Dear Author » female detectives

REVIEW: Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

Jia — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:00:46 +0000

Dear Ms. Armstrong,

I’m a long-time fan of yours. My first exposure to your work was Bitten, the first novel in your Otherworld series about the only female werewolf in existence, several years ago before urban fantasy took off and became the sprawling subgenre it is today. I know I’ve said in the past that I’m weary of urban fantasy but that doesn’t seem to apply to your work at all. Even when I miss a few releases, I find myself glomming the books I skipped and desperately wanting more.

We first met Savannah Levine in Stolen at the ripe old age of 12. The daughter of an infamous witch known for practicing darker magic and a Cabal sorcerer (Cabals are kind of like supernatural mafia masquerading as large corporations in the Otherworld series), Savannah is a perfect illustration of how children often pay for their parents’ mistakes. The legal ward of another witch and sorcerer couple — who this time are well-known in the supernatural world as crusading do-gooders — she has grown up immersed in the paranormal world. She spends summers with a werewolf family. She’s friends with a necromancer who has regular contact with her dead mother. She has a tenuous relationship with her half-brother, who’s heir-apparent to one of those Cabals. And she’s been in love with a firestarting half-demon since forever.

In Waking the Witch, Savannah is now 21. She’s worked with her legal guardians, Paige and Lucas, at their detective agency since she was 16. Eager to prove herself, she jumps at the chance to take on a case involving the potentially ritualistic murders of three young women. Paige and Lucas are on vacation in Hawai’i, which means she’d be working by herself but Savannah sees this as a way to prove her independence.

Over the course of the series, we’ve watched Savannah grow up and one of the things readers familiar with the Otherworld series will know is that she’s made lots of mistakes as teenagers growing up do. With Savannah’s background, that’s not surprising. Her mother was killed when she was young. She never really knew her father and with the exception of her half-brother Sean, her father’s family refuses to acknowledge her despite the fact that she has their clan’s very distinctive blue eyes. Because of her mother’s reputation, Savannah has never been liked amongst other witches and Paige lost her standing within the Coven because of Savannah. To say that Savannah has underlying guilt issues is an understatement. She usually bears it well but it manifests in other ways. One of them is the strong desire to prove herself worthy of the right to exist, let alone deserving of the love and trust other people hold for her.

I’ve always liked Savannah. I’m aware she can be easily construed as that precocious, overpowered child who grows up into a sassy woman who’s all attitude with nothing to back it up. The truth, however, is that Savannah can back it up. Witches and sorcerers are traditional enemies in the Otherworld and can’t stand each other. Someone of her mixed parentage is pretty much unheard of, so her power potential is very high. She’s not all good like Paige and Lucas, but she’s not all bad like her mother either. Her attitude is tempered by a lot of smarts and pragmatic competence.

“…To me it means we have a database access on the road. Of course, I could just walk twenty feet and pull this up on a computer, but that wouldn’t be nearly as impressive. Would you like the list texted to you, e-mailed, or sent to our printer?”

“Okay, now you’re just showing off. Text it.” He handed me a card with his cell number and I punched it in.

“So I’m guessing this is what you need from us — you supply the details and we’ll access our resources to figure out which ritual you’re dealing with. If we’re lucky, what she has in her hand will answer all our questions. Well, except whodunit. That’s your job.”

“See, now this is why I asked to talk to Lucas,” he said. “If I showed him this, he’d be all, ‘Hmm, this bears investigation. I take it you’re on the case?’ And I’d be, like, ‘Well, I will be, right after I finish a job.’ Then he’d ask if I minded if he looked into it himself, and say he’d hate to take a job from me and I’d joke that it’s not a paying one anyway and if he wants to take a look…”

“So you actually brought this to us hoping we’d investigate it for you?”

His cheeks colored. “Shit. Could you just channel Lucas for a minute? Please? Make me feel like a generous colleague?”

“If you were truly generous, you’d be passing us a paying case.”

I like that because if there’s one thing I hate in an urban fantasy heroine, it’s one who talks about how tough she is and then proceeds to lock herself accidentally in a basement with a homicidal maniac. I shouldn’t have been worried about this since none of your previous heroines, as varied as they have been, have ever suffered from TSTL syndrome but because of the way Savannah is, I could easily see her slipping into that role. Plus, I appreciate Savannah’s ruthless bluntness. Do-gooders have bills to pay too.

Another thing I liked was the relationship between Savannah and Kayla, one of the murdered women’s daughters. It was a good parallel because Kayla’s mother has a bad reputation that, sad to say, was deserved. It shadows Kayla wherever she goes, which is a shame because Kayla is very smart and precocious. Sounds like someone else we can name, right?

As for the actual plot, I thought it seemed more like this was a set-up for future books. I don’t have any complaints about that aspect of it since this is such a long-running series with no end in sight, but I was far more interested in the witch hunter angle than I was in the “let’s use Savannah as bait again” angle. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get more of the witch hunter subplot since that’s definitely a new revelation and something that alters the playing field. (I haven’t read your Otherworld YA series so maybe witch hunters play a role there but this was new to me as someone who’s read all the books in your adult series.)

And speaking of disappointments, what’s up with Savannah and Adam? I have been waiting to see what happens to them since we discovered that Savannah had a massive crush on him. That said, I do realize this relationship will have to take a longer time to develop because of their shared history and the age difference. I liked Savannah’s self-awareness of their relationship’s evolution. First, she knew she needed to be older before he’d take her seriously as a potential love interest. Then, she knew that no decent grown man would look at a teenager that way so she knew she needed to wait longer. She thought hitting 21 would be that magic number but then she realized Adam sees her as a co-worker and friend, and that there was a strong possibility that this was all she’d ever be. But even as she’s resigned herself to this fact, she’s still in love with him. When she goes on a date with another date, even though she likes that man, she still compares him to Adam. She likes sex but she prefers not having the complications of a relationship to go with it… and I can only infer that this is because of Adam. I really hope this gets addressed in future books because even though scenes are like this are great:

I lifted my fingers, making them spark.

“Hey, two can play that game, remember.” He made a fist, then spread his fingers, the tips glowing red. “And mine leave bigger burns.”

I flicked sparks at him, then jumped out of the way. My leg caught on the covers, and I stumbled. Adam yanked and I went down, crashing to the floor.

“Hey!” I said, pushing up.

“Hey yourself.” He plucked his T-shirt, pointing out the pin-sized holes from my sparks.

“It’s an ugly shirt anyway.”

His brows arched. “You bought it for me.”

“Um, yeah. That’s the idea. Give you ugly clothing. Laugh behind your back when you wear it. Been doing it for years. You’re a little slow on the uptake.”

