Review: Fun contination of the Jamie Brodie Mysteries
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 14, 2013
A very enjoyable continuation of the Jamie Brodie Mysteries. (Burdened to Death is #3, following #1, Cited to Death and #2, Hoarded to Death.)I don’t know if I’m getting more used to Perry’s writing style, or if Perry is getting more used to her writing style, or what not, but I enjoyed this installment a lot, and didn’t have the same issues as before.Or rather, the issues are still there—Perry’s writing is very straight forward, and sometimes Jamie’s first person POV comes off like a diary entry as he talks about his day—but I’m used to it not, and I like Jamie a lot. Our intrepid UCLA research librarian is just as appealing as in the earlier books, and he’s a fun character to follow.Unlike in Hoarded to Death, where I missed some of the relationship/lovey-ness between Jamie and solid boyfriend Pete, in this one, the relationship is almost more to the forefront than the mystery related to Pete’s childhood friend who had committed suicide. Jamie and Pete are working out some issues related to a revelation from the last book, and you see them trying new things throughout the story in order to make their relationship stronger.I love Jamie and Pete’s relationship, and their overall dedication to communicate openly. It’s so refreshing, especially compared to some books that rely on misunderstandings and miscommunications to create extended conflicts. I like that both men act like adults, sometimes flawed adults, but adults who take responsibility and really care about each other. It’s a nice change of pace.Heads-up: Like in the other two books, all sexy times are fade-to- black/off-page. I didn’t really miss it, but just a heads-up.My only main qualm is that like book 2, it’s a very laid-back mystery, especially compared to the peril-filled book 1. I do enjoy the ease of the book, but I wouldn’t have minded a little more tension, but that could just be me. (I am a big action movie fan…)I’m definitely still on the Jamie train, and I will happily say that I’m a fan of this series. Perry’s writing is not flashy; it’s simple and straight forward, but at the same time, the characters are so likeable, and the mysteries are interesting. I find the books very fun to read.These remind me of when I was a kid, and I would go to the library and take a mystery series, a whole stack of books, and take them home and read them all in two days. I almost miss the fact that I’m reading these individually, months apart, because I think I would have loved to take a stack of these to a chair and nestle down for some fun mysteries with librarian Jamie and his hunky Pete.Recommended, especially if you liked the first two books. I’m definitely looking forward to more in this series.One note: I would not recommend diving in to this volume cold. I do recommend going back to start at #1, Cited to Death. You will get way more out of the character interactions, plus Perry doesn’t spend much time on intros, so you’ll get more about who the side characters are.