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livewisdom's review against another edition
5.0
I love the Ava Lee series!
It started out as a book club pick. I hadn't heard of the author, or the series. The book we chose was one later on in the series, and was great!
Now I'm going back and forth reading books only recently published, and just now getting to the first book in the series and the prequel (Dragon Head of Hong Kong) that was bundled with it.
Both of these books were engaging and super interesting! Perhaps I enjoy them more knowing more about the protagonist Ava Lee and some of the recurring cast of characters. Would it have been as fun for a first time reader who didn't have more of the history? .....I think so. It was fun for me to see where it all started for her. It's not like the author doesn't fill in the broad strokes of her history in each book - he DOES. The upside is that means it is easy to jump in at any point of the series without gaps about who's who in the zoo.
The Ava Lee series is my current favourite thriller/mystery series!!
Each book covers new territory. Literally, because invariably the hunt will lead Ava to countries all over the world, as well as in terms of what problem she has to solve for her clients.
Even better, the stakes and situations are ones that Hollywood movies and books haven't covered a million times before. I've read enough detective yarns, legal procedurals, spy novels and mysteries already, thanks. Chasing money for the "good guys", using wits and charm? With a protagonist who isn't the cliched battle weary drinks too much white man/white woman? Yes, please.
I recommend both these books, and checking out the series!
Stop reading if you don't want to see the minor quibbles.
OK. The author is male. The protagonist is female, and Asian Canadian. The author is white. Sometimes there are false notes in the way he writes her. And I'm mostly done the series and he still hasn't written a good sex scene yet. Hello Ian - write about her sex life like you write about how she enjoys food! k, thanks.
It started out as a book club pick. I hadn't heard of the author, or the series. The book we chose was one later on in the series, and was great!
Now I'm going back and forth reading books only recently published, and just now getting to the first book in the series and the prequel (Dragon Head of Hong Kong) that was bundled with it.
Both of these books were engaging and super interesting! Perhaps I enjoy them more knowing more about the protagonist Ava Lee and some of the recurring cast of characters. Would it have been as fun for a first time reader who didn't have more of the history? .....I think so. It was fun for me to see where it all started for her. It's not like the author doesn't fill in the broad strokes of her history in each book - he DOES. The upside is that means it is easy to jump in at any point of the series without gaps about who's who in the zoo.
The Ava Lee series is my current favourite thriller/mystery series!!
Each book covers new territory. Literally, because invariably the hunt will lead Ava to countries all over the world, as well as in terms of what problem she has to solve for her clients.
Even better, the stakes and situations are ones that Hollywood movies and books haven't covered a million times before. I've read enough detective yarns, legal procedurals, spy novels and mysteries already, thanks. Chasing money for the "good guys", using wits and charm? With a protagonist who isn't the cliched battle weary drinks too much white man/white woman? Yes, please.
I recommend both these books, and checking out the series!
Stop reading if you don't want to see the minor quibbles.
OK. The author is male. The protagonist is female, and Asian Canadian. The author is white. Sometimes there are false notes in the way he writes her. And I'm mostly done the series and he still hasn't written a good sex scene yet. Hello Ian - write about her sex life like you write about how she enjoys food! k, thanks.
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