I’ve been waiting a long time to see their relationship change into something more, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one.

Readers should be forewarned that Waking the Witch ends with a big change in Savannah’s life, one that can be interpreted as a cliffhanger. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this read and find myself looking forward to the next installment in the series, Spell Bound. This book doesn’t really require much previous knowledge, although some subtle nuances might be missed regarding the politics of the world and Savannah’s backstory, so I think new readers can pick it up with not much problem. I wasn’t as enthused by the plot as I could be, but the personal interactions were ace, as usual. Oh, and great cover by the way. B

My regards,
Jia

REVIEW: Witch Craft by Caitlin Kittredge

Jia — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:00:45 +0000

Dear Ms. Kittredge,

I have a very hard time explaining why I keep reading this series. As I’ve mentioned in the past, the main character, Luna Wilder, can be really off-putting at times. On the other hand, it’s very nice to see her maturing and evolving over the course of the series. The Luna Wilder we meet in Witch Craft, the fourth installment of your Nocturne City series, is certainly not the same Luna Wilder we met at the beginning in Night Life. Well, in some ways, at any rate. I still question her taste in men.

When Witch Craft opens, Luna is now the head of the Supernatural Crimes Squad (SCS), a new division in Nocturne City’s police force created to look into cases not quite on the mundane side of things. Problem is they want the SCS to start bringing results ASAP. If not, then they’ll be disbanded and Luna and her co-workers will be out of a job.

Luna sees their chance to prove themselves with a new case. Mysterious fires are being set all over the city, killing some unsavory people who deal with Nocturne City’s supernatural side. What’s more, Luna is being targeted for reasons she doesn’t understand, by things she’s never seen before. To further complicate things, Lucas, the serial killer wendigo from Second Skin, has returned and Luna finds herself unwillingly attracted to Will Fagin, a federal agent who’s been assigned to investigate the ongoings and might have a secret or two of his own. Add to that a mole who’s feeding information to the people the SCS is trying to bring down, and Luna’s got a lot on her hands.

I wish I could say I enjoyed this book more than I did. I didn’t hate it and I did finish it, but it just didn’t incite much of a reaction from me either way like previous books in the series had. In fact, I actually put the book down in the middle for several weeks, and I didn’t feel any pull to return to it. I’m not sure why that is. In a sense, it sort of felt like the story and plot was just going through the motions.

I wasn’t very interested in Luna’s new love interest, Will, even after we learned what his secret was. I’ve also never been particularly keen on Lucas, but serial killers tend to bring forth that reaction from me. Even though I never cared for Dmitri, his interactions with Luna were at least interesting. I can’t really say that here.

It also didn’t help that I figured out who the mole was the second we learned there was a mole in the SCS. I thought it obvious and that removed a lot of the suspense from the plot for me. I’m not sure if we were supposed to believe another person on Luna’s team was the spy. Unfortunately, that person was too obviously a red herring for it to be effective.

I did like the fact that the mythology of the Nocturne City world expanded by having different creatures than we’ve seen previously, and also by including different disciplines of witchcraft. But it almost felt very kitchen sink-like; too much going on to form any lasting impression.

As usual, I enjoyed the relationship between Luna and her cousin, Sunshine. I still think that’s one of the best aspects of the series. And how funny is it that Sunny is now dating Luna’s former boss. Ha! How traumatic that must be for Luna. I also liked seeing the interactions between Luna and her formidable grandmother. It makes me wish we could have seen more of it in previous books. Well, maybe in the next one.

I really do wish I could have liked this book more than I did. I know that the Nocturne City series ends with the next book, though, so maybe the final novel will yield different results. C

My regards,
Jia

This book can be purchased at Amazon. Ebook format? What’s that?

REVIEW: Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge

Jia — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:00:38 +0000

Dear Ms. Kittredge,

I think most readers who’ve heard of you are more familiar with your Luna Wilder series. While I have my reservations about the titular character of those books, I do think they’re a good way to pass the time. But I’ll confess: the series I’ve really been waiting for are the Black London books. My first exposure to this world was in your short story, “Newlydeads,” and although that piece of short fiction didn’t work out so well for me, the world and the characters of Pete and Jack stuck in my mind. So when I opened up a box from Jane to find an ARC of this inside, I immediately snatched it up and out.

Petunia “Pete” Caldecott is a detective inspector for Scotland Yard. Her latest case deals with the kidnapping of a young girl. She has no leads in the investigation until a tip leads her directly to the girl. But there are two problems. First, the girl has been mysteriously struck blind. And second, the informant is a man who died before her eyes when Pete was sixteen.

When Pete was a teenager, Jack Winter dated her older sister, MG (short for Morning Glory — the names in Pete’s family crack me up). He was hot, part of a rock band, and larger than life, all of which contributed to her massive crush. Then one day, Jack asked Pete to come with him to a cemetery so he could do some magic. Pete humored his whims — he’d always been something of a street hustler when it came to performing magic tricks and well, what teenage girl can resist the lure of the forbidden? Unfortunately, that day, she learned that Jack’s magic tricks might actually be more than sleight of hand and even worse, he saw him die because of it.

The incident traumatized Pete. She doesn’t really recall what happened that day because a part of her mind desperately wants to deny what it witnessed. I appreciated this aspect of her character. In so many books do we encounter characters who come face to face with the fantastic and paranormal and after a brief moment of hysterics or disbelief, accept it and continue on their merry way. Pete, on the other hand, completely denied what she saw and convinced herself it never happened. The book doesn’t make light of this decision on her part. There’s no mistaking that in doing so, Pete did herself some damage, which manifests itself through her recurring nightmares.

The discovery that Jack Winter is still alive forces Pete to face what happened on that day long ago. And she has to, because the newly recovered girl is only the first in a string of kidnappings that result in children drained of their sight.

Jack doesn’t make the process easier. The intervening years have not been kind. Since Pete last saw him, Jack has become a drug addict, strung out on heroin to drown out the presence of the dead, which he has been able to see since he was a child. Combined with the fact that he holds a lot of residual anger towards Pete for what happened that day, Pete has a lot on her plate.

Frankly, I think this is the best thing you’ve written to date. “Newlydeads” was the first work of yours I’d read, and I can definitely see a difference between that story and this one. I can’t even begin to explain how happy that makes me because if there’s one thing I hate, it’s falling out of love with a writer’s works due to a perceived decrease in quality. So major kudos for that. I think readers who aren’t fond of the Luna books should definitely give this a try if the premise sounds at all interesting because it is a different sort of book.

