Better Late than Never!

I am sorry that it has taken me until now to post my comments. So, enough with the intro- here we go!
1. Do I feel like "Jack" needed to die?
No. At least, I didn't feel that way at first. I was kind of disappointed at how abrupt the book ended, and that the only closure we received was because Jack died.

2. Why do I think he (Jack) ended up dying?
Well, I guess I kind of explained my feelings in my overboard explanation of the first question, but I also think he ended up dying to conclude the story with the main character that it begins with- Grace. It is interesting to me how the whole story reflects a sort of "Karma"- and everything came back to Grace. Jack's death gave Grace, herself, insight into this which probably wouldn't have surfaced had Jack survived. So, I guess there's another reason why Jack "needed" to die.

3.My favorite Character:
I said Grace at first, and for the sake of being different I'll keep it that way, but I really liked Charlaine's character too. No matter how pathetic she seemed by our first impressions of her, she had some strong, redeemable qualities. Human, like Thom said. My favorite parts of the story were following Grace, though. I liked her stubborn attitude and determination to not give up no matter what the cost- and she paid a heavy price for that. My heart went out to her, and I guess that's what disappointed me in the end- that it wasn't a "happy" ending for Grace.

4.Coben's Writing Style:
I liked it. I was intrigued from the beginning, and I really enjoyed that, but sometimes the jumping from one scene to the next so suddenly was frustrating- it required too much patience. And, some of the details of the murders and stuff were gruesome- I don't think I could stomach any more of that.

5. Birds?
I LOVE to be close to you, Sam. :)