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scknitter's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! Fina Ludlow is one cool, new heroine who is tough as nails. A PI for her family firm of prestigious, high-powered personal injury attorneys, Fina has to make decisions that could make her even more of a black sheep than she already is. Sassy, smart and hard hitting -- what more could you ask for in a great new PI novel?
cservat129's review against another edition
5.0
I chose this series to start reading because....... I love: A good mystery series, books set in my hometown and I love a kick ass , smart mouth female lead character! The Ludlows are a highly successful dysfunctional family of lawyers , all except for Fina who is the family firm investigator. Fina has to solve the murder of her brother Rand's wife and in the process discovers a family mess, I will not say what family mess , no spoilers here! There were a lot of false leads that kept me in suspense and Fina has a few interesting friends that add to the cast of characters in this series. I am happy to say I enjoyed the story line, mystery and the ending, although the ending was not exactly what I would have expected, part of it anyway....
I am currently finishing up the second book in this series Identity (Fina Ludlow #2).This review was originally posted on A WordPress Site
I am currently finishing up the second book in this series Identity (Fina Ludlow #2).This review was originally posted on A WordPress Site
cossieman2000's review against another edition
2.0
Boring, slow, underwhelming ending, barely understandable plot lines and predictable writing.
tboofy's review
4.0
I read the 4th one first, so I had to go back and read the first three. Good book, Fina is a fun character. Some langauge.
nonna7's review
4.0
I wish I could remember how I first learned about this book. However that happened, I'm glad I did. I put it on reserve at the library a few months ago and just finished it. This is the first novel that the author has published. It is a crime novel with a female PI named Fina (short for Josefina) Ludlow. Fina comes from a family of very wealthy attorneys who have made a name for themselves in Boston as a firm that takes care of the little guy - the person whose doctor botched their delivery or misdiagnosed an illness. They have a reputation for skirting the law, and the Boston PD would love to be able to pin something on them.
Fina is the youngest of four children, 3 of whom are her older brothers: Rand, Scotty and Matthew. She flunked out of law school - to her delight - and has become the firm's investigator. She knows how to handle herself and a gun, lives on junk food without getting fat, and has two good looking guys - her masseur and a cop - who are both friends with benefits.
When Fina's sister-in-law is missing, the firm pulls out all the stops to find her before the cops get wind of it and start nosing around. Melanie, the missing sister-in-law, is married to Rand, the brother whom her father has spent a lot of time and money getting out of trouble over the years. As the investigation progresses, it becomes obvious that Rand is STILL getting into trouble despite himself. After a few weeks of being missing, Melanie's body washes up on the shore. Now the fun REALLY begins.
The "blurb" on the inside cover of this this book compares Fina to Kinsey Milhone in the Sue Grafon books.I actually don't think they have that much in common other than Kinsey's love of a McDonald's cheeseburger. It also compares her to Kay Scarpetta. Don't think so. Scarpetta doesn't exactly have a terrific sense of humor. I haven't read Warshowski so I'll defer to that one. Fina Ludlow is an appealing new character in a genre that is becoming increasingly crowded. Ms. Thoft's writing skills make the difference here. Excellent book!
Fina is the youngest of four children, 3 of whom are her older brothers: Rand, Scotty and Matthew. She flunked out of law school - to her delight - and has become the firm's investigator. She knows how to handle herself and a gun, lives on junk food without getting fat, and has two good looking guys - her masseur and a cop - who are both friends with benefits.
When Fina's sister-in-law is missing, the firm pulls out all the stops to find her before the cops get wind of it and start nosing around. Melanie, the missing sister-in-law, is married to Rand, the brother whom her father has spent a lot of time and money getting out of trouble over the years. As the investigation progresses, it becomes obvious that Rand is STILL getting into trouble despite himself. After a few weeks of being missing, Melanie's body washes up on the shore. Now the fun REALLY begins.
The "blurb" on the inside cover of this this book compares Fina to Kinsey Milhone in the Sue Grafon books.I actually don't think they have that much in common other than Kinsey's love of a McDonald's cheeseburger. It also compares her to Kay Scarpetta. Don't think so. Scarpetta doesn't exactly have a terrific sense of humor. I haven't read Warshowski so I'll defer to that one. Fina Ludlow is an appealing new character in a genre that is becoming increasingly crowded. Ms. Thoft's writing skills make the difference here. Excellent book!
cymurray's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I am not usually a fan of mysteries but this book pulled me in and wrapped me up. I couldn’t put it down and am already looking forward to the next one!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Child abuse, and Trafficking
zzzrevel's review against another edition
3.0
Well, I had read Fina Ludlow #4 last month as
my first intro to the series, and now I went
back to try #1. This was mostly because
there are so many issues in #4 that are
referenced that I felt I needed some filling
in on details.
