The Snake in the Grass



There are so many emotions with this one. Tears were freely flowing a time or two as The Women's Murder Club is dealt one hell of a blow.

I appreciate the realism with the abusive relationships that are divulged. For one, there's more of the lifecycle shared from the denial to the reactions to the final straw. For the other victim, there's more resignation to the stay the course even when reality of the situation becomes obvious. I was more invested in one than the other, but abuse is abuse. It's never an easy topic, but I think it was well done.

As to the rest of the book, I love the introduction of Joe Molinari and how that shifts some things in Lt. Lindsay Boxer's world. And I always love when the girls, Cindy Thomas (crime reporter), Dr. Claire Washburn (chief medical examiner), and Jill Bernhardt (chief assistant district attorney), get together. In good times and bad this group of unlikely friends come together, trying to make the world, or at least their corner of it, a better place one crime spree at a time.

I borrowed a copy of the audio book. The narrator is Carolyn McCormick. I mostly liked her, but I think the musical chairs narrator edition is a little much. She's the third narrator in as many books where the protagonists haven't changed. In theory you could read the books out of order, but there are continuing storylines that make that unwise, so having the primary narrator change frequently is a pain. It alters the experience, especially when you're bingeing - or close to it in my case.

That said, I did look ahead and see that Carolyn is the narrator for the next six or so books before January LaVoy assumes the role. I guess I'm not the only person who feels this way about the musical chairs.

I should also mention that I like most of the sound effects.