Scan barcode
brettt's review
3.0
The witty tone and intriguing characters of Alan Lee's Mackenzie August series were not enough to salvage the series' 5th entry, Only the Details from the clunky, preachy house it built on the hackneyed "fighting tournament of death" central concept. Binge readers who hoped book 6 would bounce back were well rewarded with what might be the series' best entry so far, Good Girl.
After some time recuperating from his Naples ordeal, Mack takes on what looks to be a puzzler of a case: A reclusive man named Ulysses Steinbeck wants the private investigator to find a dog he brought home briefly about three years ago but no longer has. The problem is that he can't remember anything about the dog and in fact can't create any short-term memories anymore because of injuries he suffered in an auto accident at about the same time. And another problem is that Steinbeck retains enough of his own character to know that he doesn't like dogs and never wanted one.
Mack soon finds that almost everyone involved in the case, even Steinbeck's ex-wife, is more or less cooperative and wants to help him find what he can about the dog. The ex-wife's new husband is an exception, but fortunately he thinks he's a tough guy so Mack can indulge himself in the smart-alecky bully-baiting both he and fans of the series enjoy. But as he learns more, Mack finds that some questions seem to be off-limits -- which would be no problem except that their answers could hold the key to why Steinbeck bought the dog and other shrouded details of the accident.
Good Girl is an actual mystery with clues and everything, but added together they only form part of the picture. Enough of the details are left inside Mack's head that we can uncover the full story only when he shares it with us. We can say, "I knew it was something like that!" but not know every detail, which is is sometimes a much more satisfying kind of mystery than one that's completely deduced before it's revealed. And Lee has lost no steps in keeping Mack's black belt in smart-assery while also allowing the rest of the cast the wit necessary to keep him trimmed down to size. The relationships among the principals as he investigates offer him the chance to think about his own relationships to his wife Ronnie, his son and even his own father, so they usually don't feel forced or artificial. Good Girl is indeed a good rebound and the kind of thing a reader often hopes for but doesn't always get when a favorite author or series monumentally whiffs in a particular volume.
Someone reading this far might wonder why a book so highly praised in its review holds only three stars from the reviewer. Although Goodreads casts its star ratings in the format of the reader's liking or appreciation of the book, many if not most site users tend to see them as quality ratings and this review does as well. Gone Girl really is one of the best books of this series and earns every bit of its fifth star until the tacked-on unnecessary cliff-hanger epilogue (minus one star) and Lee's chortling over it in his closing author's note (minus second star). Protagonists who are too cute by far sometimes make for fun reads. Authors who are that way, on the other hand, don't.
After some time recuperating from his Naples ordeal, Mack takes on what looks to be a puzzler of a case: A reclusive man named Ulysses Steinbeck wants the private investigator to find a dog he brought home briefly about three years ago but no longer has. The problem is that he can't remember anything about the dog and in fact can't create any short-term memories anymore because of injuries he suffered in an auto accident at about the same time. And another problem is that Steinbeck retains enough of his own character to know that he doesn't like dogs and never wanted one.
Mack soon finds that almost everyone involved in the case, even Steinbeck's ex-wife, is more or less cooperative and wants to help him find what he can about the dog. The ex-wife's new husband is an exception, but fortunately he thinks he's a tough guy so Mack can indulge himself in the smart-alecky bully-baiting both he and fans of the series enjoy. But as he learns more, Mack finds that some questions seem to be off-limits -- which would be no problem except that their answers could hold the key to why Steinbeck bought the dog and other shrouded details of the accident.
Good Girl is an actual mystery with clues and everything, but added together they only form part of the picture. Enough of the details are left inside Mack's head that we can uncover the full story only when he shares it with us. We can say, "I knew it was something like that!" but not know every detail, which is is sometimes a much more satisfying kind of mystery than one that's completely deduced before it's revealed. And Lee has lost no steps in keeping Mack's black belt in smart-assery while also allowing the rest of the cast the wit necessary to keep him trimmed down to size. The relationships among the principals as he investigates offer him the chance to think about his own relationships to his wife Ronnie, his son and even his own father, so they usually don't feel forced or artificial. Good Girl is indeed a good rebound and the kind of thing a reader often hopes for but doesn't always get when a favorite author or series monumentally whiffs in a particular volume.
Someone reading this far might wonder why a book so highly praised in its review holds only three stars from the reviewer. Although Goodreads casts its star ratings in the format of the reader's liking or appreciation of the book, many if not most site users tend to see them as quality ratings and this review does as well. Gone Girl really is one of the best books of this series and earns every bit of its fifth star until the tacked-on unnecessary cliff-hanger epilogue (minus one star) and Lee's chortling over it in his closing author's note (minus second star). Protagonists who are too cute by far sometimes make for fun reads. Authors who are that way, on the other hand, don't.
More...