I found The Iron Collar intriguing. I did struggle with it a little at the beginning but the story picked up and from then on I was so gripped. I thought it was well written and the characters felt real and believable. I felt I could empathise with some of the characters in this book. The storyline was easy to follow and the twists and turns of the plot were unexpected.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Sunrise Consulting in exchange for an honest review.

DNF
Less is more. I hate to give up on a book but I have to with this one. I thought there must be some sort of shtick with Keisha after reading sentences like: “Keisha Norman pulled out her oversized Michael Kors handbag and retrieved her MAC products from her makeup kit”. It’s one name brand after another and then in less than 3 pages she’s dead.

The we meet Joi and her partner Russell, the detectives, fresh from a romp in the sack. This is an ongoing thing and Russell’s wife is dying of cancer. That info maybe could have waited until the characters were built up a bit more. When Joi mimics Brittney Spears “Oops,
I did it again” after sleeping with him I’m not loving her so much.

The writing read like a high school essay. One where you have a word count you have to reach but the story is over so you go back and put an adjective and adverb anywhere you can. “Joi pulled her soft-gray suede jacket tightly around her curvy figure and fastened its middle and last buttons.”

The setting is Chicago. “No disrespect, Ms. Lady, uh Detective,” he said, correcting himself, “but I’ve never met a female homicide detective. You must be special.” Really?!? This is set in 2008, not 1958.

The final straw is when Joi “gently moved the neck” of the murder victim. A detective touching the body? Do they do that? Where is the crime scene unit? The photographer, the pathologist, the beat patrol that responded and cordoned off the area? I’m no cop but read a crime novel, watch CSI once or twice and even the lack these basics make the story odd.

Please take my comments for what they are - my opinions. I like a more concise writing but you may enjoy this more so pls try it. The story may be excellent, just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and sunrise consulting for a copy in exchange for a review.

1 star

I can’t speak for other readers, but I found the language in this book offensive. I don’t like that they two police officers – partners – are sleeping with one another. Perhaps it was the language used there too. I didn’t care for either Joi or Russell’s personalities. The writing was relatively competent, but again, the language…

I could not finish this book.

I want to thank sunrise consulting/IBPA Members’ Titles for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review.

I found this book to be well-written with interesting characters but not likeable. The plot was intricate and moved along quickly. I am not the mortality police but just couldn't relate to Joi or Russell. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

This is an action packed page-turner that features a pair of police detectives working in the south suburbs of Chicago, trying to solve the murder of beautiful young woman who was brutally garrotted. I had not read any of this author's work before, but after this one, I definitely intend to read more. The two main characters are detective Joi Sommers and her partner, Russell Wilkerson. Both detectives are complex characters, well drawn, despite the brevity of this novel. Joi is especially intriguing. She is a woman of depth and strength, but she makes mistakes and poor choices too. The author doesn't try to make anyone perfect in this story. There is some strong sexual content and language in this story--I am assuming if the reader is interested in a thriller about a potential serial killer, that won't be surprising, but I wanted to put it out there, just in case. While I guessed who the killer was fairly early on, there were several twists and turns that I didn't see coming at all. There were a couple characters I really WANTED to be the killer, haha. There's a really well written climactic scene that is action packed and you can really feel the intensity and the tension.

As a Chicago native, I loved that the author obviously either knows Chicago really well or did extensive research because she got all the streets and navigation right. Nothing I hate more in a good book than easy details being wrong, it really pulls you out--I'd rather they be fiction than wrong. But no need in this book, everything here is correct.

The last chapter lays the ground work for Sommers and Wilkerson's next case, and I definitely want to know what happens. This is a pretty quick read, which is good, because I didn't want to put it down, and I have to sleep SOMETIME.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.