Publication June 19, 2024
Ellie Alexander has done it again. Hooked me on another of her series. While I wasn't quite sure about Annie Murray when I began the first book, by the end of this second one I found myself genuinely liking her and the cast of regulars. We find out more about Annie's demons, so to speak, in this installment, why she didn't pursue a career in criminology, not to mention a very personal connection to her past. Pri, who emerged as Annie's closest female friend last book has her story fleshed out, too, though we don't learn too much more about the irritating but maddeningly attractive to Annie that is Liam Donovan. Maybe next book? I genuinely liked him as well as Hal, the owner of the bookshop that employs both Annie and Fletcher, the Sherlock Holmes buff, too.
As for the murder, well, there didn't seem to be many who grieved the death of arrogant movie critic Martin. On the other hand, the list of suspects for his shocking murder was long. The Hollywood contingent there for the premiere of their supposedly Hitchcock inspired movie all seem to have reasons to want him dead, some of them even voicing them. Annie tries to be the polite, efficient organizer of the event that she was but, well, her background in criminology pretty much guarantees she is driven to ask questions and try to make sense of it all, all the while encouraged by Detective Caldwell. As we learned last book, Caldwell was Annie's much respected criminology professor in college and Annie still calls her Dr. Caldwell, not detective. She's dangling a tempting opportunity in front of Annie. Will Annie leave the Secret Bookcase to accept it? To be honest, I suspect there's a workable compromise in there because, quite frankly, I not only like Annie's bookish self and this is the Secret Bookshelf series, but she seems, while highly competent as an investigator, to still be fragile from events in her past. I must admit, that's it's interesting to get a professorial look at the art of criminology, which Caldwell, ever the professor provides.
Bottom line, I am thoroughly enjoying this new series. Annie is sometimes a mess but, hey, aren't we all, and the circle of friends she's gathered is equally likable. As noted, I want to know more of Liam's back story, though seeing Pri's character being fleshed out was fun. Redwood Grove seems to be a lovely place, one we all wish we could visit in real life, and I'm curious to see where that vital clue that pops up at the end takes us next. It definitely got Annie's attention, that's for sure. Thanks #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for allowing me to continue to get to know Annie, Liam, Pri, and the town of Redwood Grove. I am looking forward with anticipation to my next visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment