neuzaalexa

After rereading L.A. Requiem, I downgraded it from four to three stars. The Elvis Cole series is still one of my favorites, but this story falls below the median for two reasons. First, I felt it was out of character for Lucy C. to withdraw from Elvis because she believed Joe Pike may have sought revenge against a suspect that he and Elvis had already decided was not guilty. Lucy has always been described as a bright attorney who considers Elvis to be the World's Greatest Detective. Grant it, she didn't know the extent of Pike's violent history in the field. Had she withdrawn because she suddenly realized the danger Cole & Pike could bring to she and her son, I would be fine with that. But giving credence to a revenge kill against a cleared suspect came across as a lame excuse to create tension. The second reason I downgraded the book involved playing fair with the clues. In all mysteries, there is an expectation that the perp have more than a fleeting introduction of no significance, then disappear until the climax. The reader should get at least one or two clues, even if they are quite obscure. I felt shortchanged in this regard. Overall, the Elvis Cole series is excellent. Even with the above mentioned flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with two of my favorite characters in the genre.

2022-11-14 16:30