Darlene Cox

There is some bad people in this book. First there is Peter, the poor boy who grew up wanting more and more. He came up with a plan, and is stealing money from a client, and sleeping with the client's wife, and other women he is fooling. he sure has no scruples, but I can't dislike him, cos he is just such an ass that you just has to like him a bit while disliking him.

Then there is Delilah, who blindly followed him into another man's arms. her I can actually dislike, she is just a fool. Jenny, who Peter uses as a diamond mule, well she is cut from the exact stone as he is, and she can she that she gets played, and her I can respect. James Campbell is the poor guy Peter steals from, and he is also being played for a fool. Then again he is not that good a person either. Yes you are getting the point by now, this is a cutthroat world and everyone is in it for themselves. They are all asses and they are all playing each other. I get the title when I finished this. This was a big bad web of deceit, and you can never know who to trust.

I actually finished it really quick, it was such an easy read, and of course I tried to find out who the killer was (cos yes someone gets killed, well more than one), but I am so bad at that, and it seems there is also a part 2. You can read just this book, but one murder was left hanging, I have my suspicions, but then I am always wrong.

A book for you mystery, thriller fans out there. Who is the biggest spider in this net, and will Peter get what is coming to him?

This book also had a lot of flashbacks, via them I learned why they did the bad things they did. And some were understandable, not the happiest of bunch is all I can say. And she did have me fooled, the twists kept on coming.… (meer)

I've actually read another of Darlene Cox's books before. The book I was privileged to read was Web of Deceit. After flipping through Pearl real quick I thought I saw my name in the back of the book. So I looked more closely and sure enough, there my name is in print! My review was printed in the back... I was so excited. I've worn the spine out of my copy showing it to people! But back to the review of Pearl.

I liked Web of Deceit, but it has a few things that didn't sit well with me. So when I got Pearl in the mail I wasn't sure what I should expect from it. When I finished I can honestly say I was very glad I read it. Cox's execution of certain elements really came together in this one.

There are a few mysteries going on in this one. Not only was I trying to figure out who killed Pearl, but I was also trying to figure out who Pearl was. After all knowing why Pearl was killed is as important and knowing who did it. As the story unfolds it becomes apparent that although everyone knew Pearl, there was very little that they really knew about her. Which I think makes the mystery that much more enjoyable.

I can say I figured out most (not all) of this one pretty early on. But there were so many twists and turns that I would never have been able to guess it all. And with the other mysteries that are laced into the story it really kept me on my toes.

I have to say that this was much better than Cox's first book. I really think she hit the nail on the head with this one. It was very enjoyable to read and all the elements came together to make a really interesting story.

A review copy of this book was provided by the author. This is not a paid review and is a truthful and honest review.… (meer)

Pearl could have been an interesting story, but the characters are too over-the-top without being amusingly quirky. They are just odd and not very likeable. I did not find anyone that was interesting enough that would make me hope another book will follow with the same characters. Pearl still would have been readable except for the multiple graphically described rapes and other violence against women. It was just sickening. I read three-quarters of the book before I decided I had read more than enough.… (meer)

Peter Brock is young, handsome and ambitious. He is also a man with a plan — The Plan, actually. He cultivates the friendship of a wealthy businessman, James Campbell, who wants to cut down on the taxes he pays Uncle Sam. To do this, Peter and James devise a way to transfer profits to secret accounts. James doesn’t know that The Plan also involves transferring those profits on to even more secret accounts. Accounts that only Peter knows about. When people involved in The Plan start turning up dead, Peter needs a back-up plan.

Web of Deceit by Darlene Cox has a fairly promising premise; unfortunately, the story just doesn’t hold up. There are some factual issues that I found annoying (flights from New York to Miami take considerably longer than an hour; the police department can’t charge a law firm with obstruction of justice; when the cops bust a porno production, they don’t give the starlet a pat on the head and a bus ticket out of town, they throw her in jail). There are plotline problems (any book that ends without answering major questions, with only a TO BE CONTINUED is going to get an immediate thumbs-down from me; the brothel — where Peter mainly goes to enjoy the scented hot tubs, not the girls, yeah, right — seems like someone’s fantasy of high-class whorehouse; although this is a modern setting, no one seems to have a cell phone, using pay phones and quarters instead). But mostly, it’s the language that drove me insane.

The characters are cartoons. Jack Morrison, Peter’s partner, is so unremarkable looking that he is almost invisible and he has understood since he was 10 years old that there was something about him that repulsed his classmates. He never had any friends until Peter came along. Sheila, their receptionist, is a perfect picture of loveliness: “a striking blonde with smoky gray eyes, peaches-and-cream complexion, and lips lush and desirable.” And apparently no one minds that she comes to work in a prestigious financial law firm practically naked.

The language ranges from deep purple prose to just plain tortured. The dialogue is stilted and uncomfortable. The word choices were almost Victorian in places. Descriptions are full of flowery adjectives. I spent more time rolling my eyes than reading.

The story had a few twists and turns, but I found most of them pretty well telegraphed. Briefcases full of cash (they do x-ray those, you know, and there is a ton of paperwork and potential hassles for those carrying more than $10,000), rich Columbian virgins, a wealthy and eligible bachelor who dates multiple women, but none of them have a clue about the others. I found some of these plot points pretty unrealistic. Back stories are provided for all the characters, but each is introduced in exactly the same way: a switch to italics and a return to their earliest childhood.

There is the thread of a good story here. Immigrant boy makes good, gets greedy, stands to lose everything. With a decent editor, it might have made for good reading.… (meer)