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My thoughts: I have to admit that I struggled with this one and a couple of times almost gave up. Not because it wasn't well-written. Anyone who has read Maggie knows she can WRITE. But the style she used for this one was over the top for me. It felt a little heavy-handed and forced. I prefer books where I'm NOT aware of the author and little tricks and devices. I felt the same way about The Dream Thieves, my least favorite Raven Boys book. Having said that, The Dream Thieves was a lot of people's favorite, so it's probably just me.
All the Crooked Saints is a quirky and ultimately enjoyable read, set in the 1960s in rural Colorado. It's full of magical realism, which I enjoy, but like I said, I felt a bit browbeaten by this one at first. It either got better or I got used to it because I did finish and really enjoyed this one. Any fans of Maggie or magical realism will probably enjoy this. This is a stand alone story.
When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path. But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened.
Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing hiker. In an investigation that takes him deep into isolated forest, Falk discovers secrets lurking in the mountains, and a tangled web of personal and professional friendship, suspicion, and betrayal among the hikers. But did that lead to murder?
My thoughts: We first met Aaron Falk in The Dry, which was one of my favorite reads last year. I'm not an authority on mysteries or crime novels - I'm just getting into the genre - so I have no idea if Jane Harper's work is cliche or not. So far I am greatly enjoying it. I especially like that it's set in Australia. I preferred The Dry, mainly because we get to know the main character, Aaron, and he had such a strong connection to the other people in the story. In Force of Nature he feels more like a minor character with some side issues that almost felt tacked on as an after thought. So I felt a bit disconnected for at least the first part of the story. This one was also difficult to get into because of this. But it did get more interesting and suspenseful as it went along and kept me guessing and changing my mind throughout. You don't need to have read the first book, but it would help a little to have a connection to the "main" character as you're not going to get it through this book.
I consider both novels solid four star reads!
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Bronze can be ordered through any bookseller (ISBN 9780982893678) or order now at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.
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Reviews for Bronze
All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2018 to B B Shepherd.