The relationship between Pete and Jack is the driving force in the story and, I assume, series. Pete has known Jack since she was a teenager but the rose-tinted glasses she once viewed him through are gone now that she’s an adult. Make no mistake. Jack has made many mistakes, particularly with regards to Pete and what went down that day in the cemetery. I wouldn’t ever call him a good guy but he falls into that area of grey that I like so much in my characters. I really enjoyed seeing how Pete worked past the memories of her hero worship to see the Jack as he is now: a hollowed out shell of a man who, let’s face it, is kind of a jerk.

That said, I do think the world Jack lives in necessitates him being a jerk. Nice people wouldn’t survive long in Black London. I really enjoyed that part of the worldbuilding. It was spooky, seeing the magical underworld overlapped with the “real” world. And speaking of which, I really enjoyed the London portrayed in this book. I’ve never been to London so I can’t say for sure but it certainly didn’t read like a generic city. That’s one of my major complaints about urban fantasy and paranormal novels. They all make a big deal about taking place in a cityscape but in so many cases, they’re interchangeable with little to no distinguishing characteristics. That’s not the case here. Everything, from the descriptions to the narrative to the dialogue, read as British, not American to me. But as I said, I’m not an expert here so if I’m wrong, I’m sure someone will correct me.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. Based on my reactions to your Nocturne City novels, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But having finished the book, I don’t regret picking up and, in fact, am very glad I did. I look forward to the next book and seeing what’s in store for Pete and Jack. B

My regards,
Jia

This book can be purchased in mass market from an independent bookstore. No ebook because it’s St. Martin’s Press and they don’t want you to be able to buy a legitimate digital copy.

REVIEW: The Whispering Room by Amanda Stevens

Jia — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:00:13 +0000

Dear Ms. Stevens,

As part of my ongoing effort to expand my reading (and Harlequin) horizons, I decided to give this novel from Mira a try. New to your work, I wasn’t sure what to expect but the idea of an evil gene sounded interesting. And while I thought some things were awfully convenient, I’m glad I made the decision I did.

Evangeline Theroux is a New Orleans homicide detective known as ghoul girl by her co-workers. I’ll leave it up to other readers to decide whether that’s an affectionate nickname. (I don’t consider it one under the circumstances.) The past year hasn’t been easy for her. Her husband, also a cop, died in the line of duty and even though she’s always thought something was fishy about the way he died, it seems like she always runs into a dead end when trying to pursue it. She also has a baby boy who reminds her too much of his father, even while she struggles to raise him by herself and work a job where her co-workers all expect her to snap at any minute.

Evangeline’s latest case involves the high profile death of a lawyer. It’s just what she needs to distract herself from her life but things don’t work out that way. The FBI is involved and one of the first things they do is get her pulled off the case. If that weren’t bad enough, she has reason to suspect that they also know the truth behind her husband’s death. Complicating things even further, Evangeline is contacted by a woman who claims to have information about the case but wants to speak only to her.

The concept of an evil gene is an interesting one. Can evil — the propensity to perpetrate violence upon other people, specifically in this case — be passed on? It was the idea that drew me to this novel in the first place, and I certainly understand Evangeline’s fascinated skepticism. It’s just so outlandish. I’m one of those who believes nurture will win out over nature, if all other things are equal, but at the same time, you can’t help but wonder. Is it possible? And if it is possible, can it triumph over nurture? Evangeline’s reaction was entirely believable to me, and there’s no denying that Lena presented it in an earnest and compelling way.

On the other hand, I figured out the main mystery pretty early on in the book. It was a little hard to miss with all the emphasis on a certain hair color. I thought the clues were nicely set up so that a reader could fit things together but a few were a bit too obvious for my tastes. When so little attention is given to most of the other characters, it’s very noticeable when certain characters’ traits are emphasized over and over again. And because it was so noticeable, my reader senses immediately knew it was that way for a reason. And because it was that way for a reason, logic would then offer the only available conclusion. Other readers might not find this to be the case.

While I thought the subplot involving the truth behind the death of Evangeline’s husband was necessary in terms of wrapping up loose threads and providing closure to the past, I can’t help but think it was a little awkwardly balanced with the evil gene storyline. At times I wasn’t sure which one was more important. I don’t think this is necessarily a flaw to the book but I found it distracting at times.

Along those lines, I’m not sure what the minor subplot involving Evangeline’s parents was supposed to accomplish. To illustrate how black and white Evangeline is? To reflect her relationship with her husband? To show what a mess Evangeline’s personal life is? It could do all these things and more, but it didn’t seem to live up to its potential. It was a throwaway conflict that never really came up again.

For readers wondering if there is a romance, Evangeline does find it here but it’s neither the focus nor the point of the book. It’s just one of many pieces that fit into the theme of letting go of the past and moving on into the future. The murderer never learned that lesson and as a result, repeated the mistakes of the past again and again. True, the murderer didn’t see it that way, that those actions were a mistake, but that doesn’t change the fact they didn’t stop to think that nurture could win out over nature in the end. B-

My regards,
Jia

This book can be purchased in mass market from independent bookstore near you or ebook format from the Sony Store and other etailers.

REVIEW: Second Skin by Caitlin Kittredge

Jia — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:00:19 +0000

Dear Ms. Kittredge,

I have an uneasy relationship with the heroine of your Nocturne City novels, Luna Wilder. What this means is that I sometimes think she makes stupid decisions, which I don’t care for since I prefer a certain level of intelligence and competence in my urban fantasy leads (or leads in general, regardless of the genre), but those mistakes are mitigated by the fact that there are actual repercussions for making them. This sounds like a basic concept but from reading — or attempting to read — many an urban fantasy novel, I often encounter leads who don’t have to face the consequences of their actions in an appropriately weighted manner.

When Second Skin opens, Luna has left her position as a police detective and is now a member of a SWAT unit. It’s been a while since I read Pure Blood, so I can’t quite remember if this was introduced then or was a development in between books. At any rate, she can’t escape her former position because being a detective is in her blood and it doesn’t help when former colleagues come knocking on her door and asking for help.

Members of Nocturne City’s oldest and most prominent werewolf families are turning up dead. That’s bad enough but then the people responsible try to make her their next victim. Readers familiar with the Nocturne City novels will know how well that goes over with Luna.

First of all, I’d like to say that Luna was far more bearable in this book than she has been in the past. All those mistakes and their consequences have been having their effect on her. She’s still the same forthright, abrasive character we met in Night Life, but the same obnoxiousness that annoyed me then is not present. Maybe she’s finally grown wiser as time goes by. I can’t emphasize enough how much I like reading about characters who grow and change over the course of a series, so that the character you meet in book 3 is not the same one in book 1 and therefore would not act or react the same way.

