So, most of the other positive reviews cover what I liked about this book. I do want to add my opinion to something multiple negative reviews refer to, so spoiler alert.
There is a rape of one of the primary characters in this book, and a lot of people seem to feel the aftermath of it was handled badly by the author. Namely because the story doesn't spend a lot of time dealing with her recovery. She seems to be able to move on with her life very quickly, particularly with sex, which some reveiwers feel is not only unrealistic but also disrespectful of rape survivors' experiences.
In my opinion, the aftermath was believable. Yes, she moves forward with her life, even into having sex again, quickly. But I want to point out that recover is different for different people. For some, like for this character, sex can be healing, even so soon after the trauma. I think the way Hill writes this characters experience is well done for the following reasons.
1. She acknowledges that rape isn't about sex, it's about power and in this case was a form of torture to gather information.
2. She was at a point in her life where she was learning about her own sexuality. Prior to the assault, her experiences were mediocre at best, and so her growing attraction and feelings for her new partner who was actually a gender she was attracted to...well I could see how sex could be a reclaiming of her body, not just as part of recovering, but also in general.
3. She isn't magically healed after the sex and emotional release. She does still rely on coping mechanisms. She has support and healthy coping techniques.
4. Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD or processes it the same way.
5. She is in the middle of investigating an escalating serial killer, her life is increasingly in crisis mode. Some people are extremely high functioning when they feel like their is a crisis to deal with, in fact, this is an important quality for anyone in military or law enforcement.
My only real dislike about this book was that there were some formatting issues that made it a little confusing when POV changed, but it wasn't even that big of a deal and rarely was enough to pull me out of the story. Most Gerri Hill books don't have this issue at all, some I'm guessing this is an earlier work.
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Top reviews from other countries
miss elaine m worby
Really great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2023Beck
Best lesbian romance detective novel ever!
Reviewed in Australia on September 13, 2021RebeccaF
Gelungene Kombination aus Krimi und Love Story
Reviewed in Germany on April 27, 2014