Reviews

Survivor's Guilt by Robyn Gigl

juliannasiegrist's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.25

I still don't love the writing style of these books, but the story was once again so compelling! I love erin and the way she works as a lawyer

janemarple's review

mysterious 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

4.5

Building off the characters introduced in By Way of Sorrow, Gigl spins another fast-paced legal thriller featuring Erin McCabe. Like in the debut, some of the dialogue is a bit much, and some of the twists are a little convenient, but it’s a fun story and the authentic trans representation is so badly needed and overdue. 

acechemicals's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

I imagine this would be a helpful feature for people who aren't familiar with trans existence, but for the rest of us, it's a little tedious to have the ins and outs of trans life 101 explained nearly every other chapter. That said, it's nice that the negatives aren't shied away from OR exaggerated (the way they are in so many novels about trans characters) and Erin gets to embrace joy in those that love, accept, and understand her. 

The mystery is compelling, and because of multiple perspectives, as readers we get to put the pieces together way before anyone in the story does, which is a lot of fun! There's also a wonderful sense of tension combined with knowing that everything will turn out alright in the end. 

There's a lot of exposition, especially for a sequel, that makes it feel a little less readable, but it's also nice to have a grab-and-go dramatic murder mystery series for trans people. Overall, the book delivers on what it promises and - with the caveat of "please check the content warnings" - I recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Outing, Alcohol, and War

This book deals heavily with child sex trafficking, child sex exploitation material, and the abuse of transgender children

in exchange for gender-affirming care and citizenship

. There are accounts of abuse

from two survivors, one cis woman and one trans woman,

that go into a lengthy and moderate amount of detail.

There are stated to be at least thirty victims of the abuse and both teenagers and young children are mentioned.

It is a consistent topic of the book. The perspective is occasionally that of the antagonists, who treat this abuse casually.

jenna310's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense

4.0

writer595's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

lilymouse's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

andrealc23's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

bloodthirstyprius's review

adventurous 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

jrv45's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

pages_and_cacti's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Survivor’s Guilt by Robyn Gigl

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When millionaire Charles Parsons is found dead, it seems like a suicide but not everyone believes that. When Detective Sergeant Kluska comes to Erin hoping she can clear Charles adoptive daughter from her confession. 

Book # 2 in the Erin McCabe series and no less powerful of a novel. Robyn Gigl has a way of telling a story and leaves you wanting more. In this novel, Erin is face with her mom’s cancer, a mob that will stop at nothing to send Erin’s client away and so much more. Two books into this series now and started the third, Remain Silent” earlier today. I can say this is quickly becoming my favorite thriller series.