Review: Uneven
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 5, 2012
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order toreview it.The first part of this book was very hard to follow.  Not enough time was spent on development for the person who is reading without having read the other books in the series.There were a lot of references to things which I'm assuming happened in earlier books, but not explained to the point that I could actually follow.  For example, there is some sort of family drama going on with the main character's nieces and foster care.  Some of the supporting characters seem very empty for the same reason.  There were references to things that happened on other missions that I'm sure were meant to be humorous, but because I didn't know what she was talking about, they weren't.  However, as the novel gets moving further into the main plot it does get better.The main characters take an assignment against their better judgement and it totally backfires on them.  They think on their feet and kick butt.  Of course, in the plot wrap up, it all comes back to another character we would have met in a previous book, so those of us coming in blind are sort of lost again.Had I read the previous books, I probably would have found this novel more enjoyable.  I went in thinking it was a standalone novel, so in retrospect I should probably have searched out the prior books to read first.  Perhaps during the editing process, someone who hasn't read the other books should have first read.  A truly great novel would be able to stand alone, even if it is part of a series.  That said, I liked the book enough that I would read others by this author, and perhaps even go back and search out the ones which came before this title and give this one another try.