Scan barcode
aspygirlsmom_1995's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pages_and_procrastination's review
3.0
I have to admit that this was my first foray into the Faith Fairchild series. After I discovered that this was book 23, I thought I'd regret accepting this for review. To my delight, I enjoyed this book. While there is the comfort and familiarity of a long-running series, this installment is able to stand on its own.
Sophie and Will are enjoying the rest of their honeymoon while they can. Will will be traveling to Atlanta to work on a case. Sophie will be starting her job at the Maxwell & Maxwell law firm as well as looking for a house with the Maxwell family realtor, and long time friend, Miss Laura. As it turns out, Miss Laura is part of the small group that is unhappy with Will's choice for a wife. Dealing with the awkwardness of that and settling into an unfamiliar town leaves Sophie a bit out of sorts. But like any southern lady, she doesn't let it show. Even when strange things continue to happen. Finding a body with a knife in its back starts off the trail of clues that not everything is as it seems. Having someone push her into a storage closet and convince the others that she left continues it.
Meanwhile, in Aleford with the Fairchilds, Faith is dealing with her own issues. Mostly she is dealing with the mean girl situation at her daughter's school and the surprising news that her husband brings home to her.
If you are expecting an amateur sleuth traipsing around Savannah, Georgia, you will be disappointed. In fact, Sophie doesn't actually go looking to solve anything. She gathers questions that she will ask her husband or in-laws or anyone who'd be willing to answer them one day when the time is right. Even though the summary said that Sophie and Faith would be teaming up to solve the mystery, it happens via phone mostly. By the time that Faith makes her appearance in Savannah, the mystery is being resolved on its own. For the most part. This is not to say that it wasn't a good story or that I didn't like it.
I like the way that as Sophie was learning about the customs and culture of Savannah it was leaking out onto the pages. I liked Faith, and wish I could have seen her solving mysteries more. I, however, didn't really like solving this mystery with Sophie. Mainly because she didn't do anything. She was kind of whiny and while I am sure that she is smart enough to solve the mystery, and it may not have been a mystery as long as it did if she had choen not to run away, she didn't do anything to confirm my suspicions. I would say that Sophie was reactive to the strangeness around her, but that is given her too much credit. And I am not sure if the vision that held a key peace of information was a signature part of Hall's writing or if it was simply a nod to the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.
Did I enjoy it? Yes. Will I look into the rest of the series? Yes. Would I recommend it to you? If you are interesting in a mystery that is actively being solved, no I wouldn't recommend it. If you are interested in a story drenched in the history of Savannah, or a decent story, yes I would recommend it.
3 stars
Sophie and Will are enjoying the rest of their honeymoon while they can. Will will be traveling to Atlanta to work on a case. Sophie will be starting her job at the Maxwell & Maxwell law firm as well as looking for a house with the Maxwell family realtor, and long time friend, Miss Laura. As it turns out, Miss Laura is part of the small group that is unhappy with Will's choice for a wife. Dealing with the awkwardness of that and settling into an unfamiliar town leaves Sophie a bit out of sorts. But like any southern lady, she doesn't let it show. Even when strange things continue to happen. Finding a body with a knife in its back starts off the trail of clues that not everything is as it seems. Having someone push her into a storage closet and convince the others that she left continues it.
Meanwhile, in Aleford with the Fairchilds, Faith is dealing with her own issues. Mostly she is dealing with the mean girl situation at her daughter's school and the surprising news that her husband brings home to her.
If you are expecting an amateur sleuth traipsing around Savannah, Georgia, you will be disappointed. In fact, Sophie doesn't actually go looking to solve anything. She gathers questions that she will ask her husband or in-laws or anyone who'd be willing to answer them one day when the time is right. Even though the summary said that Sophie and Faith would be teaming up to solve the mystery, it happens via phone mostly. By the time that Faith makes her appearance in Savannah, the mystery is being resolved on its own. For the most part. This is not to say that it wasn't a good story or that I didn't like it.
I like the way that as Sophie was learning about the customs and culture of Savannah it was leaking out onto the pages. I liked Faith, and wish I could have seen her solving mysteries more. I, however, didn't really like solving this mystery with Sophie. Mainly because she didn't do anything. She was kind of whiny and while I am sure that she is smart enough to solve the mystery, and it may not have been a mystery as long as it did if she had choen not to run away, she didn't do anything to confirm my suspicions. I would say that Sophie was reactive to the strangeness around her, but that is given her too much credit. And I am not sure if the vision that held a key peace of information was a signature part of Hall's writing or if it was simply a nod to the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.
Did I enjoy it? Yes. Will I look into the rest of the series? Yes. Would I recommend it to you? If you are interesting in a mystery that is actively being solved, no I wouldn't recommend it. If you are interested in a story drenched in the history of Savannah, or a decent story, yes I would recommend it.
3 stars
More...