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hoserlauren's review against another edition
4.0
Jessica Blackwood, magician turned FBI agent, is back for a second book (see the review Mayne's first book in this series, Angel Killer). Jessica is called in on cases where things can't be explained. This time, a church exploded, leaving absolutely no traces of multiple people known to be there, and not leaving much in the ways of clues as to how the church blew up. The clues lead Jessica down to Mexico with a possible gang connection that puts her in danger.
I remember exactly where I was when I read the first book in the series, Angel Killer, which is pretty unusual for me. It was a very unique book and one that I enjoyed. This book is no different. We get to explore Jessica's background even more and the troubles her grandfather and father had raising her. She's a great character; one that doesn't really fit in but that you can still connect with.
This more felt more like a normal mystery compared to Mayne's previous book, which had much more magical elements to it. It was still a great read and one that had me guessing the entire way.
A complaint I had in the last book was that Jessica's ex-boyfriend gives her clues or bails her out of situations whenever the team gets stuck which felt like a bit of a cop out. This is still happening in this book but it didn't bother me as much as the first in the series.
This is a great summer read!
I remember exactly where I was when I read the first book in the series, Angel Killer, which is pretty unusual for me. It was a very unique book and one that I enjoyed. This book is no different. We get to explore Jessica's background even more and the troubles her grandfather and father had raising her. She's a great character; one that doesn't really fit in but that you can still connect with.
This more felt more like a normal mystery compared to Mayne's previous book, which had much more magical elements to it. It was still a great read and one that had me guessing the entire way.
A complaint I had in the last book was that Jessica's ex-boyfriend gives her clues or bails her out of situations whenever the team gets stuck which felt like a bit of a cop out. This is still happening in this book but it didn't bother me as much as the first in the series.
This is a great summer read!
glimnore's review
4.0
A large improvement from the first novel in the Jessica Blackwood Series. Mayne expands upon the emotional depths of our MC, which greatly improves her likability in my eyes. The case is entertaining. The execution is great. And the pacing is excellent.
While development of the MC is all fine and dandy, unfortunately this does not extend to the supporting cast. Most, if not all, other characters in the story appear to only serve as plot elements to help our MC accomplish her goals.
And so I find myself returning (finally) to Mayne's body of work, to continue the Jessica Blackwood series, and eventually work my way up to her crossover with Cray.
While development of the MC is all fine and dandy, unfortunately this does not extend to the supporting cast. Most, if not all, other characters in the story appear to only serve as plot elements to help our MC accomplish her goals.
And so I find myself returning (finally) to Mayne's body of work, to continue the Jessica Blackwood series, and eventually work my way up to her crossover with Cray.
reflowering's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
scknitter's review
5.0
I loved the first Jessica Blackwood book, but this one is even better!
When a small church in rural Appalachia explodes and the few people inside are found dead, but outside the church, the trail of clues points to the work of the devil. FBI consultant Jessica Blackwood knows there is a human behind the carnage and must rely heavily on her background of magic and illusion to fool and trap the killer and to help save lives. The Name of the Devil is an intoxicating cat and mouse chase that goes from West Virginia to Mexico, Miami and even the Vatican. The magic and illusions are brilliant and the killer is truly evil.
When a small church in rural Appalachia explodes and the few people inside are found dead, but outside the church, the trail of clues points to the work of the devil. FBI consultant Jessica Blackwood knows there is a human behind the carnage and must rely heavily on her background of magic and illusion to fool and trap the killer and to help save lives. The Name of the Devil is an intoxicating cat and mouse chase that goes from West Virginia to Mexico, Miami and even the Vatican. The magic and illusions are brilliant and the killer is truly evil.
periodicreader's review against another edition
3.0
I think that I should have read the first book in this series before I jumped into the first, but I won an ARC so I figured I'd give it a spin. Jessica Blackwell is a magician turned FBI agent who finds herself in a heap of trouble...her ex helps her along the way (which was kind of creepy) and people have a tendency to not take her seriously. I liked this book...but I feel like I would have appreciated it more if I had a base to go off of.
bookcraft's review against another edition
4.0
I'm so conflicted.
I'm really enjoying this series, including the complexities of Jessica's feelings toward Damian, despite the rational part of me knowing that this kind of romanticizing of the "bad boy" archetype — see any old-school capital-R Romance novel from the last century for more examples — contributes to normalizing unhealthy real-world relationships in our culture.
But...I'm really enjoying the series. -sigh-
Bottom line, I guess: Great fictional fun, but don't try this at home.
I'm really enjoying this series, including the complexities of Jessica's feelings toward Damian, despite the rational part of me knowing that this kind of romanticizing of the "bad boy" archetype — see any old-school capital-R Romance novel from the last century for more examples — contributes to normalizing unhealthy real-world relationships in our culture.
But...I'm really enjoying the series. -sigh-
Bottom line, I guess: Great fictional fun, but don't try this at home.
sophie_gillespie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
tenshinyc'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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
taylorjmorton's review against another edition
2.0
Fell Short
After reading the two books released so far in his underwater investigative series and the first book in this series, Angel Killer, and absolutely loving them, I had high hopes for this book.
It fell short. Way short.
The plot was hard to follow, and the ending, THE ENDING, was absolutely terrible, anti-climatic, and very disappointing .
After reading the two books released so far in his underwater investigative series and the first book in this series, Angel Killer, and absolutely loving them, I had high hopes for this book.
It fell short. Way short.
The plot was hard to follow, and the ending, THE ENDING, was absolutely terrible, anti-climatic, and very disappointing .
thestarman's review against another edition
3.0
VERDICT: 3+ stars.
REVIEW: Good protagonist. Not quite enough magic this time. Damian remains too all-knowing/capable. Still, recommended.
Consider: [b:The Devil's Footprints|2246666|The Devil's Footprints|Amanda Stevens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387665281l/2246666._SY75_.jpg|2252539]
REVIEW: Good protagonist. Not quite enough magic this time. Damian remains too all-knowing/capable. Still, recommended.
Consider: [b:The Devil's Footprints|2246666|The Devil's Footprints|Amanda Stevens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387665281l/2246666._SY75_.jpg|2252539]