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suze_1624's review against another edition
4.0
David takes on a 10 year old wrongful imprisonment case and sets off to find out what he can.
Jamie and he are more settled and their quiet domesticity is a nice backdrop to the investigations.
The main protagonists are not from nice well to do neighbour hoods and there are glaring holes in the police and legal work from the original convictions. With a number of dodgy characters, lots of nefarious dealings come to light.
I liked that it wasn't easy or clear cut - how can it be after 10 years, but David slogged on and got results.
Enjoying the series
Jamie and he are more settled and their quiet domesticity is a nice backdrop to the investigations.
The main protagonists are not from nice well to do neighbour hoods and there are glaring holes in the police and legal work from the original convictions. With a number of dodgy characters, lots of nefarious dealings come to light.
I liked that it wasn't easy or clear cut - how can it be after 10 years, but David slogged on and got results.
Enjoying the series
jonetta's review against another edition
4.0
Things have changed for David Lloyd since his last case left him recovering from a gunshot wound and showered with the respect and admiration of law enforcement for bringing down a major crime ring. His relationship with his partner couldn't be better now that Jamie was living openly as a gay man and acknowledged David to his family and coworkers. All was looking pretty great until his next client walked in the door with a complex and somewhat futile assignment.
The set up
Ten years ago, three young teenagers were given life sentences for the brutal murders of two young boys. The mother of one of the convicted, Sandra Klassen, hired David to reinvestigate the case to find evidence that would exonerate her son. The notoriety David received from the last case convinced her that he was up to the job. Talk about pressure.
The issues
Although it's been ten years, the memory of the case is still fresh for many who were involved or impacted because they believed the teens were wrongly convicted. While David finds plenty to support that point of view, one he shares, it's all pretty circumstantial and he's going to also need to find out the identity of the real murderer. But, not everyone is willing to cooperate, including the murdered children's mother, and there were a lot of lies told the first go round.
What I liked about the story
This is one of those procedural style mysteries that you get caught up in as the investigation progresses. You get to use your own deductive reasoning as David solidly works the investigation, providing a lot of clues to work through simultaneously and independently. Some of the characters were murky and others who seemed to be an open book had more angles. An added bonus is his relationship with Jamie. Their evolution as an openly gay couple made such a difference for them and the impact on family, friends and co-workers was sensitively portrayed without overdramatizing the reactions. David is pretty special and Jamie is a hottie.
The bottom line
This is an interesting story, inspired by the West Memphis Three. There are a lot of characters to weed out and that made it even more enjoyable, especially as I was able to figure out whodunit before the end. I like these characters, the light element of romance, the strong elements of unconventional family and relationships, and the meaty and interesting case that anchor the story. I'm hoping this series continues and if you like thorny murder/crime investigations, I highly recommend you read both books.
(I received an ARC from the author)
The set up
Ten years ago, three young teenagers were given life sentences for the brutal murders of two young boys. The mother of one of the convicted, Sandra Klassen, hired David to reinvestigate the case to find evidence that would exonerate her son. The notoriety David received from the last case convinced her that he was up to the job. Talk about pressure.
The issues
Although it's been ten years, the memory of the case is still fresh for many who were involved or impacted because they believed the teens were wrongly convicted. While David finds plenty to support that point of view, one he shares, it's all pretty circumstantial and he's going to also need to find out the identity of the real murderer. But, not everyone is willing to cooperate, including the murdered children's mother, and there were a lot of lies told the first go round.
What I liked about the story
This is one of those procedural style mysteries that you get caught up in as the investigation progresses. You get to use your own deductive reasoning as David solidly works the investigation, providing a lot of clues to work through simultaneously and independently. Some of the characters were murky and others who seemed to be an open book had more angles. An added bonus is his relationship with Jamie. Their evolution as an openly gay couple made such a difference for them and the impact on family, friends and co-workers was sensitively portrayed without overdramatizing the reactions. David is pretty special and Jamie is a hottie.
The bottom line
This is an interesting story, inspired by the West Memphis Three. There are a lot of characters to weed out and that made it even more enjoyable, especially as I was able to figure out whodunit before the end. I like these characters, the light element of romance, the strong elements of unconventional family and relationships, and the meaty and interesting case that anchor the story. I'm hoping this series continues and if you like thorny murder/crime investigations, I highly recommend you read both books.
(I received an ARC from the author)
literaryfeline's review
4.0
http://www.literaryfeline.com/2012/09/bookish-thoughts-fresh-set-of-eyes-by.html
claudia_is_reading's review
2.0
This is a first. I have never liked a character in the first book of a series and seriously disliked him in the second one...
I'm sorry, I understand David doesn't like the people he's interrogating, but he seriously comes out like a judgmental prick. Add to that that the dialogue hasn't improved, and yeah... I'm going to let this series go...
I'm sorry, I understand David doesn't like the people he's interrogating, but he seriously comes out like a judgmental prick. Add to that that the dialogue hasn't improved, and yeah... I'm going to let this series go...
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