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Absolute Liability (Southern Fraud Thriller 1), J. W. Becton (2011)

by Jennifer Becton(Favorite Author)

3.71 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Smashwords Edition

series

Southern Fraud Thriller

review 1: This was a solid mystery/suspense book with a touch of romance as described, but I didn't find it to be very humorous, or the characters to be quirky. There were definitely a few humorous moments, such as the spa-going habits of one of the male characters, but readers looking for a funny mystery series will be disappointed. Instead, it had a decidedly gritty feel with a well-plotted mystery involving arson, insurance fraud, kidnapping and murder.Julia is a former police officer now working for the state insurance office. On the side she has secretly been investigating her older sister's rape for the last seventeen years. When she was laid off from the police department she took a copy of the file and some evidence with her so she could continue to search for the rapist.... more The rape of her sister is the pivotal event of her life - Julia cites it as the reason she became a cop, and the reason her sister is now an alcoholic and her parents divorced and her family crumbled. The current arson/kidnapping/murder storyline is the primary one, but the hunt for the rapist is a close second. Julia's family allowed the event to ruin their lives, and this is evident in their behavior in the present and in Julia's memories. Her father retreated into himself emotionally, disappearing long before the divorce from her mother. And her mother retreated from her social life and pretty much neglected her younger daughter. Julia is much like her parents and sister in that she obsessively blames the rapist for everything that happened, when in reality it's obvious that both her parents failed the major test of their lives, leaving both their daughters adrift after such a horrific event. They are not very likeable characters.The present-day mystery was really well-done. The identity of the bad guys kept me guessing up until nearly the end. The book is written in first person narrative by Julia, but every couple of chapters there is a very brief one from the villain's perspective. It was intriguing and tantalizing, because as the reader we're in the mind of the killer, and he leaves us little clues about his motivations and thoughts, but we still don't know who he is. A really effective construct.As Julia and her new partner, Mark Vincent, continue to investigate the insurance fraud in the hopes of discovering the identity of the killer, Julia finds herself increasingly impressed by and attracted to Mark. He has secrets and a painful past of his own, and their cautious behavior around each other felt real. All in all I enjoyed the story, but found the secondary rapist storyline to be more of a distraction, taking the book into a much rougher vision of reality and casting an unflattering light on many of the characters. It may be realistic as hell, but it was also sad and frustrating, and definitely took away from the main mystery for me as a reader.
review 2: This book lurked on my kindle from mid-November last year until last night! I wish it hadn't because I didn't realise I was missing out on an excellent read.I won't tell the story again - reviewers have repeated the synopsis many times - but what I do want to say is that this novel is unusual because it is so calm. I don't mean it is flat or slow, because it is not. However, there is an air of calmness about the plot and the characters. No one is hysterical, no one is running off half-cocked to take "matters into their own hands."Julia's investigation into her sister's rape many years previously, is more of a watching brief to see if a suspect will rise to the pond. Having previously been a police officer and finding that gung-ho-ism it is not in her nature, Julia has, nevertheless, secreted some evidence - fingerprints. Her contact in the fingerprint department notifies her if any are taken which could be a match, but neither woman holds out much hope that this will eventuate.For me, the characters are believable, likeable and the romance is a wonderfully refreshing change from the usual fare. I don't want to give a spoiler, so anyone curious will just have to read the book for themselves to find out why this is so!The end of the story is vague with promise of more to come, but this didn't worry me because I know there is a sequel which I am just about to get my hands on.Well-written and plotted, good characters - what's more to say? Only, I really enjoyed this book and wish I'd read it sooner.________________________________________ less

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