Review: No Such Thing...as an easy win when looking for a new series to love...
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 02 26, 2012
First, I write (though not professionally) and I debated on whether to post a less than dazzling review considering how I might feel if one were posted regarding my own work.  I love the amateur detective genre and am always looking for a new series to devour.I wanted to LOVE this book and started with the fourth in the series since I live in South Philly.The author did an OK job of capturing the local flavor, but not great.  I am not sure that if I didn't already live here, I would get it.  But she gets an A for effort.I am all for creating a fictionalized version of a real place for dramatic purposes, but there were some blatant mistakes: To get to South Philadelphia from the Philadelphia International Airport, you travel north on I-95, not south.  I know it sounds nitpicky, but it was early enough in the book to stick in my head that there was not a decent editor involved or that the author was not paying attention.  Philadelphia is located in the Delaware Valley, not the Lehigh Valley, which is a separate and distinct place.  The Main Line is a ritzy suburb of Philadelphia, not a part of the city and finally, if it took 45 minutes to drive from South Philly to Walnut Street, something is seriously wrong with your car or sense of direction.Overall, the writing style made me feel like I was reading a teenaged girl's diary.  Way too much self-talk that interrupted the flow.The mystery itself was not hard to figure out, but I did like how it played out.At least 2 characters were left hanging with no resolution (I won't say who in case someone does decide to read this after reading this review).  I am not sure if Brandy is moving back to LA or staying in Philadelphia, so there may be a valid reason for leaving some things open.Brandy is treated like a child by the men in her life and since this is the fourth book in the series, I have to assume she has had some experience as an amateur sleuth, though no reference is made of that, not even in Brandy's internal dialogue.  That would give credibility to her antics.Speaking of antics, this woman is a TV reporter in a major market?  It does not sit right with me that someone as immature as Brandy could manage in that shark tank.For a dollar and 2 evening's worth of reading, this was OK.  I am not going to read the rest of the series, not because the book was poorly written, but because the characters didn't engage me.  I've read less than wonderfully written series before because I love the characters, but unfortunately, for me, this missed the mark.I wish we could give  stars, but I will error on the side of kindness and give this a 2 rather than a 1 1/2.