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A Sketch in Crime Mystery #2
Drawing Blood
CeCe Prentice returns with her band of Dumpster-diving pals in this fast-paced mystery that puts the eco-friendly heroine back on top--of a pile of trash.
When Big Bob, manager of the town dump, goes missing, CeCe is worried about more than where she'll score her next salvaged car. First at the scene when Bob's body is recovered from under the weekly recycling haul, CeCe is quick to identify potential witnesses and provide crucial scene sketches. But when CeCe is uncharacteristically startled by an unidentified woman at Bob's abandoned house, her artistic talents are challenged, and her drawings, much to her frustration, come up short.
With CeCe's observational talents on the fritz, Detective Frank DeRosa, CeCe, and her network of Freegans are forced to recreate Big Bob's life from the garbage up. The team is soon thrust into the underworld of recycling where what appears to be junk could actually be the clue that saves a life.
When Big Bob, manager of the town dump, goes missing, CeCe is worried about more than where she'll score her next salvaged car. First at the scene when Bob's body is recovered from under the weekly recycling haul, CeCe is quick to identify potential witnesses and provide crucial scene sketches. But when CeCe is uncharacteristically startled by an unidentified woman at Bob's abandoned house, her artistic talents are challenged, and her drawings, much to her frustration, come up short.
With CeCe's observational talents on the fritz, Detective Frank DeRosa, CeCe, and her network of Freegans are forced to recreate Big Bob's life from the garbage up. The team is soon thrust into the underworld of recycling where what appears to be junk could actually be the clue that saves a life.
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
336 pages, Paperback
First published February 8, 2016
373 people want to read
About the author
Deirdre Verne
9 books113 followersDeirdre Verne is a mystery author, college professor and college blogger. Her short stories appear in Murder New York Style, Murder New York Style: Fresh Slices and Family Matters. The first book in her mystery series is available on pre-order at Amazon, IndieBound, Barnes&Noble, Flux Books
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 14, 2016
Dollycas’s Thoughts
As I ended my review of Drawing Conclusions, the first book in this series, I was wondering how this author was going to keep up to the excellence she reached in that story. I just finished Drawing Blood and let me tell you she a drawn up another story that will keep you totally entertained.
Cece and her friends are “freegans“, a unique lifestyle. They dumpster dive for food, have a huge garden, and visit the local recycling center and thrift stores for most of their needs. In this installment Cece’s friend and housemate Katrina is due to have her baby any day, her friend, Big Bob, manager of the local recycling center in missing, and Cece is looking for a child that could be hers that would have been carried by a surrogate. And that is just how the story starts, there is so much more. The synopsis tells you Big Bob’s body is found under a pile of garbage and that Detective Frank DeRosa in on the case but when Cece and her friends join the investigation it all leads to something you have just have to read for yourself. I really enjoyed that Frank knows he can ask for and get help from Cece and the others.
As with the first story, this author’s distinct writing style shines. The plots and subplots twist all together throughout the story and each twist has its own little “wow” factor. Cece’s unique ability to see people in her mind so clearly and pick up their nuances and put the images down on paper is key to solving the case. She has trouble with the facial details for one person that she knows is so important. She works so hard to try to grasp that image. The investigation seems to be turning up more questions than answers but Frank, Cece, Charlie and even a very pregnant Katrina each help to put things together and details start to fall into place. This sets up a very suspenseful and dramatic ending that had me sitting up straight in my chair.
Excellent from start to finish. A story that deserves more than 5 stars!
This story does build on the first book so I do recommend reading that one first. In fact a perfect winter weekend curled up with both books is something I recommend wholeheartedly.
I will not wonder about Verne’s next book because I just know if will be as amazing as the first two. I just hate that we will probably have to wait a year for it.
As I ended my review of Drawing Conclusions, the first book in this series, I was wondering how this author was going to keep up to the excellence she reached in that story. I just finished Drawing Blood and let me tell you she a drawn up another story that will keep you totally entertained.
Cece and her friends are “freegans“, a unique lifestyle. They dumpster dive for food, have a huge garden, and visit the local recycling center and thrift stores for most of their needs. In this installment Cece’s friend and housemate Katrina is due to have her baby any day, her friend, Big Bob, manager of the local recycling center in missing, and Cece is looking for a child that could be hers that would have been carried by a surrogate. And that is just how the story starts, there is so much more. The synopsis tells you Big Bob’s body is found under a pile of garbage and that Detective Frank DeRosa in on the case but when Cece and her friends join the investigation it all leads to something you have just have to read for yourself. I really enjoyed that Frank knows he can ask for and get help from Cece and the others.
As with the first story, this author’s distinct writing style shines. The plots and subplots twist all together throughout the story and each twist has its own little “wow” factor. Cece’s unique ability to see people in her mind so clearly and pick up their nuances and put the images down on paper is key to solving the case. She has trouble with the facial details for one person that she knows is so important. She works so hard to try to grasp that image. The investigation seems to be turning up more questions than answers but Frank, Cece, Charlie and even a very pregnant Katrina each help to put things together and details start to fall into place. This sets up a very suspenseful and dramatic ending that had me sitting up straight in my chair.
Excellent from start to finish. A story that deserves more than 5 stars!
This story does build on the first book so I do recommend reading that one first. In fact a perfect winter weekend curled up with both books is something I recommend wholeheartedly.
I will not wonder about Verne’s next book because I just know if will be as amazing as the first two. I just hate that we will probably have to wait a year for it.
February 18, 2016
I learned a new word reading Drawing Blood. According to the site Freegan.info,:
Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources.
These are folks who 'employ alternative strategites' for more than living! I'm all over recycling, re-using and repurposing items, and I don't really see myself toting banners and passing out flyers, but I admire the Freegans' level of commitment. Such is the world which Ms. Verne (re)introduces us to in Drawing Blood.
