Well-developed characters. Interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. A wonderful read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

Dana Hargrove is a new district attorney just outside of New York City. In the first few weeks of her administration, the body of a teen is discovered in the frozen river, and her family is demanding justice be served to the bullies who drove her to suicide. A few days later, an altercation at a post-dance party gets out of hand, and Dana's young daughter is the main eyewitness. The community isn't super impressed and Dana has to prove she has what it takes to keep the peace in the area.

This is the fourth book in the series (although it is a standalone novel), but it's my first experience with the author and the series. I was very impressed! I realized I read a lot of detective mysteries and a lot of cozy mysteries, but I've had very little exposure to legal mysteries, and it was super fascinating to see cases from that side of things. It was also very well written. Extremely descriptive, good pacing with the plot, and I liked having multiple points of view (they were all third person) to give you different layers to the story. I will definitely be reading more from this author. There was one PG-13 sex scene (not too descriptive, fades out before anything really happens) and a small amount of moderate language plus an f word or two (the teenager's point of view reports the actual words the other teens say whereas the dad's point of view just says the boys said some f bombs), but the amount of bad language overall was minimal. Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Teenager bullied into committing suicide and the community wants justice but no laws at the time fit. The DA working on the case has her own children and gets pulled into other teenage issues with them involved as witnesses in this case. More of a parenting story than a crime drama or thriller as a parent of teenagers I found it interesting and worth the read.

Dana Hargrove is the newly elected District Attorney. She will find herself trying to balance her personal life, with her attorney husband and two teenage children, and her professional life taking on the tough subject of bullying.

The body of a high school student is found in the river. Investigation reveals that the victim was the target of bullying and her death is ruled a suicide. The girl's family are screaming for justice for their daughter.

Days later, Dana's children get involved in the criminal investigation against a few of their friends which put them targeted by the angry community. Dana has to deliver justice for the victim.

The book has some other subplots alongside the main story line. As an attorney, the author has been a criminal prosecutor for county and state agencies. She has used her experiences and produced credible characters and story lines.

Although this is 4th in a series, it reads well as a stand-alone. I confess, I have not read the first books, but they are now on my wish list. I liked the character of Dana Hargrove and look forward to seeing where she goes from here.

The author has handled the tough subjects such as bullying, the effects of social media on young minds, and the consequences thereof.

Many thanks to the author /Opus Nine Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this legal mystery. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

This is a story of one of today's problems, bullying. A young girl is bullied on the internet until she goes out in a storm and umps off a bridge.. What a job for the fairly new D.A. to handle. Dana has her own children going to the same school. Then there is a party and alcohol is at an after the school dance party. Where do the parents' responsibility begin and end. An interesting way to approach the problems with teens of today.

Deep Zero is a well written story that draws in the reader from the very beginning. You identify with the characters so much that I wished I was speaking to some of them as I could see some of the mistakes they were about to make. A must read.

This book is deadly dull. I've been trying to read it for over a week and have begun to dread reading time every day.

Too much step-by-step description of things which don't seem to connect to the plot, not that I know what the plot is. I don't feel connected to the narrative characters.

Not my cup of tea.

The author has clearly done her research on legal details. The story itself is a bit slow to develop, but the intricacies of legal and courtroom maneuvering provide much of the intrigue. This is a good story for readers who like a lot of factual detail in their stories.

This book was not very interesting to me. Part of the problem was the different styles of writing used. The story overall seemed to be more focused on the law in New York than on the people, yet the characters were interesting. All the story threads but one conveniently collapse into an ending in the final pages of the book. It was a lengthy buildup to a fizzle.

Great mystery that kept me engaged. I will definitely put this author on my tbr list. Thank you NetGalley for an ecopy of this book.

This Dana Hargrove mystery, the first one I have come across, makes me want to look up the others. Dana, an attorney, has made it up through the ranks to being named the district attorney, has a full plate. She has a husband, also a lawyer, and two great kids, thankfully. But it seems that a lot of students at their school are getting in trouble all at once.
Naomi, a young woman who has been bullied, by two girls in particular, jumps off a local bridge to her death. Taylor and Chloe seem to have some culpability here, having basically dared Naomi to do it.
A Valentines Day dance after party ends in tragedy for more than one family. Dana and her team at the DAs office must decide how to proceed with each of these cases, especially since they touch her family in some way.

Short Take: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

*Note - I received a free copy of this book for review.*

What’s with publishers mislabeling books? Deep Zero popped up on my recommended reading shelf under “Mystery and Thriller”, but honestly, it was neither. It was the story of two female attorneys who have long discussions with their families and other attorneys about legal issues.

Seriously.

The basic premise of the story is that DA Dana Hargrove is investigating a case in which a high school girl committed suicide after being bullied by her classmates. (Note: there are only a few paragraphs dedicated to the actual investigation. Followed by long discussions as to whether the mean girls can be charged, what can they be charged with, what is a jury likely to convict them of, etc. Long, tedious discussions.)

It would appear that Dana’s case is jeopardized when a party thrown by another kid in the school gets out of hand, resulting in injuries and property damage. See, both of Dana’s children were barely, tangentially, kind of remotely involved in the incident, which led to them being subjected to long discussions with their parents on legal technicalities, as well as long legal discussions with other attorneys in the DA’s office regarding questioning the kids and so on. The incident also result in like 37 other cases being opened, each one complete with its own series of discussions.

There’s a subplot regarding Dana’s husband, who’s handling a case regarding a convicted killer who wins a medical malpractice suit, and who should get the money from that settlement. It adds absolutely nothing to the main story, other than more lengthy legal discussions. There’s also another main character, Vesma, who occasionally works as a criminal defense attorney. She thinks that kind of work is beneath her, however, so we don’t get to see her in action. Most likely because that might have been kind of interesting. Vesma’s daughter is friends with Dana’s son, which, thank goodness for that, because otherwise, we might have missed out on a few legal discussions about the possible conflicts in all these cases.

