Book Review - Life in Death by Harlow Drake

STORYLINE:  Kari Marchant comes under suspicion when a girl she places in foster care is murdered. An old lover is also murdered, putting Kari in even deeper trouble. She’s attracted to the police officer who’s assigned to investigate both cases, but things are far from what they seem.

PLAYERS: 

Kari Marchant, who seems to be set-up to take the fall for all the seeming coincidences involved in the murder cases. She’s not tough, but manages to hold her own.

Rance Nicolet, a detective who appears to be a decent guy, but has hidden depths.

I LIKED: the pacing in this story. The writer is a natural storyteller, which keeps the storyline moving fluidly.

I COULD HAVE LIVED WITHOUT: the fact that I felt that some aspects of the story were not given enough stage time. This meant that although a child was murdered, I didn’t get the full impact of the plot line involving the children. This is possibly because the story moved so fast and because it's short.

At the end there is a big revelation, which ensures that Kari’s story will continue. However, I did have second thoughts as to whether she really could get away with what she did, even with her inventiveness.

COVER NOTE: Although a red rose superimposed on dead flowers does portray the idea of life in death, somehow it isn’t representative of the murders that are part of the novel.

OVERALL COMMENTS: If you’re looking for a quick, interesting read, you’ll enjoy Life in Death. Although the story goes at a merry clip, the writer does take time to filter in some back story on each character. There’s a little bit of a hit and miss incident in the romance department, but I daresay it gives the reader some background on Kari in the event that she finds love later on in the series.

SOURCE: I received an e-copy from Novel Publicity in exchange for a review.