This is the author's debut novel. It's a mystery with a very good plot/storyline.
And very bad editing!
STORY SUMMARY
Roxane Weary is a single woman whose father was a Columbus, Ohio city cop.
She is a private investigator.
Her father,Frank, has been dead for the last 9 months...shot in the line of duty. His partner and one of his best friends, Tom, is sometimes involved in Roxane's life both as a friend and as a sexual partner. He is always there for her. Unlike her father.
Roxane has 2 brothers, Matt and Andrew and a mom who worries about the kind of work Roxane gets involved in. They are all victims of Frank's alcoholism, verbal abuse and numerous affairs.
One day, Roxane gets a call from a young, black woman named Danielle Stockton. Danielle happens to be a friend of Matt's. Matt informed Danielle that Roxane is great at finding lost things....which includes finding lost people. Danielle is wondering if Roxane can solve the mystery of the missing girl named Sarah Cook. Danielle's brother, Brad, is on death row for supposedly murdering Sarah's parents, both of whom were found stabbed to death in their house the night Sarah disappeared.
Sarah was just 17 years old at the time and Brad was a couple years older. This happened 15 years ago and Sarah has never been found. Brad has always stated that he is innocent. His execution is to take place in just 2 months.
Roxane agrees to take the case and begins her investigation.
Soon, her search leads her to the suburban town of Belmont where not only Sarah's parents were murdered and Sarah disappeared from, but another girl, Mallory Evans, disappeared and then was found stabbed to death in a wooded area. Interestingly, Roxane's dad, who was so well known and well loved by the police, worked on that case. Her murderer has never been caught.
As Roxane begins to really delve into these cases, she begins to see some connections. She also continues to drink too much, which has been the case ever since her dad died. She knows she should stop.....
Part of Roxane's investigation leads her to another teenager named Shelby. And Shelby's father is Joshua Evans! The very man who was married to Mallory when Mallory disappeared back when Shelby was an infant. Joshua begins to help Roxane put together some pieces of the puzzle. Meanwhile, Shelby's best friend, Veronica goes missing. Veronica and the other two young women all had blond hair. And all knew one person....a Brayfield.....the family who are very wealthy in the town of Belmont. Soon, though, Roxane begins to realize that it cannot be Kenny Brayfield who is the murderer. And when she does figure out just exactly who has committed these horrific crimes, everyone is shocked!
MY THOUGHTS
This was a very fast-paced book which I really like.
The character development was quite good although there are many character to keep track of. It does get easier as the book and plot move forward.
The setting is ok and I found it interesting that the ending of the book makes it seem like this character may appear in future novels if the author continues to write. I had a love-hate relationship with this book. I loved the plot line and fast paced, exciting turn of events.
I did NOT like all the editing mistakes. My goodness, the author credits an editor for good work but wow....MANY mistakes were found and those kinds of things just bug me.
I also did NOT like all of the "gutter talk" words that appeared in this novel. To me, it is absolutely unnecessary and crass. Yes, maybe cops and investigators really do have trashy mouths, but I prefer an author who can think of many more creative ways to get the point across rather than resorting to the very crass "f" word.
Some of the themes running through-out the plot, which really drive it forward, are: grief, loss, alcohol addiction, adultery, kidnapping, police brutality, friendship, and lesbianism and bi-sexuality.
Because of those themes, it's my opinion that this book is most appropriate for readers ages 17 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 7.
3 comments:
Thank you for this review, Faith. I love it when bloggers give an HONEST review, which I know I can count on you for. Even though you have given it a 7 I probably wouldn't read it because of the "gutter talk". So thank you for including that in your review.
I hope you have a good remainder of your week!
I always appreciate a review that gives a heads up when there is over the top swearing. It's not my cup of tea and I do tend to avoid most books like that. There has been the odd exception that I have not set aside but it's always kept me from really enjoying those stories fully.
Ugh well as an editor, I cringe at bad editing so I probably shouldn't read this one!!
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