While CeCe and Co. probably take recycling to a level with which most people are not entirely comfortable, it does highlight how wasteful our lives are a lot of the time.
CeCe is a great cozy heroine. Her life does not center around detective work ... but dead bodies do have a tendency to show up in her world, and she uses the unique sets of skills that she has (which includes drawing) to figure out the mystery and the crime.
The MC's family is present in cozies (physically or otherwise) and CeCe, well, she is 'blessed' with a full rack of eight-balls. Her mother is an addict in recovery. CeCe's father is a defrocked priest of genetic research and definitely needs to be locked up in one sort of institution or another. As much as I am at odds with the medical establishment status quo, CeCe's father is one of those for which many of those rules were written. Ugh. I really, really did not like him. Ms. Verne does a superb job of revealing the depth of that man's villainy. Really. It's been about a week since I read the book and I still want to pop in a breath mint to get the bad taste from him out of my mouth!
Several of the characters introduced later in the book are part of CeCe's (shall we say) 'extended' family. Not exactly mainstream in society either, they are the most 'real' people (apart from CeCe herself). They say you have the family you are born with and you have the family you choose. CeCe has both and then some.
Some cozy series have recipes or patterns included, which follow along with whatever the relevant crafty theme is. "The Sketch in Crime" series seems ripe for this sort of treatment, maybe including recycling and/or repurposing tips, etc., in future installments. Whatever the case, and after I catch up on the first book, I will re-visit this series for CeCe's future adventures!
(Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my objective review.)
Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources.
These are folks who 'employ alternative strategites' for more than living! I'm all over recycling, re-using and repurposing items, and I don't really see myself toting banners and passing out flyers, but I admire the Freegans' level of commitment. Such is the world which Ms. Verne (re)introduces us to in Drawing Blood.
While CeCe and Co. probably take recycling to a level with which most people are not entirely comfortable, it does highlight how wasteful our lives are a lot of the time.
CeCe is a great cozy heroine. Her life does not center around detective work ... but dead bodies do have a tendency to show up in her world, and she uses the unique sets of skills that she has (which includes drawing) to figure out the mystery and the crime.
The MC's family is present in cozies (physically or otherwise) and CeCe, well, she is 'blessed' with a full rack of eight-balls. Her mother is an addict in recovery. CeCe's father is a defrocked priest of genetic research and definitely needs to be locked up in one sort of institution or another. As much as I am at odds with the medical establishment status quo, CeCe's father is one of those for which many of those rules were written. Ugh. I really, really did not like him. Ms. Verne does a superb job of revealing the depth of that man's villainy. Really. It's been about a week since I read the book and I still want to pop in a breath mint to get the bad taste from him out of my mouth!
Several of the characters introduced later in the book are part of CeCe's (shall we say) 'extended' family. Not exactly mainstream in society either, they are the most 'real' people (apart from CeCe herself). They say you have the family you are born with and you have the family you choose. CeCe has both and then some.
Some cozy series have recipes or patterns included, which follow along with whatever the relevant crafty theme is. "The Sketch in Crime" series seems ripe for this sort of treatment, maybe including recycling and/or repurposing tips, etc., in future installments. Whatever the case, and after I catch up on the first book, I will re-visit this series for CeCe's future adventures!
(Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my objective review.)
April 9, 2016
I love to read. I read a lot of books, mainly cozy mysteries. I like cozy mysteries because they have a puzzle to be solved and aren't filled with graphic details that can give the sensitive reader nightmares. But let's face it, after awhile, all of them begin to read alike. They may have a theme, but basically, the stories end up being very similar.
And then there's the Sketch in Time series.
When I began reading, I thought, "Oh, this is a clever twist - a green, dumpster diving protagonist who also likes to draw." It was fun to have as venues a recycling center and a food co-op. The characters were fun, if a little eccentric.
But it was the twists, the plot and subplot and how they were artfully merged that was so fantastic in this book! I can't imagine how Verne managed to come up with all the characters, how she was able to intertwine their relationships, how she was able to make everything come together in the end.
This is not the first book for Cece and since I haven't read the first book, I can only offer the following for her background:
She was raised by a scientist and his wife. She had a brother who was murdered in the previous book. She learned that her twin was NOT her biological brother, but that he had in fact had a twin from whom he was separated at birth. That her father, in a scientific experiment, had taken one of her eggs when she was 12 years old and fertilized it with sperm from her "brother." Now, 16 years later she is trying to find out if she has a child from that embryo. Her mother is in rehab for alcoholism and her father has not been seen or heard from since the trial 6 months before. Now, add to the mix that her new love interest is the biological brother of her brother (making the missing child his niece or nephew) and you have a lot to work with just to start.
But wait, there's more! At the beginning of this book, one of her friends goes missing and is later found dead. His wife then disappears. And then there are witnesses who can describe people seen near the crime about the same time. They become "persons of interest" but first they have to be identified.
The two plots dance around each other in a sort of do-si-do. But do they have anything to do with each other?
This was an EXTREMELY entertaining book! The characters are quirky and there are some issues that might offer offense to the thin skinned. But I would recommend it to anyone who likes cozy mysteries.
And then there's the Sketch in Time series.
When I began reading, I thought, "Oh, this is a clever twist - a green, dumpster diving protagonist who also likes to draw." It was fun to have as venues a recycling center and a food co-op. The characters were fun, if a little eccentric.
But it was the twists, the plot and subplot and how they were artfully merged that was so fantastic in this book! I can't imagine how Verne managed to come up with all the characters, how she was able to intertwine their relationships, how she was able to make everything come together in the end.
