Helpful Score: 4
I just discovered Lori Armstrong and her heroine Julie Collins and I'm glad I did. Don't let the cover fool you, its not a gross, gory tale. Its a murder mystery and a very good one at that. Ms. Armstrong has another book featuring Julie Collins and I will be reading and posting it next!!
Helpful Score: 4
I have to say that I was really surprised by this book. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. Julie Collins is a hard drinking, heavy smoking, exceedingly independent woman who has a lot of baggage and a lot of reason to be a lot more messed up than she is. In fact, the drinking and smoking aside, she's a pretty strong and level-headed woman. The WL for this book has been long but it's worth the wait. This is a book that I highly recommend if you like your mysteries with plenty of grit and action with a heavy dose of sarcasm and witty come-backs.
Helpful Score: 3
What a wonderful surprise! Julie Collins is a secretary in a rural SD sheriff's office and works part time for her long time best friend Kevin as a PI. She's tough, struggling with a painful past, and has a smart ass attitude. It's a gritty story and full of twists. I loved it and immediately put #2 on my WL.
Helpful Score: 3
The earlier reviews sum this up well but I wanted to make some comparisons for those who might be new to this author as well.
This was an enjoyable book. I can't say that most men will enjoy this (if you like Brad Thor or Clive Cussler, it may not be your style; it can be wordy, though the descriptions certainly enhance the reading for me). It reminded me of early "Anita Blake" by Laurell Hamilton (Only NORMAL, not paranormal; books 1-7, before she got over-the-top-weird) or a softened JR Robb/Nora Roberts' "In Death" series. (Though, these are contemporary fiction.) It was certainly better in my mind than "Stephanie Plum" but it has that sort of girl gets into trouble/girl gets out of trouble feel; Julie just isn't ditzy like Plum.
A quick and easy read that had me 'knowing' who the murderer was... until the end. ;-) Definitely worth the time invested!
This was an enjoyable book. I can't say that most men will enjoy this (if you like Brad Thor or Clive Cussler, it may not be your style; it can be wordy, though the descriptions certainly enhance the reading for me). It reminded me of early "Anita Blake" by Laurell Hamilton (Only NORMAL, not paranormal; books 1-7, before she got over-the-top-weird) or a softened JR Robb/Nora Roberts' "In Death" series. (Though, these are contemporary fiction.) It was certainly better in my mind than "Stephanie Plum" but it has that sort of girl gets into trouble/girl gets out of trouble feel; Julie just isn't ditzy like Plum.
A quick and easy read that had me 'knowing' who the murderer was... until the end. ;-) Definitely worth the time invested!
