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lynguy1's review
4.0
ONCE YOU GO THIS FAR by Kristen Lepionka is the fourth book in the Roxane Weary private investigator mystery series and the first book by this author that I have read. When Rebecca Newsome, an experienced hiker ends up falling, her daughter Maggie hires Roxanne Weary to investigate.
Roxanne makes an excellent protagonist. She has plenty of strengths but also a number of flaws that makes her more rounded as an individual. While this book worked as a standalone novel, I believe reading the series in order would provide more depth and background. The secondary characters enhanced the story. The story line was interesting with plenty of twists and turns. The prose was well-written, engaging and very readable. The plot was done well and the crime solving made sense and did not require the suspension of belief. However, one aspect at the end required a bit of a leap to get on the same page as Roxanne. I enjoyed piecing together all of the clues along with Roxanne.
Overall, this book was engaging, well-paced, complex and held my attention. If you enjoy this type of complex mystery, then this series may be for you. I am looking forward to reading more of this series.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Kristen Lepionka for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
Roxanne makes an excellent protagonist. She has plenty of strengths but also a number of flaws that makes her more rounded as an individual. While this book worked as a standalone novel, I believe reading the series in order would provide more depth and background. The secondary characters enhanced the story. The story line was interesting with plenty of twists and turns. The prose was well-written, engaging and very readable. The plot was done well and the crime solving made sense and did not require the suspension of belief. However, one aspect at the end required a bit of a leap to get on the same page as Roxanne. I enjoyed piecing together all of the clues along with Roxanne.
Overall, this book was engaging, well-paced, complex and held my attention. If you enjoy this type of complex mystery, then this series may be for you. I am looking forward to reading more of this series.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Kristen Lepionka for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
rowanrelph's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
f18's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Just a small thing but it felt unnecessary out of character that Roxane would call a man a "creep" for having long fingernails with how much she butts up against gendered appearance norms. Besides that and a date being wrong in one place (unless I misunderstood something) a solid Roxane Weary book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Murder, Alcohol, Cursing, and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
domestic terrorism /camgraphy's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
dantastic's review
4.0
When Roxane has a chance encounter with a hiker who winds up dead shortly after, she gets hired by the deceased woman's daughter to look into her mother's death and uncovers a lot more than that...
As I said in my last review, I'm chewing through the backlog of books I've accumulated in the last few years now that I have some extra time on my hands. I wish I would have tackled this one immediately because it was pretty damn good.
In this volume in the ongoing saga of Roxane Weary, she gets entangled with a runaway kid, an evangelical group, and finds out she has a half sister. Some other stuff happens too.
The Roxane Weary books are good mysteries but the main attraction for me now are the characters. Roxane and her two bothers, Tom, Shelby, and probably Blair in the next book even though she hasn't stepped on stage yet. Roxane is a tough lady with problems but that's what makes her so interesting. More importantly, her relationships are in a constant state of flux, something that doesn't always happen in a mystery series. There's no perfect love for Susan Silverman here.
Well, two Roxane Weary books in two days. I'll find some way to amuse myself until the next one comes out, hopefully soonish.
As I said in my last review, I'm chewing through the backlog of books I've accumulated in the last few years now that I have some extra time on my hands. I wish I would have tackled this one immediately because it was pretty damn good.
In this volume in the ongoing saga of Roxane Weary, she gets entangled with a runaway kid, an evangelical group, and finds out she has a half sister. Some other stuff happens too.
The Roxane Weary books are good mysteries but the main attraction for me now are the characters. Roxane and her two bothers, Tom, Shelby, and probably Blair in the next book even though she hasn't stepped on stage yet. Roxane is a tough lady with problems but that's what makes her so interesting. More importantly, her relationships are in a constant state of flux, something that doesn't always happen in a mystery series. There's no perfect love for Susan Silverman here.
Well, two Roxane Weary books in two days. I'll find some way to amuse myself until the next one comes out, hopefully soonish.
marzipan9's review
5.0
I love this series. Every book is better than the last. I love that it’s set in Ohio (*coff* 330 is the Akron area), as most gritty detective mystery novels tend to be set in New York, LA, or Chicago. I almost feel like I could drive a couple hours and say “yeah, this is where Roxane’s office would be”.
simoneclark's review
5.0
Thank you, Netgalley, for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!
I'm a sucker for a good murder mystery and this book did not disappoint. This was my first book both by this author and in this series. What I found is that you don't need to read these books in order. Even though I hadn't read the first 3 books in the series, I didn't miss out on anything. There was a name here or there that seemed to come from one of the previous books, but they were merely mentioned in this book which meant that you didn't miss any context when the names were mentioned. The plot is interesting, the character building is great and not boring, the plot itself makes sense, and the detective is a smart sleuth. I definitely see myself adding other books in the series to my TBR. Great book! Two thumbs up!
I'm a sucker for a good murder mystery and this book did not disappoint. This was my first book both by this author and in this series. What I found is that you don't need to read these books in order. Even though I hadn't read the first 3 books in the series, I didn't miss out on anything. There was a name here or there that seemed to come from one of the previous books, but they were merely mentioned in this book which meant that you didn't miss any context when the names were mentioned. The plot is interesting, the character building is great and not boring, the plot itself makes sense, and the detective is a smart sleuth. I definitely see myself adding other books in the series to my TBR. Great book! Two thumbs up!