This is not the first book for Cece and since I haven't read the first book, I can only offer the following for her background:
She was raised by a scientist and his wife. She had a brother who was murdered in the previous book. She learned that her twin was NOT her biological brother, but that he had in fact had a twin from whom he was separated at birth. That her father, in a scientific experiment, had taken one of her eggs when she was 12 years old and fertilized it with sperm from her "brother." Now, 16 years later she is trying to find out if she has a child from that embryo. Her mother is in rehab for alcoholism and her father has not been seen or heard from since the trial 6 months before. Now, add to the mix that her new love interest is the biological brother of her brother (making the missing child his niece or nephew) and you have a lot to work with just to start.
But wait, there's more! At the beginning of this book, one of her friends goes missing and is later found dead. His wife then disappears. And then there are witnesses who can describe people seen near the crime about the same time. They become "persons of interest" but first they have to be identified.
The two plots dance around each other in a sort of do-si-do. But do they have anything to do with each other?
This was an EXTREMELY entertaining book! The characters are quirky and there are some issues that might offer offense to the thin skinned. But I would recommend it to anyone who likes cozy mysteries.
February 17, 2016
Drawing Blood is one of those mysteries that sneaks up on you – at least it did me. At first it seems like there’s just too many unrelated things going on, but at a certain point it all comes together and WOW. Brilliant plot crafting.
Some parts do feel a bit more soap opera than cozy mystery, and more than once I had a difficult time relating to CeCe, the main character. She and her housemates are Freegans, a group of people that take Dumpster diving to a whole new level. I mean, I’m all for upcycling just about anything except my food. That’s just… no. I’m glad it works for some people, but it’s not anything I can wrap my more-than-slightly-prissy mind around. And then there is CeCe’s very convoluted family tree. Her dad’s not her dad. Her now-deceased brother wasn’t her brother. Her boyfriend is her not-brother’s twin from whom he was separated at birth thanks to her not-father’s obsession with DNA research. If that weren’t already twisted enough, there’s more! Her creepy not-father took one of her eggs when she was TWELVE YEARS OLD (which… yeah.) and fertilized it with a … contribution … from her not-brother. So she may have a kid. With her not-brother. The niece or nephew of her boyfriend. Who, in case you’ve lost track, is the separated-from-birth twin of her not-brother.
Yeah.
I do think it would have been helpful to have read Drawing Conclusions, the first book in the series, as it seems to have set up most of the background I mentioned above. In fact, I would recommend that to anyone interested in reading the series. Start at the beginning!
Bottom Line: The quirky characters grew on me, and the twists and turns of the plot had me on the edge of my seat by the last few chapters. Some elements of the Freegan lifestyle and the insanity that is CeCe’s family were a bit much for me, but neither was inconsequential to the story and by the end I could see the value of each element to the plot.
Reviewer’s Note - Since I normally review Christian/clean fiction, I feel I should point out that Drawing Blood has more profanity than I typically see in the cozy mystery genre, even in the general market.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)
Some parts do feel a bit more soap opera than cozy mystery, and more than once I had a difficult time relating to CeCe, the main character. She and her housemates are Freegans, a group of people that take Dumpster diving to a whole new level. I mean, I’m all for upcycling just about anything except my food. That’s just… no. I’m glad it works for some people, but it’s not anything I can wrap my more-than-slightly-prissy mind around. And then there is CeCe’s very convoluted family tree. Her dad’s not her dad. Her now-deceased brother wasn’t her brother. Her boyfriend is her not-brother’s twin from whom he was separated at birth thanks to her not-father’s obsession with DNA research. If that weren’t already twisted enough, there’s more! Her creepy not-father took one of her eggs when she was TWELVE YEARS OLD (which… yeah.) and fertilized it with a … contribution … from her not-brother. So she may have a kid. With her not-brother. The niece or nephew of her boyfriend. Who, in case you’ve lost track, is the separated-from-birth twin of her not-brother.
Yeah.
I do think it would have been helpful to have read Drawing Conclusions, the first book in the series, as it seems to have set up most of the background I mentioned above. In fact, I would recommend that to anyone interested in reading the series. Start at the beginning!
Bottom Line: The quirky characters grew on me, and the twists and turns of the plot had me on the edge of my seat by the last few chapters. Some elements of the Freegan lifestyle and the insanity that is CeCe’s family were a bit much for me, but neither was inconsequential to the story and by the end I could see the value of each element to the plot.
Reviewer’s Note - Since I normally review Christian/clean fiction, I feel I should point out that Drawing Blood has more profanity than I typically see in the cozy mystery genre, even in the general market.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)
November 8, 2016
I received this book via a goodreads giveaway.
I have been picked on about dumpster-diving, I find lots of plants near death, cases of bottled water, etc; nothing that must be fished out of disgusting waste, but technically dumpster-diving none-the-less. I look quite normal in comparison to the group, known as Freegans, in this book. They basically live on findings in the local dumpsters; everything from past date food, to pieces of old dolls that can be used in art dioramas.
CeCe Prentice has had an unusual life, but only recently has she discovered how unusual. Growing up, she was part of the Prentice family, a wealthy generational family that had made its mark on the town for years. Her father was a renowned doctor, too busy for his family; her mother, an alcoholic, too consumed with the bottle to be available for her children; and her brother, the closest thing to family that she knew.
After having grown up in this environment, she now knew the truth, her father was a maniac, her brother was not biologically her brother, in fact he was half of a pair of identical twins, separated at birth by her father, each placed in an extremely different and difficult environment. Even CeCe had not been left unscathed, her father had taken an egg from her when she was fourteen, fertilized it with the sperm of the boy she thought was her brother and somewhere out there was a teenage child that CeCe had become determined to find.
CeCe’s new romantic interest is her “brother’s” twin, a police detective, eager to locate his niece or nephew, but other police business has a way to jump into the way, like the untimely death of Bob, CeCe’s friend who works at the town recycling facility.
