Review: Cute, short detective stories
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2013
The Next Act appears to be a series of stories based on an established character, but I think anyone could jump in and read this without having read the previous book. Jim Jesson is a detective, and this book covers numerous cases he's handled from his years as a kid onwards.Jim is often accompanied by his family, primarily his techno-wiz son. I liked this angle, as it shows his family life as well as progresses the current case. There are a good amount of characters in this story, and many of them are at least passably interesting and quirky enough to be memorable. There isn't much character development, since each chapter is basically standalone.Usually it is pretty hard to guess what the solution to the mystery might be, but the narrator guides us through the clues that led him to his conclusion. There are also some touching moments that really make me like Jim, like when he gives police badges to a bunch of different citizens.This is for readers who want a more relaxing, non-serious read. Some of the mysteries really are interesting, but none of them are really life and death material. Amusing, but not amazing.