On the other hand, part of me wants to sit Luna down and broach the topic about her unfortunate taste in men. I realize this would only result in my getting punched in the face but honestly, it’s terrible! Not only is her boyfriend becoming increasingly unstable as a result of that demon bite he received in Night Life, he’s becoming controlling and domineering in their relationship. It’s obvious to me that as things stand, the two of them are incompatible because what Dmitri wants is the last thing Luna does.

We’re not even going to go into the other prospect, Jason, who may or may not be a crazed killer. I admit I liked him as a character more than I do Dmitri but there are some things that appear to prevent any future relationship from Luna developing. That’s all I’m going to say here to avoid spoilers. I might have drawn the incorrect conclusion from what was presented in the book but to be honest, I’m not sure where Luna’s romantic life is headed from here.

I like the fact that the novel featured wendigo and the surrounding folklore. I feel like that’s one supernatural beastie that should feature more often in urban fantasy novels but that never seems to be the case. And can I just say the wendigo spider monsters were creepy? I shudder even now. Maybe it’s a result of my deep-seated fear of insects and spiders descending upon my head from above or behind. I’m sure some readers out there share that aversion.

As for the story itself, I found myself missing the police procedural that was pervasive in the first two novels. I realize it wasn’t possible to include as much of it here since Luna was now SWAT and a target of the perpetrators but the nitty gritty occupational aspects of Luna’s job were some of my favorite things. That said, I did like most of the novel unfolded but I thought the revelations involving Jason were perhaps a bit sudden and abrupt.

It was interesting to see Luna work with Bryson, someone with whom she’s knocked heads in the past. He still strikes me as slimy and I’m sure that was intentional but oddly enough, I liked the fact that Luna and he didn’t suddenly become the best of friends because of the werewolf killings. That wouldn’t have been realistic at all.

When it comes to a grade, I’m torn between liking how Luna’s character has matured and disliking how the plot weakened a bit at the end. Balancing all things out, Second Skin is a B- for me. I look forward to seeing what Luna’s new role in Nocturne City will involve and possibly learning more about the werewolf/wendigo conflict. It seems like there’s a wealth of history of conflict to mine there.

My regards,
Jia

This book can be purchased in mass market from Amazon. No ebook format. And let me (jane) take the opportunity to say to St. Martin’s Press that charging $14.00 retail for an ebook that is out in mass market paperback (Night Life) is an insult to readers.

REVIEW: Mortal Sins by Eileen Wilks

Jane — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:00:14 +0000

Dear Ms. Wilks:

I fell for Lily Yu and Rule Turner in Tempting Danger and despite the many twists and turns that the series took, I haven’t lost my affection for them. When I first read the series, I thought it was going to be a supernatural Eve/Roarke-ish type series where Lily Yu, a former detective and now part of the FBI Magical Crimes Divison, plays the female crime fighting part of the coupling and Rule Turner, heir to the largest and most powerful werewolf clans, played the Roarke part. This is not to say that Lily and Rule are anything like Eve and Roarke, only that it would be an ongoing series featuring the two of them solving magical crimes. To some extent this is what the stories are about, but since Tempting Danger the books have focused heavily on building the world rather than solving crimes.

The magical setting in which Lily and Rule inhabit has gone from understandable to complex. Every book provides us with one more new aspect to the World of the Lupi but even the series name “World of the Lupi” is deceiving. It has extended beyond the idea of Lupi and sorcery that were presented in the first book but has expanded to include nearly every possible myth and legend from werewolves to dragons; from sorcery to gnomes. The Lupi are but a tiny part of the overall magic of the cosmos.

Mortal Sins is ambitious and not a book for a newcomer to the series. I’ve read all the books and I still had trouble remembering many details that provide basis for some of the events in Mortal Sins. Lily and Rule are in Hal, North Carolina, wherein Rule is becoming familiar with being the heir to the Leidolf clan, once the powerful rival of Rule’s clan, Nikolai. Rule is also trying to wrap up the details surrounding his son, Toby’s, legal custody; severing Toby’s absentee mother’s claims and bringing Toby with him to the Nikolai clan.

Because of the mate bond between Rule and Lily which requires them to be within a certain distance of each other, Lily is conveniently located to investigate a number of murders that smell of death magic. Someone, or something, is attaching itself to people and causing them to enact gruesome murders. The murder mystery is a strong part of the book with tiny hints of the cause and solution dribbled along for the reader to recognize and appreciate when the mystery is solved.

The problem is that a new magic is inserted into the story (despite death magic being a part of past stories) and it was so detailed and so complicated that it made my eyes glaze over. By the third re-read of some pages, I gave up in the middle of the book trying to actually comprehend the new magic and what the characters were talking about. In the end, it appeared that I didn’t need to pay attention because what it came down to was fairly simple.

The emotional arc between Lily and Rule and the inter Lupi politics is such a rich area to mine that I feel sad when the story divurges from those core themes. It’s distracting and serves to confuse the reader. In fact, there is a great moment in the story that affects Lily and Rule’s mate bond that could have been plumbed for so much effect but it is resolved in a matter of pages. It seemed like a lost opportunity.

I haven’t given up on Lily and Rule. While it took an effort to finish the book, there were definite rewards. I’ll pick up the next book, but I’ll be girding my loins for another mysterious magic that I doubt I’ll grasp well until the end. C

Best regards

Jane

This book can be purchased in mass market from Amazon or ebook format from the Sony Store and other etailers.

REVIEW: Crash Into Me by Jill Sorenson

Jane — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:00:56 +0000

Dear Ms. Sorenson:

I have read your category novels and thus I was excited to make the transition to full length mass market novels. This book had very real characters and very steamy love scenes. I found the suspense to take kind of a back seat to the deception/romance story and that, at times, the secondary love story between the hero’s daughter and a boy from the wrong side of the tracks to be the more compelling storyline.

Sonny Vasquez is part of VICAP for the FBI. She is asked to go undercover to see if she can flush out the SoCal Strangler, a man who has been picking off young women along the southern California coast. Sonny is to go in and try to seduce Ben Fortune, a former champion surfer whose own wife was killed three years ago by the purported SoCal Strangler. Except the man that was arrested and imprisoned committed suicide and in his note wrote that he did not kill Olivia Fortune or anyone else. Fortune becomes the top suspect. After observing Fortune, Sonny begins to rethink her plan to present herself as a beach bunny as Ben shows no interest in them. He is an early to rise, early to bed kind of guy who lives more monkish than a priest.

