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tokujoe's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
narratricenessa's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher, Datura Books (Angry Robot), in exchange for an honest review.
Devil in Profile, the second book in the Billie Levine mystery series, continues to follow and explore how Billie Levine (the series titular protagonist) handles her complex and complicated personal and professional lives. Although the author does not specify the timeline, that is how much time passed from the events of Death of a Dancing Queen to Devil in Profile, the reader is led to believe that the events of the sequel are not far apart from the 1st book.
This is an interesting situation, especially as the book focuses on how Billie, a woman in her mid-twenties, deals with her recent traumas, her mother's worsening condition, the shaky relationship with her boyfriend and how that relationship affects the rest of the family dynamics while trying to juggle her professional responsibilities. I particularly enjoyed that the author showed how Billie was struggling with stress and anxiety as part of the consequences of her previous case. I was glad the author decided to portray those things on the page, instead of ignoring them or resolving everything off screen.
Compared to the previous book, the plot/case of Devil in Profile is grander in scale, with quite a few big players entering the scene. Although it was intriguing to follow and watch Billie navigate the larger web of crime and deceit, I preferred the smaller scale of Death of a Dancing Queen. It was somehow intimate and fitting to the character. Nonetheless, despite its occasional predictability, the sequel is a gripping and suspenseful mystery. If you enjoyed the first book, the sequel will be an entertaining read..
Devil in Profile, the second book in the Billie Levine mystery series, continues to follow and explore how Billie Levine (the series titular protagonist) handles her complex and complicated personal and professional lives. Although the author does not specify the timeline, that is how much time passed from the events of Death of a Dancing Queen to Devil in Profile, the reader is led to believe that the events of the sequel are not far apart from the 1st book.
This is an interesting situation, especially as the book focuses on how Billie, a woman in her mid-twenties, deals with her recent traumas, her mother's worsening condition, the shaky relationship with her boyfriend and how that relationship affects the rest of the family dynamics while trying to juggle her professional responsibilities. I particularly enjoyed that the author showed how Billie was struggling with stress and anxiety as part of the consequences of her previous case. I was glad the author decided to portray those things on the page, instead of ignoring them or resolving everything off screen.
Compared to the previous book, the plot/case of Devil in Profile is grander in scale, with quite a few big players entering the scene. Although it was intriguing to follow and watch Billie navigate the larger web of crime and deceit, I preferred the smaller scale of Death of a Dancing Queen. It was somehow intimate and fitting to the character. Nonetheless, despite its occasional predictability, the sequel is a gripping and suspenseful mystery. If you enjoyed the first book, the sequel will be an entertaining read..
nic_readsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In this sequel to Death of a Dancing Queen, we follow PI Billie Levine as she begins a new investigation which sees her enter a world of murder, underground criminal networks, art theft and Nazi conspirators.
This book was fascinating and an utterly fun time.
I think the plot was clever and I really liked the focus on stolen art from Nazi Germany, I hadn’t read a book which used this as a plot point before and found it really interesting.
The characters in this book are a unique bunch - I think I was at a disadvantage as I hadn’t read the first book so it felt like I was missing some of the back story and it took me a little while to catch up on who everyone was. I will be going back to read the first book now.
There is plenty of action in this book, the pace is good and it makes for an interesting read.
I didn’t see the conclusion coming at all - I had guessed a lot of different things along the way but this twist completely threw me.
This was a well written, well paced crime novel and I will be reading more from this series
Also look at this cover…stunning 🤩
kishab's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Billie Levine is back! She’s trying to slow things down but taking a break from running her own investigation practice and working under someone else. She’s working small cases, including delivering subpoenas but this lands her in the middle of a murder investigation after she discovers a body. The murder investigation ties into the complex black market art world and her boyfriend winds up being the top suspect.
I thought this was a great follow up to Death of a Dancing Queen. There were a ton of twist and turns in this story, and I liked that we got more insight into Billie. I thought the new characters were interesting but I would have liked to see a bit more from the characters we already knew. I didn’t guess a single thing that unfolded in this story, each reveal was a complete shock to me. I also enjoyed the representation of anxiety and panic attacks, I thought it was very well done. I wasn’t as invested in the crime as I was in the first book but I still liked it. I’m really hoping there will be a third book coming soon
Thanks to NetGalley, Datura Books and Kimberly G Giarratano for this e-ARC
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