Tracey Lange follows up We Are the Brennans with another book dealing with family love and loyalty. The Connellys have an especially fraught dynamic. They lost their mother at a young age, and after their brother was in a debilitating car accident, their father disappeared, leaving oldest sister Geraldine to take care of her younger siblings.
The story opens with youngest Connelly, Tara, getting released from prison after 18 months away from a drug trafficking charge. The person there to greet her when she gets out is none other than Brian Nolan - one of the detectives who led the investigation that put her away.
Brian doesn't know what draws him to Tara Connelly, he just knows that there's more to her than her arrest record would have you believe. Also, since the investigation against the dealer she was convicted of selling for is still ongoing, Brian knows that Tara has more information than she's willing to share.
I found this story very similar to that of Lange's debut. A lot of family dynamics and dealing with regular people who find themselves in these almost extraordinary circumstances.
The story features these characters having worked themselves into some tough corners. Often this was difficult to read for this reason because you can both see the way out for them, but you also understand how they remain in the loop of questionable decisions. It's all working itself to a clear boiling-point as it's no longer sustainable.
I like how Tracey Lange builds up the background. We start out with the rudimentary information about each Connelly. And slowly, chapter by chapter, the pieces are filled in and we see the source of where everything began that has informed where they find themselves in the present.
But for all that said, I feel like it was a bit anti-climactic. It's a very character driven story, and this is like a snapshot of their lives on a precipice. I felt like we, along with the characters, worked so hard throughout. The ending just left me a bit unsatisfied. I understand decision to leave things the way they are, and I completely see the direction we're supposed to be going into, but personally I just wanted a bit more closure and finality. Just a smidgeon.
The story opens with youngest Connelly, Tara, getting released from prison after 18 months away from a drug trafficking charge. The person there to greet her when she gets out is none other than Brian Nolan - one of the detectives who led the investigation that put her away.
Brian doesn't know what draws him to Tara Connelly, he just knows that there's more to her than her arrest record would have you believe. Also, since the investigation against the dealer she was convicted of selling for is still ongoing, Brian knows that Tara has more information than she's willing to share.
I found this story very similar to that of Lange's debut. A lot of family dynamics and dealing with regular people who find themselves in these almost extraordinary circumstances.
The story features these characters having worked themselves into some tough corners. Often this was difficult to read for this reason because you can both see the way out for them, but you also understand how they remain in the loop of questionable decisions. It's all working itself to a clear boiling-point as it's no longer sustainable.
I like how Tracey Lange builds up the background. We start out with the rudimentary information about each Connelly. And slowly, chapter by chapter, the pieces are filled in and we see the source of where everything began that has informed where they find themselves in the present.
But for all that said, I feel like it was a bit anti-climactic. It's a very character driven story, and this is like a snapshot of their lives on a precipice. I felt like we, along with the characters, worked so hard throughout. The ending just left me a bit unsatisfied. I understand decision to leave things the way they are, and I completely see the direction we're supposed to be going into, but personally I just wanted a bit more closure and finality. Just a smidgeon.