, the investigation becomes even more personal for Ana. Will she be able to solve the case before another child is kidnapped?

I Am Not A Monster is an English traduction from the Spanish version. I enjoyed it even if the traduction was not always on point. The second half of the book is even better and will keep you wanting to know what will happen next. It's a great thriller with good characters and an even better ending. The author does a phenomenal job in describing and analyzing the characters, especially the female ones.

Thank you NetGalley for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I always like to read translated fiction but this one didn't quite work for me.

The subject matter of the book is not one I usually read. Not keen on books about missing children so that was my fault from the off. The examination of the mothers and their guilt was a more interesting premise but I felt the novel was too long and linear despite it being mixed of cases from past and present,

There was a lot of bad language and weird sentences in the book which got in the way of the flow of the novel. Many of the police/characters seemed to be either perverts or bordering on it. Either that or they were flippant and I didn't care for any of them.

Location wise, I didn't get a major sense of Madrid a city I know well. It could have happened anywhere. But let's hope the police force is certainly not the same.

All in all, the novel was overly long and the plot got lost in the writing for me. I did read it through and if I understand it right ( I skimmed some parts), the ending was a shocker!

Scarsa originalità e uno stile modesto impediscono di leggere con piacere quello che avrebbe potuto essere un thriller brillante.

I AM NOT A MONSTER by Carme Chaparro is dark suspense novel. I had never read any of Chaparro's novels before but I will be on the hunt to read more from this great author.

Ana Aren is a police officer in charge of kidnappings in Madrid by a man everyone calls "The Taker". The first boy disappeared two years ago, but now two boys have been taken, seemingly from right under their mothers' noses. What makes it even more difficult for Ana is that one of the boys is the son of her best friend, Ines, a journalist assigned to the case. Will she be able to find the Taker before it's too late?
This story was surprising and heartbreaking. It only takes a moment for a child to disappear and this writer describes the emotions and guilt of these poor mothers perfectly. The ending was truly surprising for me. Thank you to Carme Chaparro, AmazonCrossing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

A journalist and a police officer are drawn into a series of kidnappings that have paralyzed Madrid for over two years. DI Ana Aren never found four year old Nicolas, now she hopes to redeem herself when another child disappears from the same area. Ines Grau is a journalist and Aan’s friend, but this story could be her big break, and she’s going to do whatever it takes to get national recognition. Things get too close to home when Ines’s stepson is next to disappear. I liked this book for the strong female protagonists who use their skills and training in conjunction with their feelings to solve the case