The only means to solve the mystery at hand, which Bob’s death seems to take priority, is from the garbage up. This novel gives everyone an idea of why they should destroy their hard drives before you recycle your computer to how little you may truly know about those you think you know the best. Before the end, will the loose net thrown over the town finally capture everyone involved? Or, will there be more deaths of people one would consider innocent?
I have been picked on about dumpster-diving, I find lots of plants near death, cases of bottled water, etc; nothing that must be fished out of disgusting waste, but technically dumpster-diving none-the-less. I look quite normal in comparison to the group, known as Freegans, in this book. They basically live on findings in the local dumpsters; everything from past date food, to pieces of old dolls that can be used in art dioramas.
CeCe Prentice has had an unusual life, but only recently has she discovered how unusual. Growing up, she was part of the Prentice family, a wealthy generational family that had made its mark on the town for years. Her father was a renowned doctor, too busy for his family; her mother, an alcoholic, too consumed with the bottle to be available for her children; and her brother, the closest thing to family that she knew.
After having grown up in this environment, she now knew the truth, her father was a maniac, her brother was not biologically her brother, in fact he was half of a pair of identical twins, separated at birth by her father, each placed in an extremely different and difficult environment. Even CeCe had not been left unscathed, her father had taken an egg from her when she was fourteen, fertilized it with the sperm of the boy she thought was her brother and somewhere out there was a teenage child that CeCe had become determined to find.
CeCe’s new romantic interest is her “brother’s” twin, a police detective, eager to locate his niece or nephew, but other police business has a way to jump into the way, like the untimely death of Bob, CeCe’s friend who works at the town recycling facility.
The only means to solve the mystery at hand, which Bob’s death seems to take priority, is from the garbage up. This novel gives everyone an idea of why they should destroy their hard drives before you recycle your computer to how little you may truly know about those you think you know the best. Before the end, will the loose net thrown over the town finally capture everyone involved? Or, will there be more deaths of people one would consider innocent?
December 26, 2016
It's impossible to put down this book before the end, it's really addictive. The plot is intriguing and interesting, immerses me in a world completely unknown to me, that of freegans. Cece and her group of friends are avid followers of this philosophy: they recycle every possible object ended up in the garbage, even the food.
Cece, besides taking care of the environment, is a great lover of drawing, portraits in particular. Detective DeRosa needs her help. He was investigating a strange warehouse and asked the help of Bob, manager of the town dump, and CeCe's friend. But he has disappeared and a few days later his body was found. Cece tries with her portraits of helping DeRosa to draw an identikit of the possible responsible, created with the declarations of some witnesses. DeRosa and Cece have to face also some unresolved issues between them.
It's the second book in the series "A Sketch in Crime Mystery", can be read as stand alone but if you are going to read the first book I recommend you to read the series in order: in this episode are revealed some twists and turns of the first one. I can not wait to read another episode of this exciting series.
The story is brilliantly written and flows perfectly. The author takes you deep inside the story and leaves you on the edge of your seat. I must say that this book is excellent from the cover till the end.
If you want to read a cozy mystery really interesting and brilliant this book is perfect for you.
Cece, besides taking care of the environment, is a great lover of drawing, portraits in particular. Detective DeRosa needs her help. He was investigating a strange warehouse and asked the help of Bob, manager of the town dump, and CeCe's friend. But he has disappeared and a few days later his body was found. Cece tries with her portraits of helping DeRosa to draw an identikit of the possible responsible, created with the declarations of some witnesses. DeRosa and Cece have to face also some unresolved issues between them.
It's the second book in the series "A Sketch in Crime Mystery", can be read as stand alone but if you are going to read the first book I recommend you to read the series in order: in this episode are revealed some twists and turns of the first one. I can not wait to read another episode of this exciting series.
The story is brilliantly written and flows perfectly. The author takes you deep inside the story and leaves you on the edge of your seat. I must say that this book is excellent from the cover till the end.
If you want to read a cozy mystery really interesting and brilliant this book is perfect for you.
December 30, 2015
CeCe Prentice is into recycling in a big way as she’s a Freegan, so she knows the ins and outs of the business. Big Bob, manager of a recycling center, is missing. But not for long, as he’s found in the garbage there. Did he fall—or was he pushed? If he was pushed (we know he was!), who did it and why? CeCe looks for the ‘why.’ Who would want to kill this nice man? Her talent is as a sketch artist drawing people’s faces. But she literally draws a blank when she tries to catch the features of a woman she saw at Bob’s house.
Boyfriend Detective Frank DeRosa takes on the police aspect of getting search warrants to look for a hidden cache of old computers, which is the McGuffin in this story. There’s a back story continuing from her first book Drawing Conclusions, about her heritage. It’s a tangled web that her father, a doctor experimenting with genetics, wove. There’s a reason she can’t draw the woman’s face. An unusual plot. Midnight Ink
Boyfriend Detective Frank DeRosa takes on the police aspect of getting search warrants to look for a hidden cache of old computers, which is the McGuffin in this story. There’s a back story continuing from her first book Drawing Conclusions, about her heritage. It’s a tangled web that her father, a doctor experimenting with genetics, wove. There’s a reason she can’t draw the woman’s face. An unusual plot. Midnight Ink
February 9, 2016
DRAWING BLOOD by Deirdre Verne
(A Sketch in Crime #2)
DRAWING BLOOD is the sequel to DRAWING CONCLUSIONS, in the A Sketch in Crime mystery series. Although a cozy, DRAWING BLOOD works in several deeper issues. Protagonist CeCe Prentice, descendant of the first harbour master of Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, is an environmentalist and Freegan, as are her three housemates and several friends. A Freegan abhors environmental impact and waste, so recycles and reuses. CeCe and her friends are considered dumpster-divers. Her working relationship with the manager of the town recycling center is pressured when he inexplicably disappears. Fortunately CeCe's artistic talent for quick portrait sketches is essential to the investigation.
