The Poison Artist

I've had great luck with some of Stephen King's recommendations ([b:The Troop 28054442 The Troop Nick Cutter https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1448994479s/28054442.jpg 24510359], [b:You 20821614 You (You, #1) Caroline Kepnes https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1411958102s/20821614.jpg 39913517], [b:Rebecca 17899948 Rebecca Daphne du Maurier https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1386605169s/17899948.jpg 46663], among others). According to King, The Poison Artist is “terrifying.” I'm baffled by this, as I found it disappointing, predictable, and not the slightest bit scary. I will say Moore's San Francisco setting is atmospheric and enjoyably noirish, and his writing is perfectly fine. However, the characterizations and plot are lackluster. The main character, Caleb, is unbearably boring, his girlfriend Bridget is whiny and cries constantly, and Emmeline, who is meant to be mysterious, is a completely stereotypical femme fatale in every way. Even bearing in mind that she is a figment of Caleb's imagination, the cookie cutter quality of the character was unbearable.Worst of all though is the plot, the twist of which can be easily figured out early on, certainly if one has read books with a similar plotline... of which there are many. Sad to say I can't recommend this at all.