Jackie Parker is a sassy spitfire who has had it to the top of Crazy Horse Mountain with her grimy boss and his grabby hands. Fed up, she quits her job on the spot; it’s either that or face charges for assault. Fortunately, the door she just slammed shut caused a window to crack wide open: a new business venture with her husband, Luke, and his brother, Logan.
Final Notice is the first in the Damaged Goods mystery series. It’s not quite a cozy, but not really a hardened mystery/thriller, either. Whatever the correct niche category is, Jennifer L. Hart has written a great series opener. Fast-paced, funny, with a biting wit and sarcasm; I had a really hard time putting it down!
Now, on to the important issue: Team Luke or Team Logan? I hope no one calls me out on this, but I have to admit that I’m totally, 100%, all in Team Logan. I know, I know! Jackie’s married to Luke. But come on. I don’t think she’s truly happy – and, at least to me, Logan’s the more interesting character. There’s a depth there that just isn’t evident in Luke. Jackie sees it and I’d be willing to bet that Jennifer Hart is Team Logan, too! (Now I might have to ask her . . .) For now, I’ll be waiting to see how this all plays out – while working on “I’m with the Dark Prince” t-shirts.
I do need to call a spade a spade, though. My editing eye was bulging in places, making me long for a proofreader’s red marking pen. Grammatical and punctuation errors can very easily turn me off a book in record time. However, what Final Notice lacks in proofreading polish is more than makes up for with panache. A solid four-star read. I’m already eager for January 2015 (do I really have to wait that long, Jennifer???), when Lease on the Beach comes out.
The Girl with Book Lungs 