Review: Lots of unlikable characters
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 05 8, 2014
Tough call on this book, but I disliked it more than I liked it. Denali has some decent qualities, but his butting in on a case not his is tiresome. And then he essentially butts out when his daughter says she's being followed? Hard to square the two.Also, Juliann, the wife, is so irritating it's hard to see why I have to spend so much time with her to get through the mystery. Overall, there was too much family angst--with all the characters, from Denali and his wife to his ex and her husband and his office mate and her separated husband to the victim's family--and too little mystery.Sadly, I read another review before reading where some dumb reviewer said something along the lines of, "Can't believe it was the -----". So I expected the ending and can't say whether it was predictable because of that or because it wasn't very masked throughout the book.One more note: Out of the blue, at the end come heavy-handed references to Christianity and praying. Not what I expect in a mystery, and it felt out of place. Another reviewer even suggested categorizing it as a Christian mystery. I wouldn't go that far, but it was a jarring inclusion.Don't think I'd spend any more time with Denali and his dysfunctional family and co-workers.