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sandygx260's review
5.0
I hated the first book featuring rough and tumble PI Fina Ludlow. Loyalty featured too many cliches, too much violence toward Fina (and way too miraculous recoveries from such) and too much annoying family. But there is something about Fina's character that coaxed me (or, more likely, threatened me) to read the second book. Identity is a much tighter read— as if Throft whittled down the aspects of Fina's character that made her annoying but kept the great parts. The third novel, Brutality, upped the stakes a notch.
With Duplicity, Throft deserves a five. Fina acts as aggressive and determined as ever, but even she acknowledges she's not growing any younger. Fina deals with what seems like a simple case of helping a daughter of one of her lawyer father's ex-flames decide if she should bequeath a expensive property to her evangelical church. When murder enters the church case equation, the ante is upped. When Fina's child-molesting brother Rand returns to the family fold with her parent's blessings, Fina's emotional world starts to tilt sideways.
Here Throft portrays Fina as emotionally shaken and betrayed by her already awful family. Her brothers Scott and Matt want to help, but end up acting spineless in the face of their father's control. Fina concentrates on the murder case and exposing the church as a fraud even as the emotional family pressure mounts. Throft throws well crafted red herrings to the reader—at one point I couldn't guess who had committed the murder. But it's the monumental family revelations—not one, but two— that kick both Fina and the reader in the heart. That's why this novel deserves the five stars.
It also sets up a whopper of a problem for the next novel. I'm sure it will be a wild ride!
With Duplicity, Throft deserves a five. Fina acts as aggressive and determined as ever, but even she acknowledges she's not growing any younger. Fina deals with what seems like a simple case of helping a daughter of one of her lawyer father's ex-flames decide if she should bequeath a expensive property to her evangelical church. When murder enters the church case equation, the ante is upped. When Fina's child-molesting brother Rand returns to the family fold with her parent's blessings, Fina's emotional world starts to tilt sideways.
Here Throft portrays Fina as emotionally shaken and betrayed by her already awful family. Her brothers Scott and Matt want to help, but end up acting spineless in the face of their father's control. Fina concentrates on the murder case and exposing the church as a fraud even as the emotional family pressure mounts. Throft throws well crafted red herrings to the reader—at one point I couldn't guess who had committed the murder. But it's the monumental family revelations—not one, but two— that kick both Fina and the reader in the heart. That's why this novel deserves the five stars.
It also sets up a whopper of a problem for the next novel. I'm sure it will be a wild ride!
qu33nofbookz's review
4.0
Another nice addition to the Fina Ludlow series. Fina is asked by her father to investigate a church and right when she begins a prominent member dies. Her investigation is two-fold as she searches for the killer and looks into some of the church's possible shady dealings. On top of all that her eldest brother is back in town and stirring up trouble. She tries to enlist her family in stopping him but she finds out that she is on her own playing a deadly cat and mouse game with someone who is supposed to be her family.
spookysoto's review
3.0
3.5/5
I liked this book, it was interesting, intriguing and fast paced.
I haven't read any of Thoft's novels before, and I enjoyed her writing style a lot. I didn't have any difficulty in reading this, there's clearly references to her previous novels, but I wasn't confused or felt I needed more background information than the ones this book provided. I'm now interested in reading the other books of the series and her next one.
I liked Fina a lot, she is badass without being more rude than her job requires her to be. I find her views of romantic relationships a bit cliche, but that didn't bother me too much.
Overall, this was a great mystery, entertaining and interesting. I recommend it.
I received this book via Netgalley
I liked this book, it was interesting, intriguing and fast paced.
I haven't read any of Thoft's novels before, and I enjoyed her writing style a lot. I didn't have any difficulty in reading this, there's clearly references to her previous novels, but I wasn't confused or felt I needed more background information than the ones this book provided. I'm now interested in reading the other books of the series and her next one.
I liked Fina a lot, she is badass without being more rude than her job requires her to be. I find her views of romantic relationships a bit cliche, but that didn't bother me too much.
Overall, this was a great mystery, entertaining and interesting. I recommend it.
I received this book via Netgalley
cook_memorial_public_library's review
5.0
A 2017 staff favorite highly recommended by Jane. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sduplicity%20thoft__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
tbsims's review
4.0
I rated the others a 5. This one got a 4 only because it was soo 'low'. Poor Fina. No sunshine in this one but hopefully something good is coming her way with the next book.
dogearedtales's review
4.0
I love Fina and while this one is not as good as the first one I still raced through it in only a few days. I wish that more books were well written about female sleuths.
tboofy's review
4.0
I haven't read the other Fina Ludlow books, but I'm definitely going to. Great mystery, interesting characters, dysfunctional family situation, sassy PI...good stuff.
zzzrevel's review
3.0
Meh. I did not find anything to get excited about
when I read this one.
First of all, it is my first read of this series and it
was Book #4. I really felt if you have not read
the first three you are definitely missing
some things.
Second of all, I just felt the protagonist is
rather mundane. The writing seems to be
sort of a monotone. I just could not work
up any empathy for her.
I know others may like this kind of writing
but it just is not for me.
when I read this one.
First of all, it is my first read of this series and it
was Book #4. I really felt if you have not read
the first three you are definitely missing
some things.
Second of all, I just felt the protagonist is
rather mundane. The writing seems to be
sort of a monotone. I just could not work
up any empathy for her.
I know others may like this kind of writing
but it just is not for me.
cindai23's review
5.0
This series continues to raise itself above and beyond. Fina is a great heroine, with realistic flaws and problems. The revelation at the end certainly set up the tension for the next story!
pgchuis's review
5.0
Fina (in her role working for her family law firm) is asked to look into an evangelical (here used to connote promoting a prosperity gospel and wifely submission etc) church to which the daughter of a client is proposing to donate a valuable property. At the same time she is dealing with the return to town of her brother Rand, who we know from the previous instalment to be guilty of an appalling crime.
This was fast-paced and never over-complicated. I like Fina, but don't understand why she doesn't just move away from her family and make her own life. One of the elements of the ending was a little underwhelming, but overall excellent.
This was fast-paced and never over-complicated. I like Fina, but don't understand why she doesn't just move away from her family and make her own life. One of the elements of the ending was a little underwhelming, but overall excellent.
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