Scan barcode
A review by curiously_curly
Skies of Ash by Rachel Howzell Hall
4.0
The Lowdown: In the second installment of the series LAPD detective Lou Norton is back, along with her partner Colin, investigating the suspicious deaths of the Chatman family in a house fire. Christopher Chatman, the sole surviving member of the Chatman family, is the lead suspect in the case. The story, starting out as a suspicious death investigation, quickly spirals into a look into family secrets, lies, deception, adultery, double-cross and securities fraud.
The Good: As I stated in my review of Book 1 I am so glad there is a woman, POC detective series out there. Lou Norton is a great character and I enjoy how Howzell-Hall has written her -- I could totally see Taraji Henson playing Norton in the made-for TV series! Similar to the first book this one was easy to read and consume. Equal parts funny but equal parts real.
The Bad:Without giving away any spoilers Lou makes some important decisions in her personal life and a long-lost family member pops up at the end of the book. This "cliffhanger" felt a little contrived but I am rolling with it because I am so happy to have discovered this series. I raced through the first book in this series; however the pacing in this one was a bit slower.
The Ugly:The "red herring" arson suspect thrown in towards the end of the book felt a little slapdash. Also, the ending felt a bit abrupt but, again, all of this is probably leading to a resolution in book 3. I am hoping we will get more background as to what happened to the "baddies" in the end...also the whereabouts of Ben Oliver!
Overall, a 3.5/4 star read. I love this series and look forward to more from Lou and Howzell-Hall.
The Good: As I stated in my review of Book 1 I am so glad there is a woman, POC detective series out there. Lou Norton is a great character and I enjoy how Howzell-Hall has written her -- I could totally see Taraji Henson playing Norton in the made-for TV series! Similar to the first book this one was easy to read and consume. Equal parts funny but equal parts real.
The Bad:Without giving away any spoilers Lou makes some important decisions in her personal life and a long-lost family member pops up at the end of the book. This "cliffhanger" felt a little contrived but I am rolling with it because I am so happy to have discovered this series. I raced through the first book in this series; however the pacing in this one was a bit slower.
The Ugly:The "red herring" arson suspect thrown in towards the end of the book felt a little slapdash. Also, the ending felt a bit abrupt but, again, all of this is probably leading to a resolution in book 3. I am hoping we will get more background as to what happened to the "baddies" in the end...also the whereabouts of Ben Oliver!
Overall, a 3.5/4 star read. I love this series and look forward to more from Lou and Howzell-Hall.