Review: Worthy Debut, Anxious for More!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 15, 2012
I enjoyed this book on so many levels. First, that Ms. Hamer resists the prevailing pressure for crime writers to slap a dead body in the first chapter or, even worse, to have the hero or heroine trip over a corpse on the first page, made me sigh with relief. Architect Seraphy Pelligrini, an ex-Marine and undercover Darkpool agent, injured in Iraq by an IED, finds the perfect building to set up her workshop and living quarters. Her real estate agent tries to dissuade her because the building, an abandoned mess but with "good bones," is also West of Western, an area rampant with competing gangs spewing violence on an almost daily basis. But Seraphy is a fearless protagonist, and she treads where others fear to go. She's not foolhardy in her bravery, but when needed, she holds her own with the worst of the criminals. The book is filled with a cast of interesting characters, all of whom Ms. Hamer takes the time to develop so that we learn to care about each one. I personally found one of the gang leaders fascinating, and I hope he's in the following books. A good character is a terrible thing to waste. But he's not the only one.The story builds tension in a realistic manner--nothing forced, but you sense there's going to be an explosive conclusion, and Ms. Hamer doesn't disappoint. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the sequel.