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quietdomino's review against another edition
3.0
La noir with a young Korean female detective seems fine; a touch lightweight for me though
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I read Steph Cha’s first novel a few months ago and in that time, I’ve discovered her work outside of this series is as important as the series itself. She’s listed as the “noir” editor for the LA Review of Books and it appears she writes for the LA Times on a weekly basis. Her column in the Times which covered Linda Fairstein’s unfortunate history as a prosecutor in the Central Park Five case* (and her continuously unrepentant attitude for how the case was handled) helped inspire the Mystery Writers of America to withdraw the prestigious Grand Dagger Award from Fairstein. She’s got a lot going on.
There are three books in this series and I hope she returns to it sooner than later. Because she definitely improved on her first. The characters feel more lived in and not just because they are familiar now but because Cha improved on both characterization and atmosphere. And the mystery itself is a very interesting whodunnit that doesn’t get resolved until near the end. Mystery reveals rarely surprise me anymore and while this one didn’t either, it resolved itself in a way I didn’t expect and really came to appreciate.
If hardboiled refers to the style of loner detective in the Chandler mold that Cha is clearly aping, while noir refers to characters caught up in bad circumstances who can’t really escape them, Cha does a great job here of fusing the two. She also gets major points from me in addressing both racism (especially anti-black racism) and rape in ways that are honest and responsible. Rape and sexual assault are obviously recurring themes in bestselling mysteries and they’re usually portrayed in an awful manner, even by female authors. I’m impressed with how Cha handled it.
*Which was brought to her attention by fellow mystery scribe Attica Locke.
There are three books in this series and I hope she returns to it sooner than later. Because she definitely improved on her first. The characters feel more lived in and not just because they are familiar now but because Cha improved on both characterization and atmosphere. And the mystery itself is a very interesting whodunnit that doesn’t get resolved until near the end. Mystery reveals rarely surprise me anymore and while this one didn’t either, it resolved itself in a way I didn’t expect and really came to appreciate.
If hardboiled refers to the style of loner detective in the Chandler mold that Cha is clearly aping, while noir refers to characters caught up in bad circumstances who can’t really escape them, Cha does a great job here of fusing the two. She also gets major points from me in addressing both racism (especially anti-black racism) and rape in ways that are honest and responsible. Rape and sexual assault are obviously recurring themes in bestselling mysteries and they’re usually portrayed in an awful manner, even by female authors. I’m impressed with how Cha handled it.
*Which was brought to her attention by fellow mystery scribe Attica Locke.
niniane's review against another edition
5.0
The main character is intriguing! I found this a page-turner. The LA setting, Koreatown, the office of the detectives, and Chaz are all so lifelike. It did a great job of painting a world.
mpr2000's review against another edition
4.0
Song, a scrappy errand girl, training to be a PI has another boring case, follow the ghost-writer boyfriend of her new client Daphne. It will seem a little bit tedious to follow Jamie all over the city, but if the client pays, Song will not refuse an easy job!
Of course the problems will start soon, with Jamie's boss dead, and himself being the first suspect. Song will have to solve her first murder case and discover the truth beneath all the lies she is immersed.
With a lot of famous PI references, Steph Cha submerges us in a noir case, where you have to believe in the grey zone, not all the answers can be good or bad.
If you want to read a good PI case, Juniper Song is your detective.
Of course the problems will start soon, with Jamie's boss dead, and himself being the first suspect. Song will have to solve her first murder case and discover the truth beneath all the lies she is immersed.
With a lot of famous PI references, Steph Cha submerges us in a noir case, where you have to believe in the grey zone, not all the answers can be good or bad.
If you want to read a good PI case, Juniper Song is your detective.
hooliaquoolia's review against another edition
3.0
The writing and structure is better than the last but the plot is equally implausible. Still like it just because I miss LA.
hesmc's review against another edition
mysterious
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? Yes
3.0
coline_07's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Rape
fluffdragon's review
4.0
A great follow up to [b:Follow Her Home|15793162|Follow Her Home (Juniper Song, #1)|Steph Cha|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361026454l/15793162._SY75_.jpg|21515126]. Song is now professionally detecting. Unfortunately for her, she gets wrapped up in a modern Hollywood tale, and finds herself drawn to her client. An excellent detective drama.
Used for the Book Riot prompt: read a mystery where the victim(s) is not a woman
Used for the Book Riot prompt: read a mystery where the victim(s) is not a woman
jakewritesbooks's review
4.0
I read Steph Cha’s first novel a few months ago and in that time, I’ve discovered her work outside of this series is as important as the series itself. She’s listed as the “noir” editor for the LA Review of Books and it appears she writes for the LA Times on a weekly basis. Her column in the Times which covered Linda Fairstein’s unfortunate history as a prosecutor in the Central Park Five case* (and her continuously unrepentant attitude for how the case was handled) helped inspire the Mystery Writers of America to withdraw the prestigious Grand Dagger Award from Fairstein. She’s got a lot going on.
There are three books in this series and I hope she returns to it sooner than later. Because she definitely improved on her first. The characters feel more lived in and not just because they are familiar now but because Cha improved on both characterization and atmosphere. And the mystery itself is a very interesting whodunnit that doesn’t get resolved until near the end. Mystery reveals rarely surprise me anymore and while this one didn’t either, it resolved itself in a way I didn’t expect and really came to appreciate.
If hardboiled refers to the style of loner detective in the Chandler mold that Cha is clearly aping, while noir refers to characters caught up in bad circumstances who can’t really escape them, Cha does a great job here of fusing the two. She also gets major points from me in addressing both racism (especially anti-black racism) and rape in ways that are honest and responsible. Rape and sexual assault are obviously recurring themes in bestselling mysteries and they’re usually portrayed in an awful manner, even by female authors. I’m impressed with how Cha handled it.
*Which was brought to her attention by fellow mystery scribe Attica Locke.
There are three books in this series and I hope she returns to it sooner than later. Because she definitely improved on her first. The characters feel more lived in and not just because they are familiar now but because Cha improved on both characterization and atmosphere. And the mystery itself is a very interesting whodunnit that doesn’t get resolved until near the end. Mystery reveals rarely surprise me anymore and while this one didn’t either, it resolved itself in a way I didn’t expect and really came to appreciate.
If hardboiled refers to the style of loner detective in the Chandler mold that Cha is clearly aping, while noir refers to characters caught up in bad circumstances who can’t really escape them, Cha does a great job here of fusing the two. She also gets major points from me in addressing both racism (especially anti-black racism) and rape in ways that are honest and responsible. Rape and sexual assault are obviously recurring themes in bestselling mysteries and they’re usually portrayed in an awful manner, even by female authors. I’m impressed with how Cha handled it.
*Which was brought to her attention by fellow mystery scribe Attica Locke.