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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated The Subject of Malice in Books

Jul 29, 2019

A Study in Malice

English professor Lila Maclean is attending an academic conference she has helped organize near her university in Colorado, and she is looking forward to presenting a paper, attending panels, and rubbing elbows with the publisher that has accepted her book. The downside is that her rival, Simone, and Simone’s twin sister, Selene, are also attending the conference and trying to make life miserable for her. The conference organizers have some surprises up their sleeves, but the dead body after the opening night dinner wasn’t one of them. Did someone’s academic rivalry boil over to murder?

In this book, Lila is approached by her boyfriend, police detective Lex Archer, about helping investigate because she knows the players and the motives. That stretched credibility a bit for me, but I was having so much fun I didn’t let it bother me too much. There is plenty of malice at the conference, not all of it connected to the murder, and that was enough to keep me turning the pages as quickly as possible until I reached the satisfying climax. Lila is once again a great main character who faces a couple of twists in her personal life in this book. We don’t see all of the supporting cast, but the ones we do see are great as usual, and the suspects are strong as well. The setting of the conference, an old movie studio turned into a resort, added a layer of fun to things as well. All told, I give this book a grade of A+.

Kudos

Christine A. (965 KP) rated Truth or Die (D.S. Imogen Grey, #5) in Books

Jul 31, 2019 (Updated Jul 31, 2019)

fast-paced police procedural novel (0 more)

The cover has a warning indicating this is not for the faint-hearted. Believe it! (0 more)

Book #5 of DS Imogen Grey series

‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Truth or Die is the 5th book in the D.S. Imogen Grey series by Katerina Diamond. I did not realize it was part of a series until I was finished reading it. Reading the earlier books may help with understanding the characters and their behavior better, but it is not necessary. This book can stand alone.

DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles are partners who are very close in work and out. There is an attraction between them which is a storyline throughout the book and, according to reviewers on Goodreads, has been a slow-building theme woven throughout the entire series. However, the main storyline is the case they are investigating, the brutal murder of a college professor.

The cover has a warning indicating this is not for the faint-hearted. This is a fast-paced police procedural novel that is also a violent, dark, and graphic read. These scenes are not part of the book for mere shock value. They enhance the story and our understanding of the killer's thoughts and actions.

A 6th book is not listed on Goodreads, but I will be looking for it. In the meantime, I do plan to read the series from the beginning.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/30/19.