Wormwood

[cornerofmadness]

Wormwood by Susan Wittig Albert

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I used to read this in order but as years went by not so much so I plopped into this one having missing major life events. No problems since it brings you up to speed but doesn't belabor the point. China needs a break according to her friends and family. Her friend Martha has just the thing: helping her at a herb workshop in a Shaker village in Kentucky. Martha's Aunt Charity had bee a Shaker there but left for reasons the family never knew and she'd like to learn why.

However, that wasn't all Martha wanted. She waits until they're on the road to tell China that Rachel Hart is now CEO and president of the board running the village (a clear conflict of interested, though she inherited ownership) and she thinks Rachel is up to something illegal. China reluctantly agrees to help.

It's told in dual time lines, China's and Aunt Charity's from the early 1900s as the Shakers were fading out as a religious group. I'll be honest I was not nearly as captivated by the Shakers are Albert clearly was when she researched this. Also I'm not a fan of the dual time frame trope so I was bored with a lot of that (which is sad because I am a history buff)

It takes over a third of a book before there is even a mystery. Turns out Martha was right about embezzlement going on and someone has killed to stop the investigation, one of Martha's friends being the victim.

At least China is aware she can't quite go bumbling into this because law enforcement might frown on it and thankfully the book steered away from the Andy Fife level of incompetence we usually see given to rural cops (but it did toe the line). The mystery wasn't bad. The end was unbelievable...for both mysteries (though Charity's wasn't much of a mystery). Was not a fan of how that wrapped it.

Still over all it wasn't bad and I still like China as a sleuth.



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Blue Baby

[cornerofmadness]

Blue Baby by Carolyn Arnold

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was torn between which way to round my 2.5 stars. For now, I went up since as a mystery isn't wasn't awful and I am coming in on book 4. Why this was the loss leader of the series at zero dollars on Amazon right now I have no idea but I only picked it up because of my read a book in all 50 states challenge and North Dakota is hard. That said, this was a master class on how to make a setting so bland it doesn't matter. Seriously, Arnold could have just not bothered to say where these FBI agents were because the setting was so nonexistent.

Also I hadn't even noticed the author's name when I snagged this for the challenge and was sure it was written by a man until I came to do this review because holy hell the amount of toxic masculinity, misogyny and landing hard on negative homosexual tropes is through the stratosphere.

It was told in three main points of view, Brandon's which was first person, the killer's and Paige's (both third person). Sadly I thought this could have been a much stronger or at least less toxic and misogynistic story if he was gone. I wouldn't have missed him in the least. But this is his series. Oh goodie.

Brandon, a probationary special agent is sent with the big boss, Jack (Mr. cold and emotionless), Paige (the 40 something but hot for her age former lover of Brandon) and Zach (genius) and Nadia (who's back home I think as she's the computer whiz). They're in North Dakota after a second woman has been found in her bathtub in a wedding dress with her ring finger cut off.

So we at least have an interesting serial killer in that aspect. And the police procedural side of it was interesting enough for the first half but then things just go off the rails. Even though Brandon has ‘moved on’ (and is sleeping with another woman in law enforcement back home) he’s a jealous little jackass when Paige goes out on a date with the local detective on the case. So jealous that literally everyone sees it. By the end we’re constantly hearing how he’s Mr. No-Commitment and what a shame it is all women just want to get married.

Yeah not so much dude. But that is the theme of this, all the victims absolutely were man crazy and marriage crazy and the prevailing theory is this is what all women are like (even if Paige weakly protests it) which is why I didn’t think this was written by a woman. Brandon is just gross about it. Paige, for her part, starts sleeping with the detective and allowing it to distract her from her plans. Real professional there. If all the sexual shenanigans were cut out between Brandon, Paige and the detective this thing would have been a novella.

And it loses further points for being lazy when it comes to why all these women would trust this guy so much leading us right into some homophobic plotting. I don’t see me continuing with this series.




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