Three Weeks Dead: A DC Sally Poynter Novella by Rebecca Bradley

Three Weeks Dead: A DC Sally Poynter Novella by Rebecca Bradley
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

How far would you go if someone took your wife?

Especially, if you buried her a week ago.

When Jason Wells is faced with this scenario, he is confronted with the prospect of committing a crime that will have far-reaching consequences.

Can young DC Sally Poynter get through to him before he crosses that line, or does a desperate husband prove to be the case she won’t ever forget?

A prequel novella, set before Shallow Waters, the first in the DI Hannah Robbins series.

**********

I was lucky to get this short novella from the author to read. I have not read Shallow Waters the first book in the series and that Three Weeks Dead is a prequel to. But, I found no problems getting into the story.

In Three Weeks Dead, we get two POV. We have Jason Wells the husband to the kidnapped dead wife and then we have DC Sally Poynter, a young and inexperienced policewoman. Both are faced with troubles of them own, Jason with the moral dilemma of doing the right thing, not giving in to the kidnappers, but still wanting the body of his wife back. And, Sally is young, trying to balance marriage life with being a police and at the same time hoping to not doing anything wrong with the case.

For me was Three Weeks Dead an interesting book because I don't think I have ever read a book where the dead body is used as a bargaining chip. It was quite interesting to follow Jason as he wrestles with himself about not giving in to the kidnapper's demand. I mean it's easy to sit here and judge telling Jason mentally that she's just a dead body, she's not there anymore. But, for him, that's still his wife's body, a woman she loved. As for Sally, I have to admit that here newbie attitude was a bit grating for me, but I do like that Sally towards the end started to feel a bit more mature. However, here problems with a fellow male colleague in the book annoyed me, sure I can understand that some clashes occur, but it's not a long story, and I felt sometimes that it took a bit too large part of the story. It's not especially new in police books to have a male police hating a female police so it could be that I was just tired of an old cliché. It will be interesting to read Shallow Waters to see how I will feel about the situations.       

Also, as much as I enjoyed the story was it pretty short and I often feel that short stories are like a synopsis of a book. Give it more flesh, more story, and you will have a great book. I felt it reading this one, the idea was great, and I would have loved reading a full-length book. As a novella was it not bad, but you only scratch the surface when it comes to the characters. I always want more!

I want to thank the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review! 

No Honor Among Thieves by J.A. Jance

No Honor Among Thieves by J.A. Jance
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For the first time ever, Ali Reynolds and Joanna Brady, New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance’s popular series sleuths, join forces to solve a terrifying crime in this exclusive e-novella that has everything you want in a thriller—page-turning action, breathtaking twists and turns, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and…Legos.

**********

I have only previously read a novella by J.A, Jance, but that was with J.P. Beaumont. This time, I got to get to know two other characters Ali Reynolds and Joanna Brady from Jance's two other series as they join forces to stop LEGO thieves.

I find novellas the perfect way to get to know series, to see if I find the characters interesting enough to read the books and get to know the writing style of the authors. I found this story OK, well-written and quite enjoyable action-filled. I must admit that I wasn't completely taken with the story of LEGO theft. For some reason, it just didn't appeal that much to me. Perhaps I'm not just that interested in organized LEGO thieves.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Swamp Bones by Kathy Reichs

Swamp Bones by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Although a trip to Florida is supposed to be about rest and relaxation, there’s no such thing as a day off for Dr. Temperance Brennan. She has come to visit her friend, a dedicated ornithologist who’s researching the threat that intrusive Burmese pythons pose to indigenous bird species in the Everglades. While sorting through the stomach of an eighteen-foot specimen, they make a disturbing discovery: bones that are unmistakably human. And when Tempe spots the telltale signs of murder by a very different kind of predator, she’s drawn into a case with its roots in the darkest depths of the swamp.

**********

This is a short novella prequel to Bones never lies. As usual good written and educational, I learned a lot about Florida, pythons, and birds. As it is a short story it has never really time to really draw the reader in, well not me anyway. Also strangely for being a short story, it felt a bit long. I liked the story, I mean finding bones in a python, alligators, finding out who the bones belonged to and finding the culprit. Actually, when I think about it it was as ordinary Bones episode. Entertaining for the moment and then on to something else.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!