Scan barcode
A review by trevert
Stalking Sapphire by Mia Thompson
4.0
A ball of fun that left me really looking forward to the next book. I assumed it would be a completely generic entry in yet another new crime series, as it seems nothing gets published these days unless it comes with a 10 book series commitment. Instead, I got a fun combination of Buffy, Batman, Dexter, and Ellery Queen. Sapphire is a rich socialite who moonlights as a stalker of serial killers, handily using herself as bait. She's an enjoyable character - part Beverly Hills girl, part sociopath, part Buffy-esque conflicted heroine. Her life of sneaking out by night to stalk killers on their own territory turns upside down when one particular killer learns her identity and what she is doing, leading him to turn the tables on her to "punish" her for her messing with the "natural order of serial killer and victim".
Sapphire is a tough and sneaky heroine, but realistically so, which means she isn't regularly beating up 220 lb men and instead has to use her brains and set traps, despite her self defense training. The "invincible 120 lb heroine" has become such a cliche that it was nice to see this dealt with more believably. Her cunning usually more than makes up for her lack of punching power.
We also get an entertaining male lead who is the antithesis of the usual romantic interest in these sorts of books - He's not handsome and withdrawn and emotionally conflicted, he's just an asshole... A pick-up artist cop who is a lot of fun to read. And the story is involving because the mystery is laid out almost Ellery Queen style - That is, we get a cast of characters and one of them is the killer and the book covers Sapphire's attempts to investigate each one in turn, letting readers debate for themselves as to who the killer is, up to the final reveal.
Great summer fun.
Sapphire is a tough and sneaky heroine, but realistically so, which means she isn't regularly beating up 220 lb men and instead has to use her brains and set traps, despite her self defense training. The "invincible 120 lb heroine" has become such a cliche that it was nice to see this dealt with more believably. Her cunning usually more than makes up for her lack of punching power.
We also get an entertaining male lead who is the antithesis of the usual romantic interest in these sorts of books - He's not handsome and withdrawn and emotionally conflicted, he's just an asshole... A pick-up artist cop who is a lot of fun to read. And the story is involving because the mystery is laid out almost Ellery Queen style - That is, we get a cast of characters and one of them is the killer and the book covers Sapphire's attempts to investigate each one in turn, letting readers debate for themselves as to who the killer is, up to the final reveal.
Great summer fun.