Reviewed by violetpeanut on
As far as the mystery itself goes, I didn't really know where things were going in the beginning but I had it all figured out by the halfway point. There were still some details that were surprising and I think some people may find the villain(s?) to be a surprise as well.
I think this book really tried to be more suspenseful than it actually was. There were some genuinely creepy scenes and situations for Jaycee but I never really felt that ramp up of danger and excitement that I feel with really great mysteries.
Jaycee herself was one of my least favorite parts of this book. She was indecisive and insecure and annoyed me throughout the book. I get that she was put in situations where she didn't know what the right thing to do was, but I had to read her whine about it over and over. I just didn't really like Jaycee all that much. I also really questioned her judgement when it came to people and who to trust. There seemed to be red flags waving all over the place that she just never saw and that was frustrating to me as a reader.
I did like that there were issues of race and economic disparity between the residents of the town and the Mexican migrant workers hired to work the local farms. I think that could have been explored a little bit more. I liked the idea that people should be judged on who they are and their motivations rather than only on where they're from or what they've done in the past.
Overall, this one was just so-so for me. I enjoyed it but it wasn't as great as I was hoping it would be. If you're looking for the next great mystery, this probably isn't it. This will be an enjoyable read as long as your expectations aren't too high.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 10 September, 2013: Finished reading
- 10 September, 2013: Reviewed