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chocolatequeen's review
5.0
Readers of Jennifer Becton's Southern Fraud series have come to expect three things in her books: First, a solid mystery/thriller with a strong southern tone; second, interesting character development on the part of series regulars; and third, a deepening romantic entanglement between Julia Jackson and her partner Mark Vincent. At Fault, the third in the series, delivers on all counts.
The Mystery:
The Georgia Department of Insurance has been tipped off to a fraud ring involving auto insurance. Julia and Vincent go under cover to find out more, but it doesn't take long for them to realize there's more involved than just a few ambulance chasers and shady body shops. Meanwhile, the shady "boss" starts to put the screws on their source, and if they don't solve the case soon, there could be more at stake than a few million dollars in fraudulent claims.
This case involved more people than either of Julia and Vincent's previous adventures. Some people we knew were involved from the start, and some, notably the boss, were a mystery till the end. Throughout the book, I had two possible suspects for the boss. One of them turned out to be right. The other was a well-placed red herring. I won't tell you who's who.
The Characters:
One of the best parts about the Southern Fraud series is the emphasis on character development, even beyond the main characters. From the start, the long-past rape of Julia's sister and her ongoing fight to find the rapist and bring him to justice has ben a driving force in who she is, and who her family is. At the end of Death Benefits we finally learned his name; in this book, he's tracked down and arrested. Julia's uncertainty about how Tricia will react to the news highlights her growing awareness that as much as she wishes, there's nothing she can do that will "make it all better."
At the same time, Mark Vincent's son Justin is doing a great job screwing up his own life. He's left college--without telling his mother, who doesn't know that the money she's supposedly paying for tuition is going elsewhere. The full story of what exactly he is doing plays into the larger plot of this book, so I won't reveal that. However, just as Julia has to realize she can't fix everything for Tricia, Mark starts to realize that he can't force Justin to love him or what to be with him, or even to respect his mother. Those choices have to be ones he makes.
The Romance:
That mutual uncertainty highlights the growing awareness that there's more to their relationship than simply coworkers or even friends. Without spoiling some truly fabulous moments, I will only say that Vincent lovers will be completely satisfied with the romantic development in this book.
All in all, I was very, very happy with this book and I cannot wait for the next in the series.
FTC disclaimer: The author sent me a copy of the book in return for an honest review.
The Mystery:
The Georgia Department of Insurance has been tipped off to a fraud ring involving auto insurance. Julia and Vincent go under cover to find out more, but it doesn't take long for them to realize there's more involved than just a few ambulance chasers and shady body shops. Meanwhile, the shady "boss" starts to put the screws on their source, and if they don't solve the case soon, there could be more at stake than a few million dollars in fraudulent claims.
This case involved more people than either of Julia and Vincent's previous adventures. Some people we knew were involved from the start, and some, notably the boss, were a mystery till the end. Throughout the book, I had two possible suspects for the boss. One of them turned out to be right. The other was a well-placed red herring. I won't tell you who's who.
The Characters:
One of the best parts about the Southern Fraud series is the emphasis on character development, even beyond the main characters. From the start, the long-past rape of Julia's sister and her ongoing fight to find the rapist and bring him to justice has ben a driving force in who she is, and who her family is. At the end of Death Benefits we finally learned his name; in this book, he's tracked down and arrested. Julia's uncertainty about how Tricia will react to the news highlights her growing awareness that as much as she wishes, there's nothing she can do that will "make it all better."
At the same time, Mark Vincent's son Justin is doing a great job screwing up his own life. He's left college--without telling his mother, who doesn't know that the money she's supposedly paying for tuition is going elsewhere. The full story of what exactly he is doing plays into the larger plot of this book, so I won't reveal that. However, just as Julia has to realize she can't fix everything for Tricia, Mark starts to realize that he can't force Justin to love him or what to be with him, or even to respect his mother. Those choices have to be ones he makes.
The Romance:
That mutual uncertainty highlights the growing awareness that there's more to their relationship than simply coworkers or even friends. Without spoiling some truly fabulous moments, I will only say that Vincent lovers will be completely satisfied with the romantic development in this book.
All in all, I was very, very happy with this book and I cannot wait for the next in the series.
FTC disclaimer: The author sent me a copy of the book in return for an honest review.
jeansbookbag's review
3.0
Interesting and fast paced mystery. A fairly easy read, with a good mix of action and mystery ellements. Normally I don't have a hard time figuring out who the bad guy is, but this one came as a real surprise.
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