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A review by teachinsci
Hope Rides Again by Andrew Shaffer
3.0
I was REALLY looking forward to this book steer reading the last one. The Biden and Obama solving a crime was a ton of fun in the first book. While the camaraderie was there again, the story itself really wasn't. I worry that my overblown anticipation was part of the problem.
The story is set, this time, in Chicago on St. Patrick's Day and plays to the tropes of Chicago politics as corrupt, everyone as dirty, and the citizenry as drunk. The mystery this time involves a kid (teenager) Joe met at an event Obama invited him to and Barak's missing cell phone. Through many twists and turns (and much deliberation about if Joe should run for president), the story unfolds. There are some funny jokes and probably the best analogy for confusion I have ever read that do make the book worth a read.
The problem, for me, is that there was not a lot of story there. Some of the pieces Biden puts together aren't implied or stated (no evidence in a mystery book?) and the characters have little more than cardboard personalities. I would like to have seen a bit more time spent with important characters and, frankly, more than a 10 hour window for the mystery to be solved (since the timeline was not well adhered to anyway).
If you liked the first book and can go into this one with a willingness to laugh, you will enjoy this book as well.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.
The story is set, this time, in Chicago on St. Patrick's Day and plays to the tropes of Chicago politics as corrupt, everyone as dirty, and the citizenry as drunk. The mystery this time involves a kid (teenager) Joe met at an event Obama invited him to and Barak's missing cell phone. Through many twists and turns (and much deliberation about if Joe should run for president), the story unfolds. There are some funny jokes and probably the best analogy for confusion I have ever read that do make the book worth a read.
The problem, for me, is that there was not a lot of story there. Some of the pieces Biden puts together aren't implied or stated (no evidence in a mystery book?) and the characters have little more than cardboard personalities. I would like to have seen a bit more time spent with important characters and, frankly, more than a 10 hour window for the mystery to be solved (since the timeline was not well adhered to anyway).
If you liked the first book and can go into this one with a willingness to laugh, you will enjoy this book as well.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.