This is because all of Ben’s energy is devoted to taking care of his teenaged daughter, Carly. Carly is messed up and it’s mostly Ben’s fault. He got Olivia pregnant when they were 17. Then he took off full of fame, success, and fortune hopping from one wave to another and from one bed to another. Olivia refused to marry him, despite his repeated requests until Ben dried out and gave up the other women. He finally got his act together but by that time, Carly already believed that surfing was more important to her dad than she was. To top it off, Carly and Ben’s rock, Olivia, was murdered.

Carly isn’t dealing with her mother’s death very well, although it happened three years ago. She’s tempted by death. She’s self mutilating and she’s just so confused and angry and lonely. Ben’s not much better. All he does is surf and watch Carly until Sonny comes into his life as Summer Moore. Sonny aka Summer is edgy, dangerous, and hard to get and it all plays well for Ben who for once since his wife’s death feels the stirrings of arousal. While Sonny is supposed to be there to investigate whether Ben is the SoCal Strangler, she gets tangled up in Ben and Carly’s lives. Complicating the situation is James Matthews, a teenager who has lusted after Carly for years.

It is James and Carly’s relationship that carries the book. James is the product of a horrible home environment. Abused by his father physically and emotionally, he carries with him a great sense of self hate. Carly is all that he could never be and when she approaches him, it’s like a dream come true yet he knows he’s not good enough for her. The scenes involving Carly and James and Ben are frought with emotion and James’ dual desires to protect Carly and not taint her with his bad blood are constantly at war with one another.

There was no effort to make Ben or Sonny into great parents. Ben was not a great parent, but perhaps because of his past, he understood what the real dangers for Carly were and it wasn’t the threat of sexual tension between Carly and some punk kid. But Ben is a dad and he reacts like a dad, angry at this boy James and afraid of him as well.

Sonny and Ben’s relationship is not more complicated that James and Carly but less likeable because Sonny spends most of the time lying to Ben about who she is. It really left a terrible taste in my mouth that Sonny would engage Ben the way she did, particularly because she didn’t think that Ben was a killer and because she cared for him. Sonny lured Ben in, knowing exactly what buttons to push and she never thought of revealing the truth to him at any time. When Sonny’s comeuppance came, I felt like Ben had every right to treat her like he did and that Sonny didn’t do half the groveling that she should have to make up for her deceit.

The suspense portion of the book was weak as well. Sonny did very little investigating. I didn’t believe for a second that Ben had killed his wife and the attempts to create drama by casting the suspicious light onto him did nothing for me. It was obvious who the killer was, I thought, and the failure of Sonny to consider the other individuals as suspects did nothing to dispel the idea that Sonny was a bad FBI agent.

I loved the location of La Jolla and Torrey Pines. The love of surfing and the metaphors that the water represented had strong visual impact. I really felt like I had been transported to Ben’s beach house. The sensuality of the book was high. I admit I felt uncomfortable at times with the explicitness of the teen sexuality but it was a very important component of James and Carly’s relationship. The chemistry between Ben and Sonny was electric and their love scenes smoked up the pages. I like alot of realism in my contemporary books and Ben and Sonny and James and Carly were all very real characters for me. I received the book as an ARC but bought my own digital copy; and so while I was debating between a B and B-, despite the flaws in the story, I had to give this story a B.*

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased in mass market from Amazon or ebook format from the Sony Store and other etailers.

*To clarify, I felt that because I wanted to have a digital copy of the book I must have thought highly of the book so ultimately it must have been a B grade for me.

REVIEW: Judas Kiss by J.T. Ellison

Jane — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:00:17 +0000

Dear Ms. Ellison:

/>I’ve read the first in the series and while I liked it, for some reason I didn’t pick up the second or the third. I was able to plunge back into the life of Nashville Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson without many bumps with one small exception I’ll talk about below.

Taylor and her boyfriend/fiance FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin are post aborted wedding and post new home purchase and are settling into a routine. The house is falling down around their ears and Baldwin is being called to Quantico to act as acting Director of some subdivision since his boss had a heartattack and Taylor has a gruesome new homicide to investigate.

A young, pretty housewife was beaten severely in her home and her poor baby girl was in the house with her, alive, but probably traumatized. These opening scenes were so poignant and really showed the strength of your writing. I connected immediately. Some readers might find these descriptions too gruesome (I do wonder if gruesome crime scenes are the sex scene of the suspense/thriller genre) but I thought that they were the right touch to setting the emotional tone of the story. The victim wasn’t really the mother, but the family members.

The suspense aspect of the story was also good. Taylor has personal safety issues including an ongoing case with a copy cat serial killer who has not yet been apprehended. Her career is being threatened through the jealousy of the OOPMA (Office of Professional Accountability) who would like to see Taylor taken down a notch or five.

While the story moved along, there was a heavy reliance on coincidences to draw the story to a close. Some of the emotional drama relating to Taylor was based on imagining the very worst things that could happen to a person and throwing them all at her which isn’t as subtle and nuanced as I thought that homicide scene was written.

There is also a tendency to include details that have no bearing on the suspense or character growth of Taylor such as noticing a prostitute on the street or the details spent on Taylor’s house. These might have bearing on the overall series but they had little to nothing to do on the story at hand. I find that an irritant because in a suspense, you look at these details for clues to who the perpetrator might be and instead it just seems like filler.

Baldwin is an underdeveloped character as well. Despite several scenes from his point of view, he has no flavor. Perhaps I lack context for him but I find him and his scenes to be particularly bland.

While there is a romance between Taylor and Baldwin, it’s not a major focal point of the story. I wouldn’t recommend this as a romantic suspense but rather a suspense with a romance thread. Don’t read it with expectations of there being a lot of relationship conflict. The story relies heavily on external events to move the plot along.

A reader won’t be bored with this suspense and if the convenient endings aren’t an irritant then this will be a good read. B-

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased in mass market from Amazon or ebook format from the Sony Store and other etailers.

REVIEW: Nameless by Debra Webb

Jane — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:34:09 +0000

Dear Ms. Webb:

The romantic suspense market seems crowded these days and it’s hard to pick out a new author. It’s not because the suspense market isn’t full of good authors. It is actually one genre that seems to be full of competent authors and competent books. The problem is that from one to another, they all seem to have the same storylines (law enforcement officers solving crimes), the same hooks that drive the suspense (serial killers), the same time frame (twenty four hours to a few days).

What makes a RS standout for me, then, is the characterizations of the lead law enforcement officers. They must have a compelling narrative, outside of the suspense, in order for me to want to pick up the next book in the series. So while I might come to an RS book different ways*, I won’t go back to the same RS writer unless I found the issues outside the suspense to be interesting.