Surprisingly I found #1 follows the same basic
formula as #4! Sure, the actual main plot is
different, but -- for example -- Fina pursues
the investigation and is attacked/injured
by someone trying to prevent her from doing
so. It happens in both books. Not good, especially
here in #1 where she definitely takes a beating
(not once but three times by my count).
The blurb indicates the author studied being
a PI, but I thought Fina's methods were
really haphazard, all over the place, that it
really puzzled me.
This series is maybe a light read, but I would
not recommend hanging around to read all
the books. I know I'm done.
my first intro to the series, and now I went
back to try #1. This was mostly because
there are so many issues in #4 that are
referenced that I felt I needed some filling
in on details.
Surprisingly I found #1 follows the same basic
formula as #4! Sure, the actual main plot is
different, but -- for example -- Fina pursues
the investigation and is attacked/injured
by someone trying to prevent her from doing
so. It happens in both books. Not good, especially
here in #1 where she definitely takes a beating
(not once but three times by my count).
The blurb indicates the author studied being
a PI, but I thought Fina's methods were
really haphazard, all over the place, that it
really puzzled me.
This series is maybe a light read, but I would
not recommend hanging around to read all
the books. I know I'm done.
readingactually's review against another edition
5.0
I chose this series to start reading because....... I love: A good mystery series, books set in my hometown and I love a kick ass , smart mouth female lead character! The Ludlows are a highly successful dysfunctional family of lawyers , all except for Fina who is the family firm investigator. Fina has to solve the murder of her brother Rand's wife and in the process discovers a family mess, I will not say what family mess , no spoilers here! There were a lot of false leads that kept me in suspense and Fina has a few interesting friends that add to the cast of characters in this series. I am happy to say I enjoyed the story line, mystery and the ending, although the ending was not exactly what I would have expected, part of it anyway....
I am currently finishing up the second book in this series Identity (Fina Ludlow #2).This review was originally posted on A WordPress Site
I am currently finishing up the second book in this series Identity (Fina Ludlow #2).This review was originally posted on A WordPress Site
gulshanbatra's review
3.0
Loyalty is one of those books that actually (might just) live up to their jacket blurbs, and perhaps surprise you nevertheless. Taking the character of a P.I. and making the story very personal is not easy - in my opinion. The whole premise of the PI is the impersonal, unaffected, impervious touch, world-weary and yet sophisticated. Yes, sort of like Marlowe.
Fina is sort of like that, perhaps aspires to be that. But doesn’t quite stay unaffected - many times. Her character development effort comes through periodically, and you clearly see where the author made an effort to make her a 3-D personality. What’s missing is perhaps depth.
If she were shown to be starting out in her profession, her bumbling approach could be more understandable, but not here. She has been around long enough, and has seen enough low-life characters that she should have seen through others’ bluffs. She doesn’t.
Anyway, other than those minor quibbles, the story coasts along quite nicely, and the layers feel real. The way the secrets come out - you actually feel for the impacted parties. Also most impress is the grunt work and good old fashioned legwork that Fina’s PI character is made to do before she can make the connections. That, in my mind, is the most satisfying aspect of the book.
Some of the other characters, well - many of the other characters are depicted as stereotypes of their role. Sometimes it turned parts of that outline predictable and maddeningly tame compared to the claims on the jacket blurb.
Overall, as long as you keep your expectations in check, this is a good, fast and largely satisfying read.
Fina is sort of like that, perhaps aspires to be that. But doesn’t quite stay unaffected - many times. Her character development effort comes through periodically, and you clearly see where the author made an effort to make her a 3-D personality. What’s missing is perhaps depth.
If she were shown to be starting out in her profession, her bumbling approach could be more understandable, but not here. She has been around long enough, and has seen enough low-life characters that she should have seen through others’ bluffs. She doesn’t.
Anyway, other than those minor quibbles, the story coasts along quite nicely, and the layers feel real. The way the secrets come out - you actually feel for the impacted parties. Also most impress is the grunt work and good old fashioned legwork that Fina’s PI character is made to do before she can make the connections. That, in my mind, is the most satisfying aspect of the book.
Some of the other characters, well - many of the other characters are depicted as stereotypes of their role. Sometimes it turned parts of that outline predictable and maddeningly tame compared to the claims on the jacket blurb.
Overall, as long as you keep your expectations in check, this is a good, fast and largely satisfying read.