Reviews

Black Jasmine by Toby Neal

charlotteg0a807's review

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

For my first time reading Toby Neal I was impressed with the excitement and how the story pulled me in. I did however feel like I must have been missing chunks of the background about Lei which are probably covered in the first two books of this series.  As a stand alone it does work for the major crime but I can't help thinking that the main prep has grievances against Lei  already

alliepeduto's review against another edition

3.0

Good, but not as good as I remembered the first two being. I’m not sure if the romance was just overly angsty, but I was low level annoyed with most of the drama. I was intrigued by the plot but it veered a little too close to an SVU episode (which is some ways is a compliment, but considering I usually can’t watch the show, it’s not really in this case).

Still, the setting was great and I’ve already downloaded the next one!

theocbookgirl's review against another edition

4.0

I love this series!!!! So fast paced and exciting!!!

Lei is now an FBI agent and she is trying to curb her tendencies to go against authority. She and Michael broke up again (heartless wench) and she gave him her dog. She knew Michael wouldn’t wait for her but when she finds out he’s married (green card but still) she’s devastated.

This was an interesting case - Robin Hood style where someone is trying to redistribute the wealth.

skateanddonate's review against another edition

3.0

Didn't really care for this one. Tthe characterization was good and kept me reading, but the story was off. There wasn't any tangible sleuthing just brass tactics to make others confess. Then big bad of series gets written off. Anticlimactic. No big catch them episode. And g-d this girl makes bad decisions.
Disappointed.

megthepoet's review against another edition

5.0

Blame it on Hawaii 5-0, but when I saw this for free and it mentioned a crime mystery in Hawaii, I decided to snatch it up. It turned out to be an excellent buy.

The author grew up in Hawaii and it shows. She has a natural affinity for the place, that let you feel like you were really there without making you feel like you were reading a travel brochure. And Lei is a easy protagonist to fall in love with. She's not a cardboard tough girl or victim turned crime fighter, but a fully 3-d character.

Some minor mentions: While it's obvious that characters are having sex, I appreciate the fade to black for the actual deeds. In fact the whole romance, while a definite subplot, never overshadows the story at hand, which is my favorite kind of romance story.

All in all, Toby Neal is a author I will hunt down and buy the rest of her books.

krista7's review

3.0

It's a procedural mystery and, for a free book, not badly done. The story starts with our hero, a police detective named Lei, investigating the suspicious death of an unknown girl. Lei and her partner Pono begin to trace the girl under suspicions of human trafficking. A further subplot explores Lei's relationship with her partner and her future career plans. The story is interesting and, in its choice of who-done-it, has made some original choices. But like many mysteries, it feels a bit torn between the plot and character relationships, and the villain roles are just shy of moustache-twirling stereotypes.