(A Sketch in Crime #2)
DRAWING BLOOD is the sequel to DRAWING CONCLUSIONS, in the A Sketch in Crime mystery series. Although a cozy, DRAWING BLOOD works in several deeper issues. Protagonist CeCe Prentice, descendant of the first harbour master of Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, is an environmentalist and Freegan, as are her three housemates and several friends. A Freegan abhors environmental impact and waste, so recycles and reuses. CeCe and her friends are considered dumpster-divers. Her working relationship with the manager of the town recycling center is pressured when he inexplicably disappears. Fortunately CeCe's artistic talent for quick portrait sketches is essential to the investigation.
February 22, 2017
Synopsis:
CeCe Prentice returns with her band of Dumpster-diving pals in this fast-paced mystery that puts the eco-friendly heroine back on top--of a pile of trash.
When Big Bob, manager of the town dump, goes missing, CeCe is worried about more than where she'll score her next salvaged car. First at the scene when Bob's body is recovered from under the weekly recycling haul, CeCe is quick to identify potential witnesses and provide crucial scene sketches. But when CeCe is uncharacteristically startled by an unidentified woman at Bob's abandoned house, her artistic talents are challenged, and her drawings, much to her frustration, come up short.
With CeCe's observational talents on the fritz, Detective Frank DeRosa, CeCe, and her network of Freegans are forced to recreate Big Bob's life from the garbage up. The team is soon thrust into the underworld of recycling where what appears to be junk could actually be the clue that saves a life. (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well developed and well rounded. CeCe is a character that had to grow on me, but she did eventually. Given her background, I am surprised that she turned out as normal as she did. I have to say that CeCe’s life history is so convoluted that it was was not very realistic. Her dumpster diving friends added a lot to the story. I was fascinated by the “Freegan” lifestyle. I could not live like that but it was interesting reading about it.
The mystery is carried on well throughout the whole book. There were enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through to make solving this nearly impossible. Throw in a few red herrings and even the most experienced armchair detective would have trouble with. There were a lot of twists and turns that added to the suspense.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. It is not your typical cozy, but that is not a bad thing.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Midnight Ink for the opportunity to read and review this book.
CeCe Prentice returns with her band of Dumpster-diving pals in this fast-paced mystery that puts the eco-friendly heroine back on top--of a pile of trash.
When Big Bob, manager of the town dump, goes missing, CeCe is worried about more than where she'll score her next salvaged car. First at the scene when Bob's body is recovered from under the weekly recycling haul, CeCe is quick to identify potential witnesses and provide crucial scene sketches. But when CeCe is uncharacteristically startled by an unidentified woman at Bob's abandoned house, her artistic talents are challenged, and her drawings, much to her frustration, come up short.
With CeCe's observational talents on the fritz, Detective Frank DeRosa, CeCe, and her network of Freegans are forced to recreate Big Bob's life from the garbage up. The team is soon thrust into the underworld of recycling where what appears to be junk could actually be the clue that saves a life. (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well developed and well rounded. CeCe is a character that had to grow on me, but she did eventually. Given her background, I am surprised that she turned out as normal as she did. I have to say that CeCe’s life history is so convoluted that it was was not very realistic. Her dumpster diving friends added a lot to the story. I was fascinated by the “Freegan” lifestyle. I could not live like that but it was interesting reading about it.
The mystery is carried on well throughout the whole book. There were enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through to make solving this nearly impossible. Throw in a few red herrings and even the most experienced armchair detective would have trouble with. There were a lot of twists and turns that added to the suspense.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. It is not your typical cozy, but that is not a bad thing.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Midnight Ink for the opportunity to read and review this book.
August 10, 2022
I appreciated it jumped right into the story. I didn’t feel lost even though I haven’t read the first book. It didn’t get bogged down in too much recapping.
It is very classist and elitist. The young white woman and her young white friends all come from moderate to wealthy parents and had other opportunities (MIT, etc) and jump on the freegan trend. Also, the protagonist’s non-biological brother’s twin was placed with a poor family to see if nature or nurture shaped him more (ie would his high class family genes win, or would the subpar poor family’s negative environment win). The book kind of gloats about how the boy turned out decent despite his adopted poor family. It’s a bit gross. The protagonist is very negative about “undesirable” people such as non-English speakers, poor people, uneducated people, and drug abusers (her own mom abuses alcohol, but she thinks this is more acceptable because her mom is also rich and white and educated). She and others are constantly thinking/saying things like “a child produced by me and my brother might have thread DNA chops to weather a disadvantaged household. A thread a of hope.” They’re all horrified at the idea of a white kid with superior DNA being raised by a disadvantage household. Those households are loving but underprivileged, but the characters are still horrified by it. It’s not pretty.
It’s almost a checklist of white performative environmentalism and it was rough to get through. It’s a shame because the writing style was good, but the content was…
It’s also just barely avoiding incest. Very soapy. And not a big fan of the MC insisting people don’t have babies, WOMEN do. I don’t know if that was on purpose but it sounds TERFy and I’m not here for it.
I am glad that the book didn’t treat the MC’s bio daughter’s adopted family like they weren’t real, mostly.
The books should have been a lot more fun than it was. It was a fun idea and overall a fun writing style, but the above stuff is just pervasive.
