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claudetteb's review
4.0
This series reminds me a bit of Stephanie Plum but if she was serious, and if Evanovich actually cared about the plots. Fina Ludlow is a strong character, doing a male dominated job in a family setting. There is maybe too much emphasis on what she wears, and what she eats and that's what reminds me of the Plum books, but the plots are solid, the family dynamics are riveting, and I guarantee I'll be watching for more of this series.
cindai23's review
4.0
Whew! I've been so bogged down and scatterbrained that I forgot to update this! I actually finished this about a week and a half ago. This book did not suffer the sophomore slump at all. If anything she made the second outing with Fina even more exciting. I know we've all read books with feisty heroines who save the day, but what I enjoy about Fina is her relate ability. She's not obsessed with trying to look cute, or her love life, or apparently what she eats(and she eats everything). She gets knocked around and sometimes she gets in over her head, but she doesn't give up or give into her fears. Her life is messy and realistic. Her dialogue is sassy. She is by far one of my new favorites and I cannot wait for more!
cjmichel's review
3.0
The crime thriller Identity by Ingrid Thoft came to me through a Goodread's giveaway contest and is about another private investigative case for Fina Ludlow, a PI working for her attorney filled family. This case centers around the death of billionaire Hank Reardon whose death seems to be connected to a case initiated at the Ludlow Law Firm. The closer Fina gets to making headway, the more people who are after her to stop including the family of the deceased that hired her. My favorite line occurs when the son of the deceased Hank Reardon, who hired Fina to investigate the murder, complains to Fina that she should be searching for his father's killer rather than bothering his family. Fina tells him that hiring her to investigate does not protect his family from becoming suspects. Then when he threatens not to pay her for doing her job, Fina's father steps in with a good line as well. But you will have to read the suspense filled tale for yourself to find out for yourself. I enjoyed the Identity, and it kept me interested and coming back for more.
robinhigdon's review against another edition
4.0
another easy to read, but kept my interest in the series of Fina the PI. Reminds me of Lisa Lutz or Janet Evanovitch
skinnypenguin's review
3.0
The story presented some interesting things to think about such as a child's right to know who their parents are whether they are adopted or conceived using a sperm bank. Didn't like Renata as she was just way too pushy for me and didn't consider how her actions affected others it was just all about what she wanted. Felt bad for her kids. Can see how the sperm donor who donated anonymously would not want his identity known but also can see the issues of future health problems for the kids.
Thought it was awful for the "aunt" to want to contact her niece who had been adopted after all the years had passed only to get her kidney. If she wanted to be family she should have contacted her long before she got sick. It was interesting how there were so many different things going on and lots of people had a reason to kill the "sperm donor".
Fina had to put up with a lot of things coming at her from different sides. She has a difficult family to deal with then throw in all the other stuff with the cases she works makes for a tough life. Love her junk food diet.
Thought it was awful for the "aunt" to want to contact her niece who had been adopted after all the years had passed only to get her kidney. If she wanted to be family she should have contacted her long before she got sick. It was interesting how there were so many different things going on and lots of people had a reason to kill the "sperm donor".
Fina had to put up with a lot of things coming at her from different sides. She has a difficult family to deal with then throw in all the other stuff with the cases she works makes for a tough life. Love her junk food diet.
brettt's review
2.0
Being a private investigator is not easy. But it can be repetitive. Just ask Josefina "Fina" Ludlow, a Boston P.I. who works for her wealthy family's law firm. Of course, Fina can also tell you that repetitive and maybe sometimes almost boring work doesn't preclude risking your neck, especially when you dig into things nobody wants dug.
Wellesley College grad Ingrid Thoft wanted to write more realistic novels about private investigating, so she got herself licensed as one. Her expertise brings significant realism to Identity, the second novel featuring Fina. One of her father's former clients, a single mother, wants to learn the identity of the donor she used to conceive her daughter. The clinic isn't likely to offer that information, so she wants them sued. In the meantime, Fina's father wants her to check things out as much as she can and see if she can learn who the donor was lawsuit or no. Fina's good at her job, so she learns who the man is. But that's where the problems start.
Thoft's realism does offer a kind of different slant on the P.I. genre, not unlike Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone. And she has a brash, witty style that she uses to good effect both in Fina's dialogue and in her narration; she might not have too hard a time trading quips with a couple of other smart-aleck Boston P.I.s. But in the end the repetitiveness of Fina's detecting -- ask this person some questions, ask another person some questions, ask a third person some questions, go back and ask the first person some more questions, lather, rinse, repeat -- needs some reduction. It wouldn't weigh things down so much if a lot of the rest of Fina's activities, such as her near-hourly intake of junk food, weren't also on a Möbius loop that probably adds a couple of pounds to the reader. Thoft wants to strike a balance between realism and interesting narrative and she probably will, but Identity shows she has some work ahead of her in doing so.
Original available here.
Wellesley College grad Ingrid Thoft wanted to write more realistic novels about private investigating, so she got herself licensed as one. Her expertise brings significant realism to Identity, the second novel featuring Fina. One of her father's former clients, a single mother, wants to learn the identity of the donor she used to conceive her daughter. The clinic isn't likely to offer that information, so she wants them sued. In the meantime, Fina's father wants her to check things out as much as she can and see if she can learn who the donor was lawsuit or no. Fina's good at her job, so she learns who the man is. But that's where the problems start.
Thoft's realism does offer a kind of different slant on the P.I. genre, not unlike Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone. And she has a brash, witty style that she uses to good effect both in Fina's dialogue and in her narration; she might not have too hard a time trading quips with a couple of other smart-aleck Boston P.I.s. But in the end the repetitiveness of Fina's detecting -- ask this person some questions, ask another person some questions, ask a third person some questions, go back and ask the first person some more questions, lather, rinse, repeat -- needs some reduction. It wouldn't weigh things down so much if a lot of the rest of Fina's activities, such as her near-hourly intake of junk food, weren't also on a Möbius loop that probably adds a couple of pounds to the reader. Thoft wants to strike a balance between realism and interesting narrative and she probably will, but Identity shows she has some work ahead of her in doing so.
Original available here.
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