by LIANA TURNER
What you will notice straight away
It's not a regular detective novel. More of a nosey female whodunnit mixed with eye candy and old school crushes kind of book. If there is such a genre. It is full of good laid-back observational humour, so you will not mind getting drawn in. The language barrier between the Queens English and the test of the world is not a barrier so put the kettle on, get your slippers and a comfy blanket Then read and enjoy.
Review
I am trying to get my head around these 'cozy mysteries'. As a sceptical reader (my mind often turns to review mode before I get through to the middle of a book) I was hoping that this would be the storyline that bucked the trend, that showed a better way to read these stories but I guess there is no correct to read, We are all different, We all bring our own interpretations to the table, and what I saw confused me a tad.
I was hoping for Mum and Dads homemade soup ad that is what I got but somewhere along the way to the kitchen olives were added, seasoning lost, and the cooking time spoiled. It was nice, it left me wanting more but something was missing (in fact a lot was) and despite writing notes, I cannot feel that the soup would have been truly wholesome if some of the original ingredients had remained in. Maybe they were never available at the time of writing?
Characters
Main characters: Cooper, Dirt, Presley, Brian, Simon, Katy, Presley's parents, Tom and Helen Daniels and the whole town of Alkon.
Others: Rick, a puppy, police, FBI to name a few.
Story
Presley is stuck in a rut but not ready to admit it to herself. Her boss is happy see her move on in the company (Presley has already proved her worth in HR), if she does something for him. The sexual inference infuriates Presley and gets her sacked.
Presley needs a break and heads home from Chicago to the little town of Alkon where she grew up and her parents still live. Presley left the town for somewhere bigger as soon as school was over but many of her old school still live in the town.
Thinking it would be a good idea, she calls on an old friend who once offered her a job as a journalist but finds the position filled. Fired up by her failure she wants to prove how good she can be and sets out to complete an interview with Senator Tom Daniels who has marital ties with Alkon.
Sheer bloody-mindedness gets her an interview with the Senator where she meets Cooper and Simon, part of the Senator's security staff but she is in the frame for his murder within twenty-four hours of the interview. Enter Dirt, the town's sheriff and who also went to school with Presley (as did Cooper, Katy, Brian and a lot more).
With something (I am sure) akin to a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in her sights, and having nothing better to do with her life, Presley starts to put her nose into where it is not welcome. The ladies of the town like to gossip and trade secrets. Nothing is sacred in Alkon. This gets under the skin of a town which does not like to air its secrets in public, a mob boss, the police, the Senator's widow and his security staff, and the FBI. Somebody is going to get hurt and Presley is receiving threats with menaces.
The final scene is one of bullets, guns, standoffs, heroics and a woman crying.
Add lust, love, deceit, jealousy, greed, suspicious behaviour and good times into the blender then here is a tale worth telling.
Conclusion
A cozy chick-lit mystery. A whodunnit that does not bury the reader in steamy, hot-headiness or poison the mind. Due to its consistent lack of 'show-not-tell' I was making incorrect assumptions at every turn. This may have been one of the author's first outings (I think it needs a rewrite) but it hangs together well. For me, some of the mystery is why were any revisions were done at all because some of that good explanatory text must have been deleted too, before the plot really got busy.
So, is it a good read?
Yes, but don't look at it too closely. It may not stand up to scrutiny.
Stars
3.5
OBSERVATIONS
One of my pet hates as a reader, reviewer, proofer and examiner is formatting. Even when a situation arises where it is difficult to maintain a course of direction, I would much rather see something written incorrectly, throughout a piece of work instead of changing its slant throughout the book.
In the case of Senator Tom Daniels, and the soon to be late Senator Tom Daniels, and I would expect the title as 'Senator', to be written with an initial capital letter. After all, the author is surely referring to the public office he is elected to? This should also be the case when we are discussing anything that might be considered his own such as the Senator's wife, Senator's time, Senator's gambling habits, Senator's car, Senator's security staff, Senator's money, Senator's latest girlfriend. Write about a non-disclosed senator, or more than one senator and the initial capital letter can be dropped for lower case.
Another bad habit can sometimes be laid at the door of the reviewer. Especially if he'/she comes with the word 'editor' after their name, and more so if the author does not get an opportunity to review the comments or final copy. I admit to losing the plot sometimes, but I am sure that some of the strange paths I have been led down are the fault of the editor and not me (I may be wrong, but I don't think so).
These are a few of my observations.
Throughout
1. Some terrible substitution. I am guessing that the first rewrite replaced many of instances of 'the senator' or 'he', 'she' and 'it' with proper names. Unfortunately, not all were successful.
2. Unnecessary repetition of the same noun or phrase. This a well versed, articulate women narrating this story. As a Senior HR Manager she should have enough words in her lexicon to describe anything a thousand times over, so why repeat the same words, often within a few lines of the previous entry. Unless the editor is a machine? For example, in Chapter 6: "some old car" and "on a car" are too close together in the text. In the UK we might use 'jalopy', 'banger' or 'rust bucket'. I think a second adjective used here would have been better than repeating the same noun, and enhanced Brian's reputation or history.
3. "said male a voice" The correct words in the wrong order. Sounds like an Instagram business 'MailAVoice'.
4. The puppy is female, and you have named it Baxter?
5. Some expressions male no sense when they are used only once without explanation.
Her Dad lying.
In Chapters 7, 8 and 9 we are introduced to the concept that Presley's father is lying to his wife. But crucial evidence is missing from Chapter 7. I would say a whole page has been deleted, otherwise why point out the lies in Chapters 8 and 9? And when did she tell her mum?
Chapter 16
Jack? Who is Jack? If this is Cooper's proper name, why have we not heard it until now?
If this is a common expression why has the author not used it before now?
Chapter 18.
1. Confused dot com. Presley has taken a call from Katy, but we have no reason to assume that because there is no explanation, just supposition. The next sentence should have been the beginning of a new paragraph.
2. What was the point of introducing Rick into the story, except to embellish the word count or o put Cooper in such a position that he stood up for Presley? Rick had already been introduced and dismissed. There was no need for more Rick. This was a wasted chapter, and not required.
Chapter 19
1. Until this point, there was no reason to assume that Davis Street and Helen Daniels maiden name (Davis) were connected. After all, Cooper had to drive another mile from where he reached Davis Street before he reached the mansion. 'Show not tell' is not in force here.
2. "you sitting with the Tom and Helen" Really? Someone has screwed up here!
YOU ARE READING
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