Reviews

Standing Dead by Margaret Mizushima

liberrydude's review against another edition

Deputy Mattie Cobb is now Mattie Wray. The mysteries of her past in California as a child continue to haunt her and just as she has found lost members of her family they are taken from her by her real father’s killer who leaves taunting notes to her. The showdown is coming and it will be on her home turf. The killer is coming to Colorado for a reckoning. Fast paced. Wondering what the future holds for Mattie as a significant source of anxiety will have been eliminated.

ang_taah's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

julielb's review against another edition

1.0

I am a big fan of this series with detective Mattie Cobb and her k-9 partner Robo. She works in Colorado and has an ongoing romance with the local vet. In this entry, she and her sister travel to Mexico to visit their estranged mom, and I mean a really estranged mom as they hadn't been together with her since they were kids (except for quick recent visit by Mattie). However their mom has apparently moved on with her husband and locals do not know where she went.

Meanwhile, there are unsavory characters who were associated with Mattie's criminal father (now dead father) who may be tracking her mom, thinking she has money that they believe she stole years ago. So they engage with a cold case detective in San Diego to assist with the investigation into what happened years ago with her mom and their Border Patrol cop father.

I think I have reached the breaking point with this series and its continued focus on Mattie's family and personal issues being the mystery storyline. I love detective stories in which detectives are involved in sleuthing out solutions to the crimes in their city/locale. When the detectives themselves are the ones involved, either as suspects or potential victims or otherwise involved, it becomes more soap-operish and less true detective novel. So this entry in this otherwise good series was just not for me.

I didn't make it to the end and therefore only assuming this recent Mattie-related mystery has been resolved and truly hope the next book gets back to what it does best - investigating mysteries in a more police procedural style of storytelling.

faile12's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

tayparks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

onanotherplanet's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

hellodarlinggirl's review against another edition

fast-paced

3.75

cook_memorial_public_library's review

3.0

Recommended by Karen.

Check our catalog:
https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1834116__SStanding%20dead__Orightresult__U__X7?lang=eng&suite=gold

kriscricket's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

sinadria's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25