Wow. Pace is furious in this one. Neither Birdie nor the reader has much chance to catch their breath between the quick paced scenes. No sooner does someone call out to Birdie than her phone rings. Or someone knocks on her door just as the phone rings. Or she's called upon to go break and enter in search of evidence. That's deliberate, of course. This series is designed to take about an hour or two per book. It took me less than a hour, to be honest, though your mileage may vary depending on your reading speed. In other words, the perfect book for those with limited time to read.
For me, the pace was both stimulating and frustrating. I tend to prefer character driven books. Given the nature of the book, keeping it to the bare bones and fast moving pace, the character development was minimal. Toss in that the characters seemed to come at me in quick, confusing bursts and I had trouble keeping everything/one straight. Heck, even at the end I found myself needing to reread simply to sort out who the supposed murderer was in the grand scheme of things. It made sense, I just hadn't always been able to tie events to characters. Perhaps I'd have benefited from reading the previous book? Unsure, to be honest, at least if it was at the same pace. I felt rather as if I were in a crowd with people running up to me chattering away, then darting away as someone else demanded my attention, most of them barely recognizable.
As it was, I was left with quite a few unanswered questions, some of which may have been answered in the previous book. First and foremost, why is Lois, the HOA (Home Owners Association) lady, so hateful toward Birdie What did Birdie ever do to her? Why are they blaming Birdie for things her late aunt seemingly did? Is there anyone around Birdie that she can fully trust? Who is behind the set up of Birdie as the killer and why? Why is Blanche so determined to get the story first, never mind the consequences? Who called Blanche with the tip? Was it a set-up from the start? Why, oh, enough teasers. Even though this book wasn't quite for me, I must admit that I found it intriguing. I found myself being sympathetic toward Birdie, I must admit, and the chaos that seemed to swirl around her and her loyal dog, Butterscotch. As for a rating, I always have trouble with ratings, period. For me, probably a 3.5 but for those who like super fast paced plots with quirky characters, probably at least a four, so I'll go with 4 stars since it did keep my attention and make me want to know more. Heck, many will rate it higher, I'm sure, depending on individual tastes. Thanks #BookSirens and author for introducing me to Birdie's fast paced, frequently confusing world.
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