Such is the case of Nameless. Keishon’s review, while positive, said that the character growth was marginal, but I thought it was large part of what made the story work.

Ryan McBride was cast out of the FBI after having built a legendary reputation for closing everyone of his child abduction cases. His last case went south and his supervisor decided that McBride would take the fall. For the first year after he was fired, he kept thinking that the FBI would wise up and come crawling back to him. With each Amber Alert that would pass and the phone would remain silent, McBride fell into a greater depression, medicating himself with cheap sex, cheap booze and cigarettes. He had reached a state of alcohol induced numbness when three years later, rookie FBI Agent Vivian Grace shows up with the invitation he had given up waiting for.

The FBI is desperate to have him back because someone has kidnapped a six year old girl and will only give the clues to her release to McBride. McBride agrees to go with Grace because while he hates the FBI, he can’t resist the siren lure of being a hero again, even if that isn’t what he thinks motivates him. Grace is bound by her own past demons. Her supervisor knows her past, a sordid, victimized one, and that keeps her on the fringes of big cases. Getting McBride back to Alabama to find the missing girl will be one step in finally proving that she can handle her own cases.

McBride is attracted to Grace and uses a blatant come on strategy to put distance between the two of them. Grace is savvy enough to figure that out but doesn’t appreciate his long looks and his innuendos more because she’s responding to them in a way she hadn’t before.

McBride and Grace are given a series of tasks by McBride’s “Devoted Fan.” The madman is determined to show the FBI that they were wrong in firing McBride and that he could save people. The FBI isn’t quite sure whether McBride is in on the ploy and he’s treated with as much skepticism as respect.

There are some flaws to the story. There were what I thought to be obvious clues that the agents conveniently overlooked so as not to solve the problem early on. And the clues seemed so easily solved for a villain who was purportedly a genius.

The suspense is driven by the setup and the clues that McBride and Grace are given. Each task is timed and if they can’t solve the riddles before the time is up, the victim dies. But the point here isn’t that the victim is to die. The point is for McBride to solve the riddle and be the savior. McBride and Grace are both constantly beset with doubts which makes them all the more accessible. McBride calls himself “shitty baggage” because he realizes that he’s messed up in the head. Grace finally is forced to acknowledge that running away from her past doesn’t actually make the past disappear.

They are two pieces of damaged goods that could survive separately but together are not only a good team, but good for each other. The romance was well integrated, in part because McBride and Grace’s personal issues were amplified by the suspense. And while there were steamy sex scenes, not of them seemed to be out of place. The suspense kept the plot moving but the two lead characters were unique enough to make me wonder what else does this author write about. B

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased in mass market from Amazon or Powells. No ebook format (please, SMP, get with the program).

*I thought that Jayne wrote a review for Traceless, but I couldn’t find it in the archives. It could be that I got the name from Keishon’s review of this book but I bought this book based upon someone’s recommendation. It has lingered in my TBR stack for the past few months along with Faceless, the August release. Guess what I’ll be reviewing next though?

(in this case because of Jayne’s compelling review of Traceless and Keishon’s review of this book),

REVIEW: Crossfire by JoAnn Ross

Jane — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:00:46 +0000

Dear Ms. Ross:

I wanted to like this book. It promised to be a blend of romance and action featuring a strong female character. Caitlin Cavanaugh is the FBI agent in charge of an investigation of a serial sniper in Somersett, South Carolina. On the one hand, I liked it better than the last Ross book I read, Blaze (which also featured a strong female lead). On the other hand, I felt like this book could have been so much stronger because it failed to deliver what the setup promised.

Cait was sent initially to investigate the murder of Brigadier General John Jacob. Soon after General Jacob is shot in the head, another individual, Captain Will Davis, associated with the local military academy is shot in the head. Soon the entire city of Sommerset is under siege with random shootings by the same sniper. Cait seeks out Quinn McKade, former SEAL and current author of a military thriller, for sniper advice.

Quinn has always had a thing for Cait even though they had only met twice. First when they were in college and second at her former college classmate’s wedding where the two engaged in a wild night together with Cait running out on him the next morning. Quinn sees the investigation as an opportunity for him to be together with Cait. I thought Quinn sounded, at times, patronizing.

“Better be careful, sweetheart,” he said. “If you clench your jaw any tighter, you’re going to shatter those pretty white teeth.”
“I’m not your sweetheart. And this entire conversation is inappropriate while innocent people are getting shot. If you want to talk about snipers, I’ll be more than happy to listen. Anything else is off the table.”
Actually, he wouldn’t mind having the luscious FBI special agent on a table.
“You’re a tough cookie, Cait. But okay. Here’s the deal. There’s no way the guy’s just picking sites on a whim.”

I got that Quinn wanted her bad. Unfortunately, his wants took over the book and overshadowed the seriousness of the suspense which was that there was some sniper running around shooting people in the head. I felt that maybe Quinn should be more concerned about catching the sniper than getting Cait back into bed. Further, I was surprised that Quinn wasn’t even considered a suspect and ruled out before Cait is spilling all the investigation secrets and hauling him around as her partner.

I was also unhappy with the fact that Cait is not so much an investigator leading a task force to find a sniper but a woman who seems to be outclassed by her faux partner, Quinn (not a member of the FBI nor even in the govenrment anymore). I wasn’t even sure what she did in terms of investigating other than talking to Quinn and running around finding bodies.

The story was propelled by the acts of the sniper. We get POV of the sniper and get to see him pick off total strangers (with very little reasoning ever given). It is not that the investigation was so stellar. In fact, the entire investigation was structured so that the reader could be introduced to as many Sommerset hotties as possible from the movie star like coroner to the members of Quinn’s paramilitary organization. The collective group was so amazingly gorgeous that women nearly fainted being near them.

Quite a few chapters in the book started with Quinn retelling a particularly harrowing event in his service in Iraq. Unfortunately, the story is never given any closure. Similarly, there are quite a few plotlines brought up that have no follow through (i.e., the idea that the sniper might be caught on a city camera is brought up as a cliffhanger ending to a chapter and then never again discussed). Details dribbled out inappropriately such as Quinn being deemed the expert in snipers but instead of him providing a key detail it comes from another individual a few days into the investigation.

Even though Cait resisted Quinn for the sake of ratcheting up the tension and not for any decently articulated reason, the sniper shootings didn’t stop the two of them succumbing to their physical attraction. I think I needed an acknowledgment that there wasn’t anything more that the two of them could do to solve the crime or that they had to take this physical respite in order to move forward. But I never once thought that I wanted either of these two in charge of a task force in my city tracking down serial killers.

