A review by akagingerk
Polterheist by Laura Resnick
4.0
I spent the three days between acquisition and completion of this book reading the opening line aloud to various coworkers in an attempt to entice them into reading the series. Also, my new manager had her first true glimpse of "Ginger immersed in bookworld" when she tried to interrupt to ask me something during a lunch break. Yeah, if the book's entertaining, you're going to have to actually say my name to get my attention. Probably more than once.
I love Esther Diamond. She remains a terrific character - charming and clever, acting career-focused and self-aware. I especially love her playing the role of Fenster & Co's (a major department store's fictional stand-in) only Jewish elf for their Solsticeland multi-holiday display (well, multi-holiday in name, mostly Christmas in execution, much like its real-world inspirations). The job is terrible and ridiculous by turns, and her reactions to holiday madness made me laugh at the retail season to come. (Terrible and ridiculous, but also challenging and sometimes even fun when one is not dressed like a scantily clad elf.)
Esther on-again, off-again flirtation with Detective Lopez continues to be a strong subplot of the story. Despite my yearning for a final resolution, the unsettled nature of their relationship added necessary complications to the main plot and has yet to wear completely thin.
Despite allusions to previous adventures and the inclusion of many characters from the prior books, this particular novel seems as though it could be read as a stand-alone without losing too much. So if you, too, are about to experience the retail holiday season, it might be a good time to pick up this book.
I love Esther Diamond. She remains a terrific character - charming and clever, acting career-focused and self-aware. I especially love her playing the role of Fenster & Co's (a major department store's fictional stand-in) only Jewish elf for their Solsticeland multi-holiday display (well, multi-holiday in name, mostly Christmas in execution, much like its real-world inspirations). The job is terrible and ridiculous by turns, and her reactions to holiday madness made me laugh at the retail season to come. (Terrible and ridiculous, but also challenging and sometimes even fun when one is not dressed like a scantily clad elf.)
Esther on-again, off-again flirtation with Detective Lopez continues to be a strong subplot of the story. Despite my yearning for a final resolution, the unsettled nature of their relationship added necessary complications to the main plot and has yet to wear completely thin.
Despite allusions to previous adventures and the inclusion of many characters from the prior books, this particular novel seems as though it could be read as a stand-alone without losing too much. So if you, too, are about to experience the retail holiday season, it might be a good time to pick up this book.