There's no shortage of crime fighting duos in books or TV shows so it takes some doing to come up with a different slant on the concept. But J.L.Blackhurst has done just that with her sisters, Tess Fox and Sarah Jacobs. The twist is that one is a bona fide cop on the right side of the law and the other is........ a con artist! Think Hustle meets Jane Tennison.
Smoke and Murders is the second in the series and when I was informed that I would be receiving an advance copy of the book I made sure to read the first, Three Card Murder, prior to it. However I don't believe it is vital to have read the first book ahead of the second but it does furnish the reader with the back stories. These are disclosed throughout the second book but I will admit to being glad I did read Three Card Murder first.
I enjoyed the characters of Tess and Sarah. They are so different but the dynamic between them works well and they achieve a balance that underpins the whole story. In fact it did occur to me that this book is more character driven than the first one which is plot driven. Family is explored in more depth and other characters are introduced.
The plots of both books hinge on the locked room or impossible crime mystery which is always a winner for me! I love the theories put forward and usually marvel at the actual explanation.
There are two murders in this story, a local politician's toasted remains are found inside an effigy and it is unclear how they got there and the second body is murdered in a locked room while Tess and Sarah are in the building.
Plenty of mystery to be unraveled, some through conventional policing and others through more nefarious means. It all makes for an entertaining read with an audacious cliffhanger twist at the end. It's a killer! No pun intended. I'm desperate for the third book even before the second is published!
My thanks to HQ stories for a gifted copy.
No comments:
Post a Comment