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A review by lindzy
Tragic Deception by Linda S. Prather, M.A. Comley
4.0
Original Review Here
Despite the synopsis indicating the reader should read the prequel novella first, I ended up going straight into Tragic Deception. While reading the novella might add further depth to the characters, I didn’t feel I lost anything by not reading it. I quickly picked up the type of person Alex was, what drove her and what events had resulted in her current predicament.
Not being familiar with the American justice system, it took me a while to get my head around what Alex was having to endure at work and the fact that no one was doing anything about it. That prevented my immediate engagement with the content because I was expecting the story to focus on the injustice of her treatment.
Once I had figured out Alex’s back story, I liked her as a character. She is stand-offish with her colleagues, but it’s clear to the reader why she is doing it and that she has a big heart, seen through her interaction with her pets and friend, Nobby.
Alex’s character development is impressive for such a short book. She changes from being alone to accepting there are those willing and able to assist her. She doesn’t have to face her demons alone and Alex’s realisation that she can let people in is realistic and moving.
The secondary characters are all in-depth enough to make their mark on Alex. Other than Nobby, however, the reader isn’t given the chance to truly know them: the focus is on Alex and the book isn’t long enough for further development.
The reader does get to know the villains of the piece, though. I have to admit to getting a little confused: three missing babies and all the women seeming to be sleeping with each other. It was hard to tell who knew about which relationship and who was involved with who. Although you know who the culprit(s) are from early on, I never quite figured out exactly how everyone was involved and what the whole point was.
Considering the length of the book and the intricacies of the plot, I didn’t feel it was particularly fast-paced. The tension flared at times, but, again, considering the time frame the characters were working in and the threat of the villains they were up against, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat. I think the number of characters involved in such a tight plot meant that because I couldn’t connect with anyone other than Alex, the danger and threat weren’t real.
A lot is packed into a short book. The complexity of the plot kept me engaged: you had to be in order to understand what was going on! I did feel, however, that perhaps there was too much considering I was still vague about certain things at the end.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s short and a quick read, but is a good page-turner. The perfect rainy-day book to curl up with and not stop until you are done!
Despite the synopsis indicating the reader should read the prequel novella first, I ended up going straight into Tragic Deception. While reading the novella might add further depth to the characters, I didn’t feel I lost anything by not reading it. I quickly picked up the type of person Alex was, what drove her and what events had resulted in her current predicament.
Not being familiar with the American justice system, it took me a while to get my head around what Alex was having to endure at work and the fact that no one was doing anything about it. That prevented my immediate engagement with the content because I was expecting the story to focus on the injustice of her treatment.
Once I had figured out Alex’s back story, I liked her as a character. She is stand-offish with her colleagues, but it’s clear to the reader why she is doing it and that she has a big heart, seen through her interaction with her pets and friend, Nobby.
Alex’s character development is impressive for such a short book. She changes from being alone to accepting there are those willing and able to assist her. She doesn’t have to face her demons alone and Alex’s realisation that she can let people in is realistic and moving.
The secondary characters are all in-depth enough to make their mark on Alex. Other than Nobby, however, the reader isn’t given the chance to truly know them: the focus is on Alex and the book isn’t long enough for further development.
The reader does get to know the villains of the piece, though. I have to admit to getting a little confused: three missing babies and all the women seeming to be sleeping with each other. It was hard to tell who knew about which relationship and who was involved with who. Although you know who the culprit(s) are from early on, I never quite figured out exactly how everyone was involved and what the whole point was.
Considering the length of the book and the intricacies of the plot, I didn’t feel it was particularly fast-paced. The tension flared at times, but, again, considering the time frame the characters were working in and the threat of the villains they were up against, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat. I think the number of characters involved in such a tight plot meant that because I couldn’t connect with anyone other than Alex, the danger and threat weren’t real.
A lot is packed into a short book. The complexity of the plot kept me engaged: you had to be in order to understand what was going on! I did feel, however, that perhaps there was too much considering I was still vague about certain things at the end.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s short and a quick read, but is a good page-turner. The perfect rainy-day book to curl up with and not stop until you are done!