Debra Purdy Kong

reviewed from Kindle

Who is stalking the senior citizens of Vancouver?
Another great read by Debra Purdy Kong. It's not often I get to read a book, in fact a series, located in my "home town". Location well described, as well as the dangers we old folk can face just walking, taking transit, or driving a specific route home. For that matter, is anybody on foot or public transit ever completely sure they are safe? I've read several of Debra Kong's books and enjoyed them all. Her characters are always interesting and often in unusual ways. It's a long time since I lived in Vancouver and even though it has changed so much I recognize some parts of it, the people in my old neighborhood.

Doesn't life have crazy moments; imagine a complete misfit supposedly watching out for the safety of senior passengers on public transit. Are these people coming or going? Now imagine that misfit causing more problems than benefits, a real snobby sort who needs to learn a few manners. Casey Holland has her hands full as security officer, and dealing with a person who is not fitting in or not even seeming to care about the people he should, even with stepped up security. She's also trying to plan her wedding, yet still be avidly aware of those riders mostly elderly or frail, and whether they are being followed suspiciously when they get off the transit, she notices the women especially are often wearing more jewellery than they should, and talking about their lives with no thought of their own privacy. She does her best for them including hints on what can make them safer when they get home. But is it enough? In the meantime, Casey is still unable to have her wedding! Too much going on and so little time to plan. When a break-in happens to one of her regular customers, Elsie, resulting in a brutal attack that lands her in hospital, Casey steps up her vigilance, and even begins to escort some of the more vulnerable home, an action that has just begun to really escalate to deadly crime and very nearly takes her own life.

A well-thought out story, a timely story, I really liked it, even with the fears and danger lurking in the shadows watching to take advantage of the elderly in this murder mystery. I'm glad I got to read it, it is compelling in its awareness of what is needed to protect the vulnerable.… (meer)

BOTTOM-LINE:
Could have been better laid out with fewer characters
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PLOT OR PREMISE:
A tax auditor discovers fraud, revenge and murder/
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WHAT I LIKED:
The writing is pretty good and I love the premise of the protagonist (a Revenue Canada tax auditor).
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
I had difficulty with three things in the book. First, I found there were way too many characters to keep them all straight. Second, I didn't like the relationship between Alex and Jillian, very hard to follow why this would be a romance that would "bloom". Third, I just plain don't like Jillian...the choices she makes, the rationale for her relationships and interactions with men, all of it made me feel like an accomplice to sexism. All together it presented a challenge for realism, but it may also just be my personal preference to read about a character like Jillian.
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DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, but I did interact with her briefly online.… (meer)

First, the obligatory disclaimer that I received this book for free (thanks to TouchWood and Debra Purdy Kong) in exchange for an honest review.

Now, the review.

I thought the book started off with a bang. Teenage twins causing a ruckus on the bus when the unthinkable happens - a hit and run murder in front of way too many witnesses. Witnesses can only come up with vague details, so the guy isn't caught. Another hit and run happens soon after. Suspense.

The first part of the book kept me on the edge of my seat. It started to decline midway through. I liked Danielle at first, but her character's daredevil attitude escalated so quickly that she became an entirely unrealistic character. The twins were enjoyable characters for a little while, but their story quickly began to play on repeat as Casey threatened to tell their mom what they were doing and they begged her not to. I could have done without the Greg/Tina drama (though I didn't read the first two books in this series, so maybe I would care more if I had) and the whole issue of whether or not Casey was going to sell the house. The pacing was very uneven -- we have basically an entire chapter of Casey literally chasing the twins, but the whole story is wrapped up over the course of about two pages. Don't even get me started on the constant mention of Casey's Tercel...

All in all, for the problems I could have with a book, these are relatively minor. It's far from the worst book I've read recently. I was engaged enough to keep reading, but I don't feel compelled to read the rest of the books in the series.… (meer)

I received an ARC through Goodreads
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I would give it 2.5 stars.

This is the first book that I have read of the Casey Holland Mystery series.

I found it to be a quick and short read. The writing style and story development is slightly different than I have encountered. Overall, it was a decent read, I enjoyed reading about Casey and the mystery of the roadkills and races. I appreciate a hard working, head strong and wary young woman, who knows to at least call the police during certain situations, who isn't afraid to defend herself and fight back and go to great lengths to protect others (especially Danielle, who really doesn't deserve Casey's help/protection). The portray of Cassey's relationships adds an element to the story, which is a nice touch to show her struggles on top of the races.

I wasn't too fond of Danielle, I found her very hard to relate to or connect with given how reckless and naive she was throughout the entire story. I thought the sub-storyline of the twins and Casey could have been resolved a lot sooner, even if the information they occasionally supplied were right on the mark in terms of tying it to the races. Truthfully, I cannot get over how easy going the cops were, I mean they readily accepted various people's explanations without diving too much into depth, that felt a little unrealistic. And the ending kind of felt a little hollow, where the identity of the killer is finally revealed, to me that part felt a little messy and didn't tie too well together with the rest of the story. Basically it's like OK the killer is Morris, and he is arrested, but then that's it. Finally, I would have liked Richard's character explored a bit more, especially given how he was able to abduct Danielle and allow everyone to believe that he isn't more than just a bookie .

Overall, the story has it's moments. Sadly, I didn't really enjoy this book as much as I would have liked. It was interesting but it wasn't too much of a mystery that motivated me to keep reading.… (meer)