Title: Fox
Author: Kelly Oliver
Format: ebook
Genre: Medical thriller

The Premise
Jessica James wakes up naked behind a dumpster. Then finds another naked girl m, this one dead, behind the sane dumpster to find her belongings. Was she (Jessica) taped? She doesn’t know, doesn’t remember but doesn’t want to go to the ER or police because she’s embarrassed and thinks her peers will think she’s a dumb hick.

Meanwhile her platonic best friend who’s secretly in love with her is breaking into a medical research lab and almost getting caught. Cue weird girl who sneaks into said lab to love on a dog, a racist rent-a-cop and having no sense of foresight.

How Far I got:
29%

Strengths
It started off well, hooking you in.

Why I Stopped Reading:
I got bored, didn’t like the characters, and the story was repetitive without moving forward.

What other reviewers are saying
Reviews are mixed at best with some people saying it was great and others with the same issues as me.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review. I’m giving it 2 stars since I got over a quarter of the way through before DNFung it. Also it started off strong but devolved from there.

Thank you NetGalley and JKS Communications for this arc.

It's been several months since I read this..... somehow forgot to review. It was an okay read for me. The pacing was there in the beginning but slowed considerably after about 20% in. Characters were okay. Jessica was smart and street savvy with only a little bit of daffiness. Other characters were not so memorable. Story was kind of predictable.

2.5 stars rounded up.

I loved how the author addressed certain issues pertinent to women, like women's victimisation, and issues of fertility. I'm interested to read the other books in the series.

A free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I may have hurt myself by picking up the third book in the series. This was just an okay novel for me.

Jessica James wakes up half frozen, naked, behind a dumpster. She doesn't have a full memory of what happened other then meeting a cute guy in scrubs at the bar. Running through the consequences she decides not to report the incident but through various circumstances ends up in the hospital where they tell her she wasn't raped but ask her vague questions about any surgeries she may have recently had. This is where I am struggling. If this actually had happened, would the hospital really be like, oh yeah you have no recollection of having what we deem an invasive surgery, sure go home and we won't question or explain anything further. I also felt like a lot of the clues were super transparent and I lost interest several times throughout the story. Maybe it would have helped to start this series from the beginning to learn more about the characters and get invested in them?

This is the second book I’ve read about the female grad student who went from Montana to Northwestern and supposedly solves crimes, but to my surprise there was another book in between the one I read and this one. Oh well, on to part three.
In this one Jessica wakes up freezing behind a dumpster, thinking she was raped. . . but that plot would be too easy, of course it’s something much more sinister. But all I could think of was here we go again! How many times was she roofied or drunk in the first book? Right at the start it’s happened again, and it’s not the only time it happens in this story. Everyone in this story, especially Jessie but even Lolita, the usually badass Russian superheroine, should be dead from stupidity a long time ago. Especially strange for a protagonist to be the victim over and over and over. At some point there has to be growth, learning. Or perhaps the author wanted to show philosophy students don’t have a grasp on the real world. For me, these issues with the main character, as well as others, overshadows the story, and particularly the issues raised, which would be important if the high-tech stuff going on is actually a reality now.
Just like in the first, the Russian subplot slowed the whole story. And I can’t help but wonder if I missed something early on where it was stated, but is Jack British? He talks like it.
There’s a line where Jessie is called the dumbest smart person ever, and it is right on the money. This book was better than the first, but I still don’t like Jessie, which is saying a lot, because she should be very likeable. And why is she listed as a detective? In the two books I’ve read, she’s never solved anything.
2.5 pushed up to 3/5

She wakes up partially nude behind a dumpster at the bar. She doesn't remember much after she met this nice intern who bought her two specialty drinks. She was waiting for Jack but he didn't show up on time. She decides the intern must have slipped her a mickey but she hasn't been raped. Something worse happened...

JKS Communications and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It has been published so you can grab a copy now.

Jessica has an interesting female friend who has a variety of defensive skills, rides a motorcyle, and is always there for her. She calls her. When she faints in her presence, she wakes up in the hospital. That's when she finds out she wasn't raped. So why is she so sore down there?

There's an interesting mix in this story. Jack is her friend and would like to be more. Her girlfriend is Russian and has connections to the Russian Mafia. The intern is making his own money by illegally acquiring eggs from females he deems to be of better genetic quality, and it gets all tangled up real soon.

I enjoyed the Russian tough guys, Jack's willingness to do anything to help Jessica, and even the subplot was interesting. It was a nasty subject to read about but the crime is solved. The best part is that Jack and Jessica have been through enough to realize they do love each other. I like happy endings.

When I was offered a copy of this novel to review, I rather thought it would be a good cosy mystery.

However, I really struggled to reach 61% and just had to give up. It reminds me of a truly awful spoof movie and I really couldn't suffer anymore.

I suspect it may be aimed at the teen / YA market? I have a real fondness for mysteries but this, to me, was just too ridiculous.

I received an arc via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This book reminded me a bit of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series even though the characters come from a slightly different background. I definitely saw a lot of it coming, but it was still fast-paced enough to hold my interest. I didn't realize before reading it that it is the third in a series, and I am guessing that there will be more in the series moving forward. Overall, this book passed the time nicely and added a bit of a different element to the genre. I will likely pick up the next in the series just to find out what happens to all of the characters because I felt like this one ended a bit abruptly.

This is a great book; this is the third book in the Jessica James Mystery series written by Kelly Oliver. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. If you are looking for a great book, then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I like the way she develops her characters and the interaction between them all. The story is something you can actually understand happening, but hope it never does. I liked this story very much. I received a copy of this book from Net Galley. The review is entirely my own opinion and done voluntarily.

Fox is the third book in the Jessica James mystery series written by author Kelly Oliver. Thanks to NetGalley and JKS Communications for the advance copy.

Fox is a fun and entertaining read but one that I would also consider as dynamic as it tackles some interesting topics that aren't seen in a lot of novels. Also filled with promising characters and a whole lot of action, this book is sure to become a hit with many readers.

I couldn't get into this book. It's inconsistent-worried about evading cameras then no mention of them, the use of multiple names for the characters is irritating, the dialog is empty, and the situation not believable.

I had to abandon it, it was so poorly written and confusing. In one scene, a woman has hair rippling down her back; a little later in the same scene, she has it in a bun. This needs a lot of editing but even then I don't know if it would help. It seems very careless and disorganized.

Kelly Oliver’s new novel, Fox, is a promising debut. She tackles important subjects including the victimization of women, mail order brides, women’s health issues, IVF (in vitro fertilization) and the controversy inherent in genetic manipulation (designer babies).

Jessica James is a PhD student in philosophy. When she wakes up naked behind a dumpster after a drink with a hot medical intern, she believes she has been raped. After leaving the hospital, she returns to the scene with her friend Lolita and the two discover a body. Someone is preying on young, intelligent women. Someone who is willing to resort to murder to hide their tracks.

A couple of things didn’t sit well. 1) Jessica is too ready to believe in the innocence of the intern she had drinks with before 2) Jessica has “super” genes, “golden blood” 3) She only quotes Nietzche. Making Jessica so special genetically takes away from the impact of the story. I did like how well developed the supporting characters were, and how well the subplots were integrated. I applaud Oliver for her choice of subject. The novel is not without flaws, but on the whole it is admirable.

(3.5 rounded up) 4 / 5

I received a copy of Fox from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom