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V. Clifford

Teoksen Beyond Cutting: A Viv Fraser Mystery tekijä

5 teosta 5 jäsentä 2 arvostelua

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** 3.5 Stars Rounded Up **

I’ve enjoyed the Viv Fraser series because she is so quirky – she is a hairdresser, academic doctor, newspaper journalist, consummate hacker, government agent for the NTF – you name the profession, she’s probably done it. She’s had relationships with both men and women and is currently unattached because of the death of her last lover. The writing is well done and the characters are likable.

There is a LOT going on in this book and it all seems to be left unfinished. Viv is still mourning the loss of Sal who was killed while working a case in the United States. She’s still trying to figure out what to do about the inheritance Sal left her and she’s also still trying to figure out – by fair means or foul, what happened to cause Sal’s death. She’s not even completely convinced that Sal is really dead. In addition to all of that, she’s called in on a case where something is going on in the Irish Sea and they need to figure out what that is. AND… some gangsters from her father’s past are harassing her. So, there is no shortage of story threads in this book.

DCI Marconi (Mac) and Val travel to Camp 16 on the Irish Sea to work on a joint mission with the military because something is going on and they are not sure what it is. Is someone trying to ‘recover’ the spent atomic fuel (uranium) that has been encased in concrete blocks and stored in an area of the Irish Sea? Is someone trying to recover old WWII weapons from the sea bed? Is something else totally different going on? There is excitement with boat chases in stormy seas, bomb explosions, and attempted abductions by US government FBI agents. Oh! Goodness!

The bones of this book were so very good and I enjoyed every word, but nothing was brought to completion. It was a total and complete cliffhanger for everything that was going on. That really bugged me – especially when you add in that I have no clue about what is in the wind for a relationship between Viv and Mac. Personally, I’d like to see them get together because I like both of them very much and I think they’d make a really good match for each other. I love mysteries, but I really need a good romance to go along with it, and I think Mac is the perfect fit for Viv.

Again, I enjoyed every word of the book, but it just wasn’t finished as far as I’m concerned. IF these storylines were going to be wrapped up in a future book, then there should have been some indication of that in this book. As it is, all of it is just left hanging. I’ll be looking forward to the next book to see what happens with it and hopefully, some of this will be wrapped up then. If not, I’m not sure how I’ll feel about that.
… (lisätietoja)
 
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BarbaraRogers | Apr 2, 2021 |
*** 3.5 Stars Rounded Up ***
Series: A Viv Fraser Mystery 6
Publication Date: 12/19/19
Number of Pages: 190

This was my second book in the series. The only other one I’ve read was the first one, Beyond Cutting, and our intrepid detective, Vivian (Viv) Fraser, seems to have changed a good bit over the four books I missed. You can easily read this as a stand-alone, but it might be good to read the other books to see Viv’s progress in her life. This book begins with Viv returning home to Scotland only to learn that her lover has died in the US. The two ladies had parted on strained terms and Viv feels guilty that she didn’t do more, try harder, etc. Viv is also surprised to learn that Sal has left her an inheritance – one she isn’t sure she wants. Strangely enough, in that first book Viv was recovering from the death of her lover, Dawn, who has left her an inheritance. That book was written in third person/present tense and it was hard to read, so I’m glad the author has changed that in this book. Another change is that Viv has gone from hairdresser/journalist/Dr. of Anthropology to Dr. Viv Fraser, dark web hacker, and hairdresser.

Upon her return to Scotland, her friend Mac – DCI Marcus Marconi – has found a case for her. It will keep her busy while she works through her grief. The lover, David FitzRoy, of the local earl, Sholto Percy, has disappeared and the earl wants him found. Sholto’s lifestyle isn’t public and he’s engaged to a local woman, Pamela. Did David disappear on his own or did he have help?

Viv and Mac begin digging into the lives of Sholto and David and come across some links to the Knights of Malta organization. That organization is a philanthropic one geared toward raising money for the Catholic church. What connection can they have to murder? Then, a Catholic Cardinal (or is he?) is found dead – and he has the same symbol. How is that symbol related to their case?

When David’s body is found, Sholto goes into deep grieving and won’t speak to anyone – well – anyone except Viv. Her questioning and searching through the estate archives as well as the dark web turns up a number of clues.

You’ll have to read the book to see what the Knights of Malta and all of the rest have to do with the murders.

Now, bottom line, I enjoyed the mystery and the investigation. I liked the characters – but I did have a hard time reading the story. No, it wasn’t because of the gay and lesbian characters – it was the vernacular. There were so many turns of phrase I just didn’t understand – and several weren’t in the dictionary on my kindle. I’m sure they are unique to Scotland. I’m sure I’ll get accustomed to them over time, but for the moment, it was hard for me to read. Things like ‘des res’, ‘mis-pers’ (missing person I assume), ‘defo’ (definitely??), ’journos’ (journalists??), ‘Aga’ (I think it must be a stove brand). I am quite sure it is no different than someone from another country reading a book by an American author, so we’ll just have to learn to accommodate each other.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
… (lisätietoja)
 
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BarbaraRogers | Dec 13, 2019 |

Palkinnot

Tilastot

Teokset
5
Jäseniä
5
Suosituimmuussija
#1,360,914
Arvio (tähdet)
½ 3.3
Kirja-arvosteluja
2
ISBN:t
3