kimbacaffeinate
Written on Sep 20, 2016
This is the third novel and each case shares a mystery, but also shares the personal struggles and joys of our protagonist Megan. Megan is a lawyer, who returned home to take over her father’s law firm. Throughout the series, we share her triumphs, jubilation and downfalls. We experience her bravery and see her struggle with her own actions.
Megan is intelligent, strong, and opinionated. She will defend those who cannot defend themselves even at great costs to herself. She is unable to let things go, can be downright snarky and a force to be reckoned with. I struggle with Megan. I admire her sleuthing and ability to draw confessions and secrets from others. She is relentless in her pursuit of justice. Local tribes refer to Megan as “the woman who feels” Megan sometimes her spirits and senses danger. This intuition/gift affects her physically and when those close to her pass or face danger, she feels it. (See Decaffeinated for my struggles with Megan)
Cries in the Wind provided a large cast of secondary characters from family to locals and gives us a glimpse into the joys and trials of small town living. We spend time in Megan’s busy home with her husband, mother, uncle and merry misfit of friends and neighbors. Bruce shares all sides of their relationships while they help Megan in solving the murder-mystery.
The case was interesting and involved the unsolved murders of two women from decades ago. I thought it was clever how the case reopened, and liked how it tied into Nebraska. There were several threads that made this interesting and I loved discovering all the players, interviewing those who were still among us, and watching Megan and her friends piece together the past. Of course, all of this stirred up trouble, some for personal reasons and others were to clear or vindicate others. The mystery unfolded brilliantly and felt entirely plausible. Bruce had me flipping the pages.
Decaffeinated Aspects
Above I shared all the things I admired about Megan she is someone you want on your team but she is also someone who you never want to cross. While I get the driving force behind Megan’s desire to solve cases, from the physical aspect of her gift to her need for justice, I often struggled with things she did to accomplish it. Megan is a difficult person. Sometimes she was downright nasty and it made me shiver. She is quick to judge and carries a grudge…but at the same time does for the community and helps others without being asked. Complex does not begin to describe her. My biggest issue throughout the series has been her need to take the law into her own hands, to push and risk others. I get it, but as someone who chose upholding the law as a profession, I struggled with her scales of justice.
Megan’s personal relationship was a sore spot for me. The blame does not lay solely at her feet, but she was not blameless either.
Something happen that felt like it was “an eye for an eye” that hurt Megan deeply and while it was the catalysts for change, it broke me.
Copy provided by author. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer