Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After perusing the titles available this month on Kindle First, I chose this one. There are many reasons for choosing a book, but for me perhaps one of the most intriguing is a female author writing police procedurals and mystery/suspense... and doing it well.! As a self-professed fan of Marcia Clark and Patricia Cornwell, I welcomed the opportunity. I am glad that I did... (for the most part.!!). Susan McBride is a well-spoken and highly regarded author who has published a significant number of works. She has at least two series either completed or well-started and various other successful books, some of which have spent time on best-seller lists. So if success is a harbinger of things to come, this book should be well-received. After a few pages I knew I was going to enjoy this book and found myself wondering why I had never read any of McBrides other works. I still don't know why, but the issue has been resolved. McBride is now on my list of authors to watch and read. NO SPOILERS HERE: I am almost always fully invested in a book by the second chapter, or I have elected to put it down. There are some exceptions of course, but there is no need for that here. This book starts as it should and maintains a good pace. I found the characters to be fairly well developed and well rounded. Initially the premise of the story sounded a little mundane. Another "mirror" story of two characters who echo each other and are inexorably tied together. This time however, one of them is initially present only by reference (we learn about her through the eyes of others..). Our female lead is drawn into a missing person case and the story develops from there. One of my pet peeves with a lot of books published by new authors is the decided lack of competent proofing and editing. I am happy to report that this book does not suffer those indignities. This book appears to be well edited with no major errors of fact or repetition and spelling and grammer is better than most. I am certain that the prior experience of the author has a lot to do with the readability of this text. The language in the book is pretty much "PG" rated (there are a few places where some inuendo appears and a few suggestive remarks, but...). Overall, I found the language easy to read and appropriate to the assumed adult audience. I found little swearing (none rememberable..??), and very little coarseness that would make anyone blush. The plot and storyline are a bit shopworn, but the way the details are developed and the development of the characters make up for it. The parallels drawn between the female characters add interest and keep you wondering what is coming. The supporting characters seem to be nicely described (if not fully developed..) and seem to support the story in a manner that is convincing. As a detective, Jo seems a little sedate (at least initially..) but I would guess that most detectives are that way until forced into action. As the story develops, we see a competent detective battling her own demons and emotions while dealing with the vagaries of every day police work and a case that is quickly building into far more than expected. Overall, I liked the book. It is not one of my very favorite police procedural or suspense novels, but it is pretty good. I found the "action" part of the book to be a little tame in most cases, but the storyline held up pretty well. I think it could have been plotted a little better which might have added more realistic good guy-bad guy action to be resolved. If I seem conflicted about the book, it is because I am. I REALLY liked parts of it, and parts of it left me sort of hmmm..??? If you like your suspense novels hard-hitting , graphic, and full of action, this one probably will not be your cup of tea. On the other hand, if you are more sedate and like suspense mixed with a little romance and a spirited female lead character with a softer side showing.... you will probably REALLY like this one. It's not gutsy and gritty like Kay Scarpetta, but not everything has to be....