I know that RS is a tough balance but in this case, there was too much romance for the story or the romance wasn’t well integrated. Should the two of them really have been worried about working out relationship issues or should they have been spending every minute trying to find a serial killer?

In the end, the case is resolved and the two are living happily ever after, but the story just had a discordant feel to me. C-

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased in mass market from Amazon or Powells or ebook format.

REVIEW: Pure Blood by Caitlin Kittredge

Jia — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:00:35 +0000

Dear Ms. Kittredge,

When I read your debut novel, Night Life, I’m afraid I found myself among that group of readers who considered your heroine Luna Wilder abrasive, obnoxious, and borderline stupid. But even so, the Nocturne City setting stuck with me and while I felt that I might not be a perfect reader-writer match in terms of the types of characters portrayed, I thought your plotting was strong and sound. Both of these were enough to make me willing to give your series another chance.

It’s been three months since the events of Night Life. Since then Luna’s been on extended medical leave and she’s only just now returning to her job as a police detective. It’s not an easy transition. Newspapers have outed her as a werewolf. She has a new female boss who remains unimpressed with Luna’s headstrong grandstanding. And even better, she has a new partner who could pass for a Barbie doll.

Luna’s personal life is no better. Her cousin Sunny has left and moved back in with their grandmother who hates Luna. Her last boyfriend, werewolf pack leader Dmitri returned to Russia after suffering a demon bite in Night Life. As a result, the werewolf pack elders have forbidden him from contacting Luna because they hold her at fault. To replace him, Luna’s gotten herself a rebound boyfriend, a wannabe rockstar who not only writes atrocious songs in her honor but is disturbingly clingy to boot.

Matters are made worse by Luna’s first case back. What started out as a routine dead body found on a sidewalk soon leads to an intergenerational family feud between two powerful witch families, both of which happen to be on opposing sides — the blood witches and the caster witches. That’s bad enough but when the caster witch family involved is rich, powerful, and influential, we end up with a situation that could take down the entire city with it.

I’m not sure if I’m just in a better mood or I’ve simply gotten used to Luna, but I found her less abrasive in this book. Losing Sunny and Dmitri seemed to have forced her to grow and mature a little. She’s certainly not Little Miss Suzy Sunshine by any stretch of the imagination, but there are definitely fewer of those interpersonal interactions that made me question Luna’s competence as a detective and person.

The plotting remains as strong as it did in the first book, with the added bonus that I did not guess the culprit until well into the book. That’s definitely an improvement over identifying him the moment he steps on the page. Perhaps other readers figured it out earlier than I did, but I found the book more enjoyable not knowing who the true antagonist was right away.

I admit I missed Sunny’s presence. One of the things I like about the Nocturne City series is that Luna has family that is both alive and present. The fact that they’re both female was only an added bonus, given the ongoing question as to why urban fantasy heroines tend to have male-dominated peers and very few female acquaintances. It’s true that Sunny and their grandmother do make appearances, but without Sunny’s immediate presence in Luna’s life, it’s obvious how unbalanced she really is. I realize that was probably a deliberate choice since it forces Luna to reevaluate her life and the choices she makes, but I missed her all the same.

Along those lines, I did enjoy Luna’s interactions with her new partner, Shelby. While Shelby’s behavior during investigations made me wonder how she could have become a cop, she was a good foil for Luna in many ways. And later in the novel, it appears there’s a detail about Shelby’s identity that explains exactly why she was so green in the field.

I would have liked to see more into the conflict between the blood and caster witches. Not necessarily just the O’Hallorans and Blackburns, who are like the magical clan equivalent of the Hatfields and McCoys, but in general. We’ve had prior exposure to caster witches courtesy of Sunny and Luna’s grandmother, so readers get a nice compare and contrast between them and the O’Hallorans. But when it comes ot the Blackburns, we don’t have much to go on. I did like the fact that you touched on the greyness that exists in what people traditionally consider black and white, good and evil. I find just as funny as Luna that the “evil” Blackburns possessed such a dangerous artifact for centuries to no ill effect but the moment the O’Hallorans get their hands on it, all hell breaks loose. It goes to show power can corrupt, even if you’re a “good” guy.

The climactic battle between Luna and the antagonist might have been a little over the top for me. I admit the calling out of spells in Latin reminded me too much of Harry Potter. I know J.K. Rowling does not have the market cornered on Latin magical incantations, but I’m afraid that association is burned into my brain and it’s a hard one to shake loose. But otherwise, not a bad way to spend an afternoon. B-

My regards,
Jia

This book can be purchased in mass market from Amazon or Powells. No ebook format.

REVIEW: Pinkerton’s Secret by Eric Lerner

Jayne — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:00:07 +0000

Dear Mr. Lerner,

Of course I’d heard of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. And I’d even read romance books that featured Pinkerton detective heroes and heroines before. But I didn’t know much about the real man behind the formation of one of the most famous American law enforcement businesses or of the cases he and his agents worked on.

First of all, since this is not a romance, though there is a bittersweet ‘might have been,’ I won’t review it as one. It’s a first person POV of the life of a fascinating man. This is the beginning of the age of titans in America – men who knew what they wanted and who had the guts, brains, ruthlessness and foresight to go out and get it. What Pinkerton did was create the first modern detective agency and in so doing he set the standard for how it still is today. I didn’t realize just how many innovations he pioneered nor precedents he set. Even the term “private eye” is thought to be derived from the symbol he devised for the agency. “Pinkerton’s Secret” has an ‘in your face’ style – very intense and abrupt. Is this mimicking Pinkerton’s personality? From what I’ve read about him, I would think so.

He seems the kind of man one can admire for what he accomplished though it would have been hell to work with him or, even worse, live with him. He suffered fools not at all, was outspoken, opinionated, crass, demanding of others but more so of himself. He was a man of his times – ie visiting whores and not worrying about what his wife thinks – and yet ahead of his times in regard to employment of minorities including women (though starting them at half pay) and African Americans. He had a relentless drive to accomplish his goals and never let up on himself to achieve them. You don’t depict him as a kind man but he acts as I would expect a 19th man to act. But the way you wrote the story, he seems to be almost trying to persuade himself – as well as his son Willie for whom you have him say he wrote the biography — that what he did was right. You certainly have him use a lot of !!! And he has that masculine ability to convince himself that what he wants to do is the right thing for everyone.

