5 member(s) found this review helpful.
Overall, I really like this series a lot. There were some really good things happening in this particular installment, especially in the romance department. If there's one thing I hate about the Stephanie Plum series, it's that Stephanie doesn't progress with either of the men in her life. I find that so irritating, that I no longer look forward to reading the series. However, I'm pleased to see that this series isn't following that same pattern. It appears as though Maggie is making a little more headway in her love life and I'm glad to see it. I can only take so much waffling between men before I lose sympathy for your situation.
The biggest negative? It has to be the clues for the reveal and how the main characters never seem to figure things out until it's too late. I figured out who did the crime long before all of the clues made sense. But, they made sense to me a LONG time before they made sense to the characters, which I found a little disappointing. However, I did enjoy the ending a lot more than I thought I would. So, even though the main characters seemed a little dense at times, I felt more than satisfied with how it all went down. I look forward to reading more in this series and I hope the author continues to let Maggie's love life develop. :)
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
5th installment of the series. IMO the strongest so far. The story was easy enough to follow, nothing too complicated here.
This go round we follow Maggie, Tara, and Evie to a church carnival. Maggie witnesses an argument between one of the parishioners and her ex-boyfriend, (a construction worker) Soon after the construction kicks off, one of the machines falls into a hole in the ground (a hidden cellar) and releases a spirit trapped within. Later that night the parishioner is found dead near the site.
With the entire town in an uproar, the newspaper releases the next day completely outing and bashing Liss, the store, and other paranormal researchers. To solve the case, the girls get down and dirty with a ouijji board talking to the spirit of Elias who gives the girls clues as to who he is, how he died, and who to watch out for.
This was a fun, mindless book, and I figured out the clues about 2/3 the way through the book. Maggie finally makes a decision between Tom and Marcus, and I was happy with her choice. Looking forward to reading the next book. :)
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This series keeps drawing me in despite having some major issues that always grate on my nerves. I have to say, though, that this is the weakest in the series. Maggie is as dense as ever, and I've never understood why she feels so much loyalty to Tom Fielding, considering they've never been "official" and he wants to tell her who to be friends with, where to work, and what to do. (At least she gets her head and heart sorted out a bit by the end of this book - one of the highlights!) Her flaws make her more realistic and I guess are meant to make her relatable, but her inability to piece together a puzzle that I had a grasp on by Chapter 2 (and had figured out the twist about halfway though) is bewildering. She seems to solve crimes more by luck than anything else. As usual, it's the OTHER characters who really pull me into the story and keep me interested. Felicity, Evie and Tara (whose friendship I love), Marcus, and Marian are all fabulous, and the culprit in this murder mystery is a piece of work. I was disappointed in Alt's writing in this book, though; it seemed sloppy and overwrought, sometimes repetitive. Maybe she was rushed. Despite all the negatives, though, this book has the usual core of wonderful characters and the tension of waiting for them all to figure the blasted mystery out already, and it's an enjoyable read. I'll still be picking up her next book when it comes out.