Likeable characters, good pacing, good sense of place. It has a different feel than the Monkeewrench series; not as funny although we still have a big cast. There's two plots running in parallel here and since I read a lot of mysteries I kept waiting for them to converge. I can't write more without spoilers but I can say that it didn't go quite the way I expected, and because of that I didn't find it convincing. The villain was way too obvious, I have to think that the author intended that because every scene with the villain included a massive clue. The author indicates this is going to be the start of a new series, and the title in Goodreads says "Detective Margaret Nolan #1, but we see a lot more from Sam's POV than we do from Nolan's. I did like the book overall and I think it would be interesting to see Easton return as well as Nolan.
I tried this book twice and it didn't improve.
The writing style of Tracy is slow, draggy, and boring, if by page 50 you haven't hooked me then forget it! I trudged through 50 pages of descriptions of what they wear, eat, think, and weather conditions and the color of blood, etc. NOT my kind of reading, get me hooked in the early pages or I'm done! and with this one? I was done!
The writing style of Tracy is slow, draggy, and boring, if by page 50 you haven't hooked me then forget it! I trudged through 50 pages of descriptions of what they wear, eat, think, and weather conditions and the color of blood, etc. NOT my kind of reading, get me hooked in the early pages or I'm done! and with this one? I was done!
Eadie B. (eadieburke) -
I have read all of P.J. Tracy's Monkeewrench series and have enjoyed them all. This book is the start of another series by her set in Los Angeles. Sam Easton is back from Afghanistan and is separated from his wife. He is working as a bartender and is helping Melody Traeger who was beaten by her boyfriend, Ryan. When Ryan turns up dead, Sam becomes the major suspect. LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan cannot believe that Sam is guilty. How can she prove Sam's innocence?
This book explores obsession, revenge and grief. I found the characters well-developed and the plot action-packed. Even though the murderer was not a complete surprise, I do look forward to the next book in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Minotaur Books for a free copy for an honest review.
This book explores obsession, revenge and grief. I found the characters well-developed and the plot action-packed. Even though the murderer was not a complete surprise, I do look forward to the next book in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Minotaur Books for a free copy for an honest review.
I've read all the Monkeewrench books which were written by this author (actually, a mom-daughter duo; mom died 2016). Deep into the Dark is a new series set in LA by the daughter. I thought it was a pretty good book--a page turner. Has a more serious tone than the Monkeewrench series where some members of the Monkeewrench crew were a bit over the top. There were times in Deep where there were back and forth conversations, and it was sometimes hard to know who was saying what line--I would go back to the beginning of the conversation to see who started it. It would have been helpful if the author periodically said who was speaking.
