Frank Zafiro

Frank Zafiro's Hope Dies Last tells the story of a young woman and her brother who suffered so much in the child welfare system that they can barely function as adults. They support themselves through petty crime, which escalates into dangerous territory.
A crime story told from the point of view of a criminal seeking a way out for herself, and her drug-addicted brother is a dark tale. Fast-pacing and believable characters highlight this fine example of crime fiction with a twist.
I was given an advance reader copy of this book. This review is my opinion.… (meer)

Hope Dies Last by Frank Zafiro
Stefan Kopriva #4

Diving into a series on book four was going to be a hit or a miss in being able to follow the storyline without all of the prior details – luckily for me – this worked as a standalone though it might have been more fun to read if I had the details of past experiences that were no doubt described in the first three books. That said, definitely worth reading.

What I liked:
* There was no sugarcoating – it was definitely raw and real
* Emotions were high and well described
* Darker elements were looked at when considering estrangement, addiction, and dysfunctional families
* Stefan was imperfect but perfectly himself – it felt like he had a rough road behind him and that things MIGHT be smoothing out a bit
* The relationship between Stefan and Anna
* The look into police department dynamics
* The plotting, pace, and writing
* Joel Harrity – lawyer and wise counsel to Stefan – would like to see more of him
* Seeing some characters that may have overlapped in other boos I have read by this author
* That the ending seemed sad…it was also hopeful

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Stefan’s parents and the choices they made
* The feelings raised by some of the police behaviors and verbalizations in relating to Stefan – though perhaps I would have understood it more if I had read the previous books

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars… (meer)

Detective Katie MacLeod works in the major crimes unit of the River City Police Department. In this installment of the River City series, set in May 2008, MacLeod juggles old and new cases to the best of her ability. This story opens with the aftermath of the rape of a local prostitute named Nikki and accelerates from there into other rapes, some related, some not, that test the veteran detective's judgment and challenge her sense of duty.
As a police procedural, it follows legal protocols, but the beauty of the story shines through Detective MacLeod's inner monologue. The Detective balances procedure with a keen understanding of the people she encounters and discerning her personal values and feelings in evaluating the testimony of people who tend to lie for a variety of reasons. The River City series shows life from the investigator's view.
From the door-to-door canvass of uncooperative potential witnesses to the tiny details of individual testimonies, the reader sees the dangers and the daily grinding work of investigating crimes and following clues until they have enough to justify an arrest that will stick.
Thank you to Code 4 Press for the advance reader copy.
… (meer)

Live and Die This away is a cautionary tale about twins, a boy and girl, whose emotional wounds from abuse in foster care turn them into angry souls with impulse control issues, addictions, and victimhood mentality. Given opportunities to change the direction of their lives, they choose easy over difficult.
As anti-heroes, their lives are laid bare for the reader by the talented ex law-enforcement author Frank Zafiro. Though I prefer to read stories told from the other side of the badge, this one captures life at the desperate side of town.
Thank you to the author and to the publisher for the advanced reader copy.… (meer)