You seem to have taken the available historical information about him and used it well. The exploits of the agents and the agency are fascinating. Several of the incidents and subplots you include in the book made for interesting and entertaining reading. But how much of what you add to the behind the scenes urgency of the agents’ personal interactions is true? It’s probable that we’ll never know for sure exactly what was going on between Pinkerton and his first female detective Kate Warne. Pinkerton might also have had problems with his two sons and their actions as detectives and members of the agency. The tale you tell could very well be the hidden story of Pinkerton’s life though it contradicts some of the facts in a few of the online sources I checked.

Unlike Pinkerton, I’m not one who believes that the ends always justify the means and I wonder how he would operate under or what he would think of the Miranda Warning and other fourth amendment protections now in place. The cover letter sent with the arc of the book states “The unbelievable facts of Pinkerton’s exciting life are brought together in this romantic adventure that will leave astonished readers thinking: “Can this really be true? Did this really happen?” Well, I’m not sure I believed everything but it was a fun read. B

~Jayne

Available in hardcover

REVIEW: Night Life by Caitlin Kittredge

Jia — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 09:00:17 +0000

Dear Ms. Kittredge,

I was introduced to your writing by your short story, “Newlydeads”, in My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon. While that story didn’t work as well for me as I’d hoped, I still looked forward to your first novel. Sometimes short stories aren’t the best indicators of good novelists and since Night Life was set in a different world from that of your Black London stories, I hoped I’d enjoy it more.

Night Life takes place in Nocturne City, a dark and gritty place where magic and the supernatural co-exist with the mundane. Luna Wilder works as a detective — with one difference. In addition to being a woman in a male-dominated field, she’s a werewolf. Made into one against her will when she was just fifteen, Luna fled the man who changed her and now lives as an Insoli: a werewolf with no pack, no rank, and no respect. Luna has kept the fact she’s a werewolf a secret from her human co-workers but she finds it more difficult to control her shapeshifting as the full moon approaches.

Luna’s latest case involves investigating a string of ritualistic murders where the victims are prostitutes and often undocumented immigrants. Two things distinguish this case, however. First of all, the latest victim was a werewolf. And secondly, the manner in which the murders are executed eerily resemble a string of murders that took place several decades before. Matters become even more complicated when Luna is recruited to find the District Attorney’s missing son and finds herself attracted to Dmitri Sandovsky, alpha of Nocturne City’s resident werewolf pack and the murders’ prime suspect.

I love the Nocturne City setting. It has the right balance of grit and darkness I enjoy in urban fantasy and wish to see more of. The way the various places were described, especially in the forsaken area called Ghosttown, were wonderful and definitely set this book apart for me when compared to its counterparts in the genre.

The mystery plot was also well done. It moves along at a fast clip and not once does the pacing ever falter or drag. I admit I correctly identified the main antagonist the moment he appeared but that didn’t bother me. I enjoyed reading to discover if my suspicions were correct and how exactly everything tied together.

What didn’t work for me quite as well were the actual characters. Their reactions and emotions never quite rang true for me, and sometimes that made it hard to believe in the choices they made and actions they pursued. I recall having similar difficulties with the characters in “Newlydeads,” so perhaps this is simply a case of author-reader mismatch. While I liked the way Luna obsessively guarded her independence, at times I found her so abrasive and reckless, I couldn’t feel any sympathy when she got into trouble. I like flawed characters, but I thought she was a little too stupid to be one of the best detectives on Nocturne City’s police force given some of the decisions she makes over the course of her investigation.

This problem also fed into how I viewed the relationships between the characters. While Luna’s relationships with her co-workers worked well for me for the most part, I had a harder time buying her more personal ones. I simply could not buy into the attraction between Luna and Dmitri. Half the time, I wasn’t sure what Dmitri saw in Luna. His lover had just been brutally murdered and her death struck him hard to the point of making him emotionally unstable so for him to suddenly switch affections to Luna made me question his character and just how in love he actually had been. Maybe that’s just me.

While I don’t feel Night Life is a groundbreaking entry into the genre of urban fantasy, I’m curious to see what will happen to Luna next. I do want to note, however, that this is a fantasy, so readers should not go in expecting an HEA or even an HFN for our heroine. B-

My regards,
Jia

This book can be purchased in mass market. No ebook format.

REVIEW: All the Pretty Girls by J.T. Ellison

Jane — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 20:00:08 +0000

Dear Ms. Ellison:

November is a “new to me” month where I read about 10 authors that I had never read before. Yours was one of them. All the Pretty Girls is a romantic suspense book with a unique twist. The couple is already dating when the book starts. I think this is a great way for an author to manage the difficult balance of providing the suspense with a romance. Plus, it’s a different place in the courtship to which readers are ordinarily exposed.

Taylor Jackson is a Nashville Homicide lieutenant whose boring caseload is given a jolt by the appearance of a mutilated female corpse. She appears to take another knock on the chin when her lover, FBI profiler John Baldwin, informs her that he murders she is investigating are likely perpetrated by a serial killer dubbed “The Southern Strangler”.

The modus operandi for the Southern Strangler is to cut off the hands of these pretty young victims and carry them to the next murder site. Because the serial killer’s work involves multiple states and hence, multiple jurisdictions, the heavy investigatory work is done by John Baldwin.

I’ve not read a ton of thrillers so I was somewhat surprised that the novel contained two parallel investigations: one by Taylor Jackson of an serial rapist case made new again; and another by John Baldwin involving the serial killer. These investigations never converged either in events or theme which made me wonder at the serial rapist’s inclusion. It did provide the reader with a glimpse of Lt. Jackson hunting down criminals and exacting justice which is always a reader pleaser but it didn’t seem to fit the main storyline.

The main suspense thread – that of identifying and apprehending the Southern Strangler – was compelling. I as completely surprised by the villain and the villain’s motivation. Watching the hunt take its toll on the investigators added an emotional poignancy. Baldwin spends more than one moment wishing he was with Jackson somewhere and not standing over dead bodies.

Most of the romantic conflict was external as time and investigations forced Baldwin and Jackson apart. While I don’t mind external conflict being the driving force of the romance thread, I did think that more setup for the eventual internal conflict would have made for a stronger emotional ending.

I saw that the Publisher’s Weekly review found that Jackson as a southern belle homicide detective was clichÃƒÆ’Ã‚ ©d. Fortunately I’ve not read enough southern thrillers to be bored by the female protagonist. I found Taylor Jackson’s wealthy background and privileged upbringing to be interesting and provide a layer upon which this series could mine for future conflict. Being a big fan of The Closer’s Brenda Johnson, I can say that I didn’t see much similarities between the TV character and this literary homicide detective.

I look forward to future books featuring Baldwin and Taylor but hope that Taylor plays a larger investigatory role in the future. B-

Best regards,

Jane

This book will be available in mass market and ebook form on October 30, 2007.