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thelexingtonbookie's review
3.0
I pulled this book off the shelf and read it in about three days. With about 300 pages, it's a pretty quick read and a page turner. However...
The novel follows Special Agent Ana Grey of the FBI in an exciting series of events that move her up the agency chain. After a single-handed bust, she's put on a high profile case involving celebrity Jayne Mason. Eager to impress her boss, she digs into the claims only to find out that the truth is a lot harder to find that she thought. To complicate matters, a parallel situation occurs with a long lost relative, forcing Ana to piece together her questionable family history.
Maybe you can already see the problem post plot description, but if you can't, let me spell it out for you. Smith created a stereotypical FBI heroine who predictably is off to prove herself in the male world of crime fighting and instead gets wrapped up in her own emotional past. Now, here's the thing: If Smith had just made Grey a kickass FBI heroine, that would have been fine. Sure, give her a little conflict and some good plots twists. However, throwing in the family conflict subplot flashbacks distracted from the main plot and made her unbelievably soft, a counter to what Smith set Grey up as in the first chapters. I get giving a character more depth, but if the story was made to be stereotypical, than the depth isn't believable.
Nonetheless, I'd be interested in reading another novel about Ana Grey, for two reasons: one, I thought she was pretty badass, and two, to see if the next novel follows the stereotypical outline as well. I'll let keep you posted, folks.
The novel follows Special Agent Ana Grey of the FBI in an exciting series of events that move her up the agency chain. After a single-handed bust, she's put on a high profile case involving celebrity Jayne Mason. Eager to impress her boss, she digs into the claims only to find out that the truth is a lot harder to find that she thought. To complicate matters, a parallel situation occurs with a long lost relative, forcing Ana to piece together her questionable family history.
Maybe you can already see the problem post plot description, but if you can't, let me spell it out for you. Smith created a stereotypical FBI heroine who predictably is off to prove herself in the male world of crime fighting and instead gets wrapped up in her own emotional past. Now, here's the thing: If Smith had just made Grey a kickass FBI heroine, that would have been fine. Sure, give her a little conflict and some good plots twists. However, throwing in the family conflict subplot flashbacks distracted from the main plot and made her unbelievably soft, a counter to what Smith set Grey up as in the first chapters. I get giving a character more depth, but if the story was made to be stereotypical, than the depth isn't believable.
Nonetheless, I'd be interested in reading another novel about Ana Grey, for two reasons: one, I thought she was pretty badass, and two, to see if the next novel follows the stereotypical outline as well. I'll let keep you posted, folks.
maryrobinson's review
2.0
This was the first in a series featuring a Latino female detective and is pretty well done. Not enough depth or humor or uniqueness to keep me going on series though.
jakewritesbooks's review
4.0
I read an interview with famed Los Angeles-based crime writer Michael Connelly where he was asked to give two recommendations for under-appreciated LA novels.
North of Montana is one he mentioned and I was intrigued by it. I had no familiarity with the work of April Smith and the premise sounded interesting enough, especially how Connelly pitched it: a procedural novel with a female detective who has to deal with her male colleagues bullcrap. So I picked it up.
I see what Connelly likes about it. Sometimes, a reader’s view syncs with a writer’s style in such a way as to help you forgive their flaws. That was the case here with me. April Smith takes a generic paperback mystery and makes it feel fresh, not because of the plot, but because of Ana Grey, the lead character. She’s tough but also allowed to be vulnerable. She gives it back to the guys but also realizes she has to play the game. She’s screwed over because of her gender but doesn’t let that deter her from her goals. She felt well-rounded and thus I was invested in her story.
And that’s good because the story itself is just okay. There are really two threads here: the A plot involving a Hollywood star and her drug intake and a B plot involving Grey’s Latinx family whom she doesn’t know (and with a heritage that seems to bring out some internalized racism). The A plot is interesting, if predictable. The B plot is hit-or-miss, mostly miss. Still, despite her flaws, I liked Ana’s character and how she navigated both. I’ll have to check out more of this series. Good recommendation, Mr. Connelly.
North of Montana is one he mentioned and I was intrigued by it. I had no familiarity with the work of April Smith and the premise sounded interesting enough, especially how Connelly pitched it: a procedural novel with a female detective who has to deal with her male colleagues bullcrap. So I picked it up.
I see what Connelly likes about it. Sometimes, a reader’s view syncs with a writer’s style in such a way as to help you forgive their flaws. That was the case here with me. April Smith takes a generic paperback mystery and makes it feel fresh, not because of the plot, but because of Ana Grey, the lead character. She’s tough but also allowed to be vulnerable. She gives it back to the guys but also realizes she has to play the game. She’s screwed over because of her gender but doesn’t let that deter her from her goals. She felt well-rounded and thus I was invested in her story.
And that’s good because the story itself is just okay. There are really two threads here: the A plot involving a Hollywood star and her drug intake and a B plot involving Grey’s Latinx family whom she doesn’t know (and with a heritage that seems to bring out some internalized racism). The A plot is interesting, if predictable. The B plot is hit-or-miss, mostly miss. Still, despite her flaws, I liked Ana’s character and how she navigated both. I’ll have to check out more of this series. Good recommendation, Mr. Connelly.
left_coast_justin's review
5.0
I don't often read mysteries, because most of them are so by-the-numbers and dull -- you can hear the cash registers ringing in the author's head as they are writing. But this book, which I grabbed because -- foolish man! -- I thought it was set in Canada, held me riveted to the end. There is a story driving the plot, but far more important, there's an all-too-human half Latina protagonist, racism, a tolerable level of violence, baseball and sweat. By the time the book finally gets around to sex, it really feels earned and erotic.
Can't ask for much more than that.
Can't ask for much more than that.
bjerz's review against another edition
3.0
I'm thinking North of Montana is about, uh, what state is north of Montana? But no, it refers to a section of Los Angeles, the fancy dancy section, where the movie stars and doctors live. The main character, Ana Grey, is an FBI agent and pretty looney. She wants out of her bank robbery section so badly that she is willing to work on a fluff job, investigating the claims of an actress desparately trying to keep from going to seed. The side story of her (possible) long lost distant cousin, gunned down in the mean streets, keeps Ana crossing from the mansions to the slums and back.
A good first book, but hardly the "Terrific Novel" that Scott Turow talks about on the cover.
A good first book, but hardly the "Terrific Novel" that Scott Turow talks about on the cover.
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