It is very classist and elitist. The young white woman and her young white friends all come from moderate to wealthy parents and had other opportunities (MIT, etc) and jump on the freegan trend. Also, the protagonist’s non-biological brother’s twin was placed with a poor family to see if nature or nurture shaped him more (ie would his high class family genes win, or would the subpar poor family’s negative environment win). The book kind of gloats about how the boy turned out decent despite his adopted poor family. It’s a bit gross. The protagonist is very negative about “undesirable” people such as non-English speakers, poor people, uneducated people, and drug abusers (her own mom abuses alcohol, but she thinks this is more acceptable because her mom is also rich and white and educated). She and others are constantly thinking/saying things like “a child produced by me and my brother might have thread DNA chops to weather a disadvantaged household. A thread a of hope.” They’re all horrified at the idea of a white kid with superior DNA being raised by a disadvantage household. Those households are loving but underprivileged, but the characters are still horrified by it. It’s not pretty.
It’s almost a checklist of white performative environmentalism and it was rough to get through. It’s a shame because the writing style was good, but the content was…
It’s also just barely avoiding incest. Very soapy. And not a big fan of the MC insisting people don’t have babies, WOMEN do. I don’t know if that was on purpose but it sounds TERFy and I’m not here for it.
I am glad that the book didn’t treat the MC’s bio daughter’s adopted family like they weren’t real, mostly.
The books should have been a lot more fun than it was. It was a fun idea and overall a fun writing style, but the above stuff is just pervasive.
May 21, 2018
“Seeing isn’t a function of the eyes. Our brains tend to interpret or distort information in a way that makes us comfortable. We see what we want to see or what others have told us to expect”.
CeCe Prentice strikes again in the second Sketch in Crime mystery, and, if possible, this one is even better than the first! Living with the idea that she might have a child out there, CeCe and her freegan friends join forces with her police boyfriend, Detective Frank DeRosa, to investigate the “loose ends” her father left behind after the trial. In the meantime, Frank, who has moved to town to be near CeCe, has caught a case where another one of CeCe’s freegan friends is involved in something toxic, and Big Bob might have been killed over it.
CeCe’s Mom is recovering not only her life, but her memories of when she was younger. She remembers her husband now disgraced former head of the genetics lab doing some shady dealings with samples from the lab. And now, that case dovetails into a death at the recycling center.
This book is amazing. Dealing with on topic issues like surrogacy, toxic waste and insurance, Deidre Verne is exploring and sorting issueswe see every morning in the news. I love Elizabeth’s sassiness, and Katrina’s growing impatience withher due date, and Kelly and of course Charlie and Frank. All they want is justice- equality for all. I guess it really depends on what you see in the pile of “stuff” we call life. Highly recommended 5/5
CeCe Prentice strikes again in the second Sketch in Crime mystery, and, if possible, this one is even better than the first! Living with the idea that she might have a child out there, CeCe and her freegan friends join forces with her police boyfriend, Detective Frank DeRosa, to investigate the “loose ends” her father left behind after the trial. In the meantime, Frank, who has moved to town to be near CeCe, has caught a case where another one of CeCe’s freegan friends is involved in something toxic, and Big Bob might have been killed over it.
CeCe’s Mom is recovering not only her life, but her memories of when she was younger. She remembers her husband now disgraced former head of the genetics lab doing some shady dealings with samples from the lab. And now, that case dovetails into a death at the recycling center.
This book is amazing. Dealing with on topic issues like surrogacy, toxic waste and insurance, Deidre Verne is exploring and sorting issueswe see every morning in the news. I love Elizabeth’s sassiness, and Katrina’s growing impatience withher due date, and Kelly and of course Charlie and Frank. All they want is justice- equality for all. I guess it really depends on what you see in the pile of “stuff” we call life. Highly recommended 5/5
August 10, 2021
A couple years ago I read Drawing Conclusions by this author and loved it. When I came across a copy of this second book, I knew I had to read it. It was delightful. It's mystery layered upon mystery that draws you in (no pun intended) and keeps you reading, scrambling to find out how everything connects. The main character is a freegan and recycler supreme. It is fascinating to learn how much they recycle and find for free. To learn of an expanded world beyond the recycling center was quite the eye-opener. Now I know this is fiction, but a whole lot of research had to be done in order to write this spellbinding story. I loved it! I am going to get the third volume next, and sure wish there were loads more!
December 12, 2016
Good Read Give Away Winner. I had a hard time at first with this book it dragged a bit for my taste. I think a lot of my confusion was due to not reading the first book in the series. I think it needed a better tie in to the first. It didn't feel like the two cam together and I was a tad lost. I soon learned thought, that this family puts the D in dysfunctional and the characters were better than I gave them credit for in the beginning. Once you get going you wont want to put it down.
July 9, 2023
Follow CeCe, her detective boyfriend, and fellow housemates unravel a new mystery. However, just when things get going the find that there previous case has not finished telling it tale. Well written plot.
April 20, 2016
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5
CeCe Prentice is a Freegan - someone who seeks to reduce their footprint on the planet by reducing waste and reusing everything possible and even digging for discarded food. As such, she's acquainted with the manager of the town dump (where CeCe was planning to 'shop' for her next vehicle). When Big Bob, the dump manager goes missing and is later found dead under a load of recycling, CeCe uses her art skills to make sketches of the scene and identify potential witnesses. But despite CeCe's uncanny ability to recall faces and draw them accurately, she's having a lot of trouble with one individual.
CeCe comes from a family that might just define the term dysfunctional. Her mother is a recovering addict. Her twin brother (who died in the previous book) she discovered was not her biological twin after all, and her father was the head of an organization experimenting with genetics and, as it turns out, stole an egg from twelve-year-old CeCe and fertilized it with a sperm cell from her 'brother'. Now she's wondering if there's a sixteen year old son or daughter in the world with her DNA.
As with the first book (see review here), there is some really incredible science going on. Incredible and scary. I can't imagine the sort of psychological effect it would have on a person to know that you've been robbed of your seed/egg and that it was used to reproduce - that you have a child that you've never known about. (Okay...this does sort of, sometimes, happen to men, but not so much for a woman, for obvious reasons.) But fortunately I don't have to imagine it as author Deirdre Verne captures it quite well.
