I will start out this review by saying I loved the first chapters when I initially picked this up, and I was very excited to read the book. It seemed snarky and fun, and a good portrayal of a (sometimes tedious) life in the suburbs. Corie Geller is a retired FBI agent, and while usually that phrase conjures up old white men in suits, Corie is an exception. Since marrying a judge and becoming a stepmom, she decided that the best move would be to leave the bureau and become a freelancer. Her new day job consists of finding new Arabic fiction that will translate well to English readers.
Of course, for someone who used to work much more exciting cases, this new life can seem a bit, well, boring. So when she starts noticing something off about one of her weekly freelance group members, she decides to brush up on her skills and check it out. What follows is her unofficial "investigation," with varying degrees of successfulness.
Again, this is such a fun premise! And the author did have several passages in the book that made me laugh out loud. But the problem with aiming for a snarky voice is that sometimes that can veer into making a character unlikeable. I liked Corie from the get go, but I sometimes found her attitude toward her new life grating. And the problem with having a book based off of a bored late 30-something looking for adventure is that it can be, by default, a little boring.
I would hesitate to call this a mystery or a thriller, since it seems to be missing crucial elements of both (a main "mystery" to solve and the suspense factor) but it was still an interesting story. I probably won't be recommending this to my mystery book club though, since I feel like it does lack a juicy story to dissect.
Of course, for someone who used to work much more exciting cases, this new life can seem a bit, well, boring. So when she starts noticing something off about one of her weekly freelance group members, she decides to brush up on her skills and check it out. What follows is her unofficial "investigation," with varying degrees of successfulness.
Again, this is such a fun premise! And the author did have several passages in the book that made me laugh out loud. But the problem with aiming for a snarky voice is that sometimes that can veer into making a character unlikeable. I liked Corie from the get go, but I sometimes found her attitude toward her new life grating. And the problem with having a book based off of a bored late 30-something looking for adventure is that it can be, by default, a little boring.
I would hesitate to call this a mystery or a thriller, since it seems to be missing crucial elements of both (a main "mystery" to solve and the suspense factor) but it was still an interesting story. I probably won't be recommending this to my mystery book club though, since I feel like it does lack a juicy story to dissect.