As for the multiple cases themselves, there’s no mystery. It’s spelled out pretty clearly who did what. There’s no nuance or buildup or any real tension. There are no contentious courtroom scenes (except for the speeches lifted right out of an 80’s movie slow clap climax. It’s worse than you think.) Deep Zero is a Law & Order episode where all we see are the attorneys sitting around talking to each other.

Oh, and it’s written like a children’s book. Consider this snippet, and keep in mind, this is straight narration, NOT, as you would think, dialogue from a very young character: “Well, the whoops and cries were so loud that Judge Jones had to bang the gavel over and over again! The hammering was forceful, but the judge really didn’t look mad. A big smile was on his face.” (See? 80’s movie slow clap, in book form.)

The Nerd’s Rating: One Happy Neuron (and caffeine. Please send caffeine ASAP.)

DA Dana Hargrove is a hardworking lawyer, wife, and mother. The year is 2009 and while cyberbullying is a very real issue, legally there are no laws that will provide justice for the victims. When the body of a young girl, Naomi is discovered, the investigation reveals that she was the victim of cyberbullying and chose to end her life. Naomi's devastated family want justice, yet legally, the DA's office can do very little to punish the guilty. While social media can and often is used to bring people together, the flip side is that anyone with access can hide behind their phone and cause irreparable harm with their cruel words.
This is a very relevant topic and not the only one that Deep Zero explores. The author writes with poise and conviction as a town is torn apart. The characters are well written and come to life and I could feel their pain. A disturbing book to me because though this book is fiction, the reality is these types of incidents happen every day. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this though because of its relevance and thoughtful treatment of the subject matter. This is the first book I've read by this author and I am putting her on my author's to read again list.
Thank you V.S.Kemanis, Opus Nine Books and NetGalley for the complimentary e ARC.

Deep Zero is the first of the Dana Hargrove series by V. S. Kemanis I have read, but will not be the last. Readers who enjoy legal stories mixed with the lawyers personal lives will find Deep Zero a satisfying story. I was given a copy to review.

Deep Zero – V.S. Kemanis

I was fortunate to receive this novel as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.
Dana Hargrove is the District Attorney for Westchester County, NY. As she and her office juggle the busy day to day case of the D. A.’s office, unbeknownst to them, a young girl commits suicide by jumping from the river bridge, leaving an enigmatic Facebook post behind…

Once young Naomi’s body is found, The D.A’s office quickly identifies significant cyberbullying as a possible cause for her suicide. But with no cyberbullying laws on the books in New York, and a grieving family demanding prosecution via news outlets, Dana and her fellow attorneys find themselves in a difficult position as they attempt to find justice for Naomi.

Meanwhile, Dana’s young daughter Natalie, asks for permission to go to a friends home for a sleep over. Unbeknownst to Dana, or her daughter, there is no parental supervision at the house that night, and a post-dance high school party turns out of control, leaving two attendees severely injured, and Dana’s daughter Natalie as the only reliable witness.

This book did a great job touching on the topics of teenaged cyberbullying, and polysubstance consumption, and made for a very enjoyable read. The characters are well developed, the circumstances are very believable, and I found it hard to put down!

This was my first introduction to the Dana Hargrove series, but it will not be my last!

Absolutely loved it. Deserves all the 5 stars I gave it. Full review at: https://mysterysequels.com/deep-zero-by-v-s-kemanis.html

The hook in the first chapter grabs your attention and pulls you into a plot that promises to be a legal mystery with a couple of interesting cases. Then cyber-bullying takes center stage when a high school student is discovered deceased. Introduction is made to supporting characters struggling with their own cases, one of whom is Vesma, remotely connected to Dana.

As the investigation gets deeper into the subject of cyber-bullying, however, the plot seems to take a one-eighty and concentrate on unattended teenagers with too much freedom, money, and ego. Dialogue genuinely sounds like teen conversation, alright.

Dana is a hands on mother. Vesma is struggling with a case that has kept her broke and she is divorced with Ginger at home. Ginger often shuns an empty home to go to her grandfather's. The characters of more teens involved in the underlying plot illicit sympathy for the most part while examining the problem of underage drinking and illegal prescriptions.

When the climax came, court cases were resolved, victims faced reparation, but almost skipped the original plot device. The subject of cyber-bullying was a fairly new legal discovery in that time frame (2009). Timely issues, but perhaps a bit scattered, and I'm not sure whether more fully directed to parents than their teens.

I downloaded this book from the publisher and NetGalley and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review. Recommended for those interested in legal mysteries.

While this started off rocky and chaotic it came together in the end.

A good solid story of teens, families and their fights against right and wrong.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Deep Zero is a well-written story but I had a difficult time getting interested in it. This book is slow-paced and too wordy with too much description in some passages. There were descriptions that weren't neccesary to the plot of the story. I liked the main characters and the secondary characters too. I appreciated the theme of the book. I just wish the story flowed more smoothly.

I volutarily read an ARC provided to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

Deep Zero
By V.S. Kemanis

Different – in a good way – from what I expected. Kemanis takes a relevant and hard hitting topic, and turns it into a novel, that could easily become a discussion piece.

Great characterisation by Kemanis, although my head had to work to keep so many major characters together.

The Plot of around district Attorney Dana’s attack on underage drinking was carefully woven and released to engage the reader, and keep them reading to the very end.

A great read.

#DeepZero #NetGalley

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