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timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
3.0
I love this series, so it was a fun weekend read, but it felt a bit flat.
robinsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Sharon McCone is recuperating from her locked in state (related in the previous book, LOCKED IN), undergoing intensive rehab (even learning to speak again) when a fellow physical therapy patient goes missing. Sharon starts investigating the disappearance and is soon joined by her colleagues, friends, and Hy, her spouse. When during the investigation one of her agency operatives is kidnapped, it becomes a race against time to find both victims and uncover nefarious doings by a rogue government agency.
This is told in short chapters from the viewpoints of everyone in her circle, and while it wasn't my favorite in the series, it still kept me reading. I would recommend you *not* read this if you haven't read a few other books in the McCone series, but if you are addicted to them like I am, then by all means read this one. (Note on the 4-stars: others who aren't as familiar with the McCone books may not give this as high of a rating. I did only because I adore this series and the character.)
This is told in short chapters from the viewpoints of everyone in her circle, and while it wasn't my favorite in the series, it still kept me reading. I would recommend you *not* read this if you haven't read a few other books in the McCone series, but if you are addicted to them like I am, then by all means read this one. (Note on the 4-stars: others who aren't as familiar with the McCone books may not give this as high of a rating. I did only because I adore this series and the character.)
nocto's review against another edition
4.0
This is the 27th Sharon McCone book apparently! I started reading them in about 1995 when they were published by the Women's Press (who published stacks of underrated female authors and are now defunct as far as I can tell) and the earliest books were getting on for twenty years old then. I've read the last seven or eight in hardback and each time I brace myself to be disappointed, because there's no way Muller can keep up the quality for that long is there?
Once again I'm pleased to report that Muller & McCone are still going strong. Of course there is variation in quality between the books and this isn't one of the top class ones but it's not at all bad. McCone is recovering from the debilitating problems she had in the last book. The plot here did feel rather like things that had happened in the series before - I'd quite like there to be a book with a smaller scale mystery again, something that doesn't involve the US government gone bad - but it didn't feel like a rehash or like Muller had run out of steam.
I've said before that one of the things I like about long series is checking in with all the old friends you've made and seeing what they are up to now. This book is good for that because it's written as an ensemble piece with sections alternating between long term characters like Sharon's husband Hy, office manager Ted, colleagues Adah & Craig etc. But, unlike some series I could mention, all the little catching up details of the in-book universe don't overwhelm the main story. And I'm pleased that, again unlike some other authors, Muller hasn't felt the need to start writing huge blockbuster length books when she's great at writing tight well plotted mysteries.
If you're new to this series then this probably isn't the place you ought to start, but I don't think a newcomer would feel too much adrift in a sea of past remembrances here, which is good.
I'm looking forward to the 28th book already.
Once again I'm pleased to report that Muller & McCone are still going strong. Of course there is variation in quality between the books and this isn't one of the top class ones but it's not at all bad. McCone is recovering from the debilitating problems she had in the last book. The plot here did feel rather like things that had happened in the series before - I'd quite like there to be a book with a smaller scale mystery again, something that doesn't involve the US government gone bad - but it didn't feel like a rehash or like Muller had run out of steam.
I've said before that one of the things I like about long series is checking in with all the old friends you've made and seeing what they are up to now. This book is good for that because it's written as an ensemble piece with sections alternating between long term characters like Sharon's husband Hy, office manager Ted, colleagues Adah & Craig etc. But, unlike some series I could mention, all the little catching up details of the in-book universe don't overwhelm the main story. And I'm pleased that, again unlike some other authors, Muller hasn't felt the need to start writing huge blockbuster length books when she's great at writing tight well plotted mysteries.
If you're new to this series then this probably isn't the place you ought to start, but I don't think a newcomer would feel too much adrift in a sea of past remembrances here, which is good.
I'm looking forward to the 28th book already.
trusselltales's review against another edition
4.0
I'm on a Sharon McCone kick at the moment! I hadn't read any Marcia Muller for a few years, despite the fact that she's one of my favourite crime writers. Then I realised I'd missed not just one but three in the series, and now I'm catching up on Sharon's exploits. In this book, McCone is attempting to pull herself and her life back together after a gunshot put her in a coma some months previously. Her friends and husband are frustrated by her insistence on her independence and McCone is frustrated by the limitations placed upon her by her injury and the slow recovery and rehabilitation. When Piper, a friend of McCone's from rehab, goes missing, McCone decides to find out what has happened to her and promptly finds herself immersed in a complex case with far reaching consequences.
Very readable and fast paced.
Very readable and fast paced.
amalyndb's review against another edition
4.0
Rogue CIA operatives, kidnapping and intrigue abound.
Written from multiple perspectives like Locked In, which adds to the tension, seeing the events from different points of view.
Written from multiple perspectives like Locked In, which adds to the tension, seeing the events from different points of view.
curlygirl71's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this book in the Sharon McCone series. This series was one of my favorites but had gone off my radar in the last few years.
ginabeirne's review
4.0
Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series is the one that got me reading mysteries in the late 1980s. Edwin of the Iron Shoes is the first (published in 1977) of the series, followed by 27 more.
northstar's review
4.0
This is the 27th Sharon McCone book and I've read them all. Muller's characters age more or less in real time and readers have followed McCone from her early days as an investigator for a law cooperative to the creation of her own agency. In the last book, McCone survives a gunshot to the head and a "locked-in" coma and she is now trying to prove to the agency and herself that she can be on top of her game.
The mystery here revolves around another rehab patient who vanishes under odd circumstances. Government conspiracies and secret CIA agencies are involved, and I confess the plot kind of lost me. But McCone's characters are terrific and while the story bounces among many of the players at the agency, I never got confused (except by the myriad secret agencies). However, I think it could be confusing to someone who did not know at least some of the history embedded in the series.
This might not be the best of the series but it is a solid entry and a quick, heart-pounding read.
The mystery here revolves around another rehab patient who vanishes under odd circumstances. Government conspiracies and secret CIA agencies are involved, and I confess the plot kind of lost me. But McCone's characters are terrific and while the story bounces among many of the players at the agency, I never got confused (except by the myriad secret agencies). However, I think it could be confusing to someone who did not know at least some of the history embedded in the series.
This might not be the best of the series but it is a solid entry and a quick, heart-pounding read.
vkemp's review
4.0
Sharon McCone is still recovering from the bullet that left her in a locked-in state in the hospital. She is slowly regaining her physical abilities and her speech is almost back to normal. But she is frustrated by her limitations, including everyone around her who continues to cosset her, including her husband, Hy Ripinsky and both her adoptive and biological families. When Piper Quinn, a friend from the rehab center disappears with no acknowledgement, Sharon knows something is wrong and when Adah Joslyn, from McCone Investigations also disappears while seeking Piper, Sharon knows something is very, very wrong. I am never fond of books that jump from one point of view to another, but I understand the need to use that device in this instance. Readers see a lot more of various people who work at the agency than usual because Sharon is still dependent on their assistance. In some cases, I was as frustrated as Sharon when their solicitousness gets in the way. Always entertaining, I have loved Sharon McCone since I first met her, back in 1977, when Marcia Muller was the only person writing strong female P.I. characters.
alanfederman's review
3.0
I've been interested in reading Marcia Muller's books since moving to SF - I picked this one up and though I loved the local settings, the story itself was fair. That said, it's always hard to pick up a book in mid-series and I may be better served by starting with the first book and really watching the characters develop.
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