Nicole Reads A Lot

This beginning of this review is heavy on the generalities, and the section that contains spoilers is clearly marked.

This was a cute little mystery (if a book centered around a murder can be called cute). Jen was a relatable character who handled some crazy things in believable ways. I mean, if I had a terrible half-sister who I hated and who later turned up dead, I think I might respond in much the same way as Jen. She took realistic, albeit not always smart, steps to prove her innocence and that of her father. Jen’s  support network, in the form of her friends and coworker, Mitch, added depth to her character and helped move  the story along. The whodunnit element of this book was well done, but wasn’t as big of a draw for me as the interpersonal relationships. Jen’s itchy palm was a cool addition to the story, and I appreciate that it wasn’t used as a lazy way for Ms. Roberts to magically advance the plot. While I appreciate red herrings, there were loose ends in this book that detracted from my enjoyment of it. I don’t ever want to think so much about lemon muffins again in my life.

Spoilers, commence.

I really, really, really wish that there hadn’t been a romantic angle in this book; it felt shoehorned in and unnecessary. Having established Jen and Mitch’s working friendship in a very different way, it strained credulity that a woman who was planning her six-month anniversary dinner with her boyfriend in the beginning of the book could already be on her way to serious emotional investment in somebody else by the end of it. Mitch said that he felt he had to tell her right after she broke up with Arthur, before she’d moved on to somebody else, but it would have been nice if he’d given her a breather.

As initially described, Jen and Mitch’s  relationship lacked the underlying tension that would have made their new direction more believable for me. While it was clear that Jen did find Mitch attractive, I didn’t get the impression that he thought of her that way from how he spoke with her; he seemed to regard her solely as a good friend. Am I supposed to believe that he teased her to disguise some his unspoken romantic attachment to her? Because that’s a little junior high-ish for me (hello, DJ Tanner). I would have appreciated any words or actions from him that would have made his later declaration of feelings for Jen seem like a natural progression instead of an unexpected 180. I don’t mind seemingly sudden relationship changes that are a surprise to a character who isn’t looking for them if there’s something that I as a reader can look back on as a potential clue. The way that Jen and Mitch went from friends to smoochy buddies didn’t sit well with me. Grounds to Kill feels like it could be the first book in a series; if so, it would have worked better for me to have the author use this book to set the stage for Jen and Mitch to kiss (and etc) in a future title. Hmmm, apparently I have a lot of feelings about this.