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A review by jwillis81
The Frame-Up by Meghan Scott Molin
3.0
I picked up this book based on the strength of the cover and the synopsis. This totally sounded like it was going to be a book that was right up my alley. I love geek culture, and the author definitely knows her way around the subject matter. Unfortunately, where this book fell apart for me were two specific (and unfortunately critical areas): the character and the plot.
The main character, MG, is completely unlikeable from the very first scene. I assume the intention was to make her sassy and snarky. To the author's credit, she was definitely that. But she was also arrogant, presumptuous, hyper-critical, and flat-out delusional, which was a huge turn-off. Nearly every interaction with other characters has MG both lamenting the way people try to objectify her, while also objectifying them in her own way. She goes from "civilian brought in to advise on a police investigation" to "the detective and I are partners and I'm an integral part of the investigation" in record time (and way before its warranted). Even in scenes that are supposed to show the character's geekiness and likability (for example, when Matteo is watching Star Wars for the first time), she makes these snide comments about how she hasn't even enjoyed watching the movies in forever because she's so focused on their flaws. Ultimately, this was a character that I just didn't want to spend any time with because she (and her inner thoughts) were so critical and grating.
The plot, while not overtly irritating like the main character, suffered from the opposite problem of being completely bland and generic. It felt like a predictable episode of [insert police procedural show here], and offered very little in the way of genuine surprises, twists, or turns.
On the plus side, the writing was otherwise entertaining and well-paced. I enjoyed the pop culture references and think this author shows a lot of potential despite the major flaws in this book. It seems to be her first published work which, honestly felt like it to read. I would be interested in checking out other works by this author, but unless the character of MG drastically changes from one book to the next, I'm not sure this series will be one that I continue on with.
The main character, MG, is completely unlikeable from the very first scene. I assume the intention was to make her sassy and snarky. To the author's credit, she was definitely that. But she was also arrogant, presumptuous, hyper-critical, and flat-out delusional, which was a huge turn-off. Nearly every interaction with other characters has MG both lamenting the way people try to objectify her, while also objectifying them in her own way. She goes from "civilian brought in to advise on a police investigation" to "the detective and I are partners and I'm an integral part of the investigation" in record time (and way before its warranted). Even in scenes that are supposed to show the character's geekiness and likability (for example, when Matteo is watching Star Wars for the first time), she makes these snide comments about how she hasn't even enjoyed watching the movies in forever because she's so focused on their flaws. Ultimately, this was a character that I just didn't want to spend any time with because she (and her inner thoughts) were so critical and grating.
The plot, while not overtly irritating like the main character, suffered from the opposite problem of being completely bland and generic. It felt like a predictable episode of [insert police procedural show here], and offered very little in the way of genuine surprises, twists, or turns.
On the plus side, the writing was otherwise entertaining and well-paced. I enjoyed the pop culture references and think this author shows a lot of potential despite the major flaws in this book. It seems to be her first published work which, honestly felt like it to read. I would be interested in checking out other works by this author, but unless the character of MG drastically changes from one book to the next, I'm not sure this series will be one that I continue on with.