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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
The Tom and Scott mysteries are an uneven series, and One Dead Drag Queen is one of the messier books of the bunch. Some of the messaging is too didactic, and the conspiracies layered upon conspiracies don't work well. Tom and Scott are best handling more modest mysteries, and so this book, which has an A plot conspiracy and then a related B plot murder mystery, feels clumsily paced. The conclusion has some satisfactory moments, but I would recommend trying an earlier book in the series if you want to spend time with Tom and his hunky baseball player boyfriend.
This instalment focuses on Scott's perspective of Tom being caught in a bomb attack, which was really impactful reading from his point of view for the first time, in such an emotive atmosphere. The first half of the novel was really strong, and I enjoyed the emphasis on their relationship. Tom has some very funny moments of sarcasm. The plot once he gets out of hospital lost my interest early on, except for the enigmatic bodyguard stuff. Overall an uneven addition, with highs and lows.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Tom and Scott are caught in a bombing, killing many and putting Tom in hospital.
With suspicious people at every turn, threats coming in, Scott’s car being blown up as well, there are too many possible suspects and everyone could be a baddie!
Tom and Scott disagree somewhat on the suspects and guilt of the abortion extremists, and Tom looses his good friend, the One Dead Drag Queen.
Resolution comes quite quickly, with the ongoing threats coming from close to home and the bomber revealing himself at the end.
With suspicious people at every turn, threats coming in, Scott’s car being blown up as well, there are too many possible suspects and everyone could be a baddie!
Tom and Scott disagree somewhat on the suspects and guilt of the abortion extremists, and Tom looses his good friend, the One Dead Drag Queen.
Resolution comes quite quickly, with the ongoing threats coming from close to home and the bomber revealing himself at the end.
For a narrative that involves a bombing, a murder, and stalkers, this story moved at a glacial pace. A large part of the problem was the unnecessary repetition of everything from character thoughts to simple word choices. I wanted to like this novel, but the quality was lacking.
I just think that if the title of your book states that there is a dead drag queen inside, then you need to introduce the body far earlier on than it was in this one. The suspense died before the drag queen did.
Also, there was literally only one drag queen in this book. So waiting so long for him to die was extremely tedious. It just didn't work for me.
Also, there was literally only one drag queen in this book. So waiting so long for him to die was extremely tedious. It just didn't work for me.