CeCe's artistic abilities play a slightly larger role in this book, which is much appreciated. It is a mystery with the word 'drawing' in the title, with a protagonist with a great artistic skill, but this is still primarily a medical/scientific mystery/thriller. The artistic talents come into play with this particular story. This plot, with the dead manager and his missing wife, is the center for this particular book, and it is a worth-while mystery. It is worthy of its own focus. But the overarching story of the family dynamics with the gene research and the theft of DNA and the loss of trust is what really makes this a story to immerse one's self within.
I found this book even more interesting than the first book in the series, in part, I suspect, because Ms. Verne builds on the what she's previously established. It's like doing a jigsaw puzzle, only to realize that a bunch of different jigsaw puzzles, when put together form another, larger picture. I absolutely love the intricacies here.
Looking for a good book? This is a mystery series worth reading, and while I would suggest reading Drawing Conclusions first, Drawing Blood still works nicely on its own.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
CeCe Prentice is a Freegan - someone who seeks to reduce their footprint on the planet by reducing waste and reusing everything possible and even digging for discarded food. As such, she's acquainted with the manager of the town dump (where CeCe was planning to 'shop' for her next vehicle). When Big Bob, the dump manager goes missing and is later found dead under a load of recycling, CeCe uses her art skills to make sketches of the scene and identify potential witnesses. But despite CeCe's uncanny ability to recall faces and draw them accurately, she's having a lot of trouble with one individual.
CeCe comes from a family that might just define the term dysfunctional. Her mother is a recovering addict. Her twin brother (who died in the previous book) she discovered was not her biological twin after all, and her father was the head of an organization experimenting with genetics and, as it turns out, stole an egg from twelve-year-old CeCe and fertilized it with a sperm cell from her 'brother'. Now she's wondering if there's a sixteen year old son or daughter in the world with her DNA.
As with the first book (see review here), there is some really incredible science going on. Incredible and scary. I can't imagine the sort of psychological effect it would have on a person to know that you've been robbed of your seed/egg and that it was used to reproduce - that you have a child that you've never known about. (Okay...this does sort of, sometimes, happen to men, but not so much for a woman, for obvious reasons.) But fortunately I don't have to imagine it as author Deirdre Verne captures it quite well.
CeCe's artistic abilities play a slightly larger role in this book, which is much appreciated. It is a mystery with the word 'drawing' in the title, with a protagonist with a great artistic skill, but this is still primarily a medical/scientific mystery/thriller. The artistic talents come into play with this particular story. This plot, with the dead manager and his missing wife, is the center for this particular book, and it is a worth-while mystery. It is worthy of its own focus. But the overarching story of the family dynamics with the gene research and the theft of DNA and the loss of trust is what really makes this a story to immerse one's self within.
I found this book even more interesting than the first book in the series, in part, I suspect, because Ms. Verne builds on the what she's previously established. It's like doing a jigsaw puzzle, only to realize that a bunch of different jigsaw puzzles, when put together form another, larger picture. I absolutely love the intricacies here.
Looking for a good book? This is a mystery series worth reading, and while I would suggest reading Drawing Conclusions first, Drawing Blood still works nicely on its own.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
February 4, 2016
CeCe Prentice and her friends are Freegans, who are people who believe in not wasting anything. They pretty much "dumpster dive" for food and possessions. She is also a skilled portrait artist, and has done work for the local police from time to time.
When her friend Bob, the manager of a recycling plant, disappears, CeCe knows he wouldn't just walk away. And when his body is recovered in a massive pile of garbage, she knows there was foul play afoot. The death seems even more suspicious when there is a discovery regarding computer hard drives which is traced back to Bob, and which leaves Detective Frank DeRosa, CeCe, and her computer whiz roommate Charlie looking for a killer.
Yet it is also time for her friend and housemate Katrina to soon give birth, and with Katrina's other half Jonathan away at med school, it leaves CeCe and Charlie to watch over her; while the sudden appearance of a mysterious woman whom everyone assumes to have something to do with Bob's murder, but can't be located.
As if this weren't involved enough, CeCe is looking for her child, if she has one. Her father, while doing scientific experiments, decided to harvest her egg years ago and use it an a biological experiment. And here's where it gets tricky: Her brother, now deceased, was not her biological brother. He was adopted, and her father, unbeknownst to both of them, used his sperm with her egg, and CeCe wants to know if there was a child of that union. To make things more problematic, Frank, who is also her boyfriend, happens to be her late brother's biological twin, which would make him the uncle of any child found. Intrigued? Confused? Trust me, it's worth reading, but you must stay with the plot all the way through or you could miss a key point. However, this is not a book you are likely to put aside once reading it.
Once CeCe begins to delve into the world of: Where is Bob's killer? Where is Bob's widow? Where is my egg? Where is Katrina's baby? it seems there is a whole lot of 'wheres' but no answers, and CeCe, not the most patient of people in the first place, wants the questions answered. What we wind up with is the fact that Ms. Verne is able to skillfully blend a myriad of plots together and connect them in such a way to keep you guessing throughout. While the book runs into a veritable quagmire, things do manage to keep interesting without being confusing, and keep you interested in finding out the truth all around. Again, as in the first in the series, it takes some time to unravel, yet you eventually see all the pieces and how they fit together. Highly recommended.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, but this in no way influenced my decision.
http://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/2016...
When her friend Bob, the manager of a recycling plant, disappears, CeCe knows he wouldn't just walk away. And when his body is recovered in a massive pile of garbage, she knows there was foul play afoot. The death seems even more suspicious when there is a discovery regarding computer hard drives which is traced back to Bob, and which leaves Detective Frank DeRosa, CeCe, and her computer whiz roommate Charlie looking for a killer.
