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A review by isalaur
Lamb to the Slaughter by Karen Ann Hopkins
fast-paced
3.5
3.5 stars…This is the first book I’ve read by this author. The mystery is interesting though most avid mystery readers will figure out the ending early on. There are some far fetched and unrealistic elements which weren’t necessary and hurt the integrity of the story.
The book begins with the shooting death of a young Amish girl. Almost immediately the new sheriff, the MC Serenity, is bothered by what she is seeing. She has recently returned to her small hometown of Blood Rock Indiana and was just elected Sheriff defeating the incumbent. However for someone who grew up in this town she knows absolutely nothing about her Amish neighbors which is just not realistic. And the problem is it make Serenity unbelievable as a reliable law enforcement official. No one grows up in a small community like the one described here and isn’t familiar with the way things work, especially given that her sister and brother-in-law now own a big business in the town.
As the story progresses there are other far fetched elements but some of those I can ignore for the sake of dramatic license (even if it believe it insults the reader’s intelligence.) Serenity is continually stonewalled by the Amish community but it is the reaction of people within the sheriff’s department who are so willing to just let things go that is particularly bothersome.
The crisis point is a TSTL moment which is annoying but the resolution and after effects are completely ridiculous. It’s like the author has forgotten that laws still apply in small towns. Can’t say more without spoilers but there is just absolutely no way this ending could have happened nor any way that Serenity would have allowed it to happen.
There is also the subplot of a budding romance between Serenity and Daniel, a man who left the Amish community and who helped her in this case.
There are several similarities to another series I’ve read and the ending of his one strays right into the same territory as the last book I read in that series. I’ll read the next book hoping for some improvement and consistency in Serenity’s character.
The book begins with the shooting death of a young Amish girl. Almost immediately the new sheriff, the MC Serenity, is bothered by what she is seeing. She has recently returned to her small hometown of Blood Rock Indiana and was just elected Sheriff defeating the incumbent. However for someone who grew up in this town she knows absolutely nothing about her Amish neighbors which is just not realistic. And the problem is it make Serenity unbelievable as a reliable law enforcement official. No one grows up in a small community like the one described here and isn’t familiar with the way things work, especially given that her sister and brother-in-law now own a big business in the town.
As the story progresses there are other far fetched elements but some of those I can ignore for the sake of dramatic license (even if it believe it insults the reader’s intelligence.) Serenity is continually stonewalled by the Amish community but it is the reaction of people within the sheriff’s department who are so willing to just let things go that is particularly bothersome.
The crisis point is a TSTL moment which is annoying but the resolution and after effects are completely ridiculous. It’s like the author has forgotten that laws still apply in small towns. Can’t say more without spoilers but there is just absolutely no way this ending could have happened nor any way that Serenity would have allowed it to happen.
There is also the subplot of a budding romance between Serenity and Daniel, a man who left the Amish community and who helped her in this case.
There are several similarities to another series I’ve read and the ending of his one strays right into the same territory as the last book I read in that series. I’ll read the next book hoping for some improvement and consistency in Serenity’s character.