Pros: Interesting bad guy and race against time; some great side characters; we get to see the original case that made Eve the cop she is
Cons: Too many coincidences; too much small world syndrome; too much Eve trauma
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Way back when Eve was a rookie, she had the misfortune to stumble across a gruesome crime scene—and the good fortune to rescue the victims of a madman. That madman has spent the years since then behind bars—until now. Somehow he escaped, and the prison was too busy trying to cover its ass (excuse me, “conduct an internal investigation”) to notify Eve. Now he wants revenge on the cop that stopped him so many years ago, and he’s decided that the city of Dallas, scene of Eve’s own most horrific memories, is the place to achieve that goal.
New York to Dallas
I, however, tend to prefer the actual crimes and mysteries parts of the books—or at least prefer for them to take center stage. Particularly at this point, when we’ve already delved into quite a bit of Eve’s past already. It also feels to me as though the “small world syndrome”, in which Eve and Roarke’s pasts (and family pasts) are connected to everything boils well over into the ridiculous this time. I can take a certain amount of that simply because the genre is one that is inherently over-the-top, but willing suspension of disbelief still needs a little something to hang its hat on.
I did, however, like the crime story itself, despite the usual “Eve has to get the bad guy herself, no matter whether it makes sense or not” ending. The bad guy is menacing, his victims aren’t just weak scenery, and there are plenty of close calls and little twists to keep things interesting. There’s another plot twist that gets resolved in a way I really liked and wasn’t expecting from this series, but I don’t want to spoil that tidbit.
Sounds like fun – and I’ll probably enjoy it more having had your heads-up about the weaker parts of the book. Realistic expectations always help!
Agreed! That’s part of why I always appreciate hearing about such things in advance—like in movies, if I know something is a brain-dead action flick, then I can make sure I go when that’s what I’m in the mood for. Enjoying books, etc. is in many ways about managing expectations.
I love this series and I completely agree about the side story. This book will also provide readers with a detailed look into the painful past of New York City homicide lieutenant Eve Dallas.