Yet it is also time for her friend and housemate Katrina to soon give birth, and with Katrina's other half Jonathan away at med school, it leaves CeCe and Charlie to watch over her; while the sudden appearance of a mysterious woman whom everyone assumes to have something to do with Bob's murder, but can't be located.
As if this weren't involved enough, CeCe is looking for her child, if she has one. Her father, while doing scientific experiments, decided to harvest her egg years ago and use it an a biological experiment. And here's where it gets tricky: Her brother, now deceased, was not her biological brother. He was adopted, and her father, unbeknownst to both of them, used his sperm with her egg, and CeCe wants to know if there was a child of that union. To make things more problematic, Frank, who is also her boyfriend, happens to be her late brother's biological twin, which would make him the uncle of any child found. Intrigued? Confused? Trust me, it's worth reading, but you must stay with the plot all the way through or you could miss a key point. However, this is not a book you are likely to put aside once reading it.
Once CeCe begins to delve into the world of: Where is Bob's killer? Where is Bob's widow? Where is my egg? Where is Katrina's baby? it seems there is a whole lot of 'wheres' but no answers, and CeCe, not the most patient of people in the first place, wants the questions answered. What we wind up with is the fact that Ms. Verne is able to skillfully blend a myriad of plots together and connect them in such a way to keep you guessing throughout. While the book runs into a veritable quagmire, things do manage to keep interesting without being confusing, and keep you interested in finding out the truth all around. Again, as in the first in the series, it takes some time to unravel, yet you eventually see all the pieces and how they fit together. Highly recommended.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, but this in no way influenced my decision.
http://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/2016...
June 13, 2016
Title: Drawing Blood - Sketch in Crime Mystery 2
Author: Deidre Verne
Published: 2-8-2016
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Pages: 338
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense
Sub Genre: Women Sleuths; Women's Fiction; Cozy Mystery
ISBN: 9789738741314
ASIN: B019KKTX0I
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Rating: 4 1/2 Stars
.
CeCe Prentice and her Freegan friends are back again. This time Big Bob, the manager of the town recycling Center is missing and CeCe is there along with her sketchbook when is body is recovered. She gets busy sketching the witnesses and bystanders, but seems to run in to a stone wall when she tries to sketch the strange women staying in Bob's home.
CeCe's family is the very definition of dysfunctional. An alcoholic mother, a megalomaniac father who stole his daughters egg and fertilized it with the one she thought was her twin and now Cece has to wonder if she is a mother to some unknown 16 year old and if so where he or she is. And a brother she thought was her twin and loved her whole life is dead that she may not have known at all. There is a lot going on and CeCe is a bit of an oddball by mainstream society's standards is still someone who lives by her convictions and follows her heart no matter where it leads.
It is a testament to Ms. Verne's talent that she can have you still feeling the emotions from reading the book days or even weeks later. Her characters are bold and in your face. There is no room for insipid reactions toward them. You either love them or hate them. The case in point is you will love CeCe and sympathize with her over the recent events and revelations in her life. Dr Prentice, her father you will loathe, pretty much for the same reason. Pick up a copy today and enjoy this unusual mystery thriller combination.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738742287/...
Barnes and Noble link: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drawing-bloo...
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The Reading Room link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
Author: Deidre Verne
Published: 2-8-2016
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Pages: 338
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense
Sub Genre: Women Sleuths; Women's Fiction; Cozy Mystery
ISBN: 9789738741314
ASIN: B019KKTX0I
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Rating: 4 1/2 Stars
.
CeCe Prentice and her Freegan friends are back again. This time Big Bob, the manager of the town recycling Center is missing and CeCe is there along with her sketchbook when is body is recovered. She gets busy sketching the witnesses and bystanders, but seems to run in to a stone wall when she tries to sketch the strange women staying in Bob's home.
CeCe's family is the very definition of dysfunctional. An alcoholic mother, a megalomaniac father who stole his daughters egg and fertilized it with the one she thought was her twin and now Cece has to wonder if she is a mother to some unknown 16 year old and if so where he or she is. And a brother she thought was her twin and loved her whole life is dead that she may not have known at all. There is a lot going on and CeCe is a bit of an oddball by mainstream society's standards is still someone who lives by her convictions and follows her heart no matter where it leads.
It is a testament to Ms. Verne's talent that she can have you still feeling the emotions from reading the book days or even weeks later. Her characters are bold and in your face. There is no room for insipid reactions toward them. You either love them or hate them. The case in point is you will love CeCe and sympathize with her over the recent events and revelations in her life. Dr Prentice, her father you will loathe, pretty much for the same reason. Pick up a copy today and enjoy this unusual mystery thriller combination.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738742287/...
Barnes and Noble link: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drawing-bloo...
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The Reading Room link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
June 12, 2017
While this book is very important to the overall story arc of the series, I did not feel like the mystery portion of the book was that strong. I was far more interested in the personal drama that CeCe and Frank were going through as well as the growth of their relationship rather than who killed Big Bob.
While the two story lines converge towards the end of the story, I kind of wish they had converged earlier. It might have made me care about who killed Big Bob more. I didn't know who the villain was before close to the end, which is a plus, but then again we didn't even meet the villain until close to the end of the book, so that does limit being able to know who they are.
There are several things that we don't know about until the end of the book and while some people like that type of plot, I'm not one of them. Yet, there were elements of the story that I really enjoyed, like watching CeCe and Frank's relationship grow throughout the book. I enjoyed the part of the story line where CeCe and Frank were looking into whether or not CeCe had a daughter out there somewhere that she didn't know about.
It was an enjoyable book overall and I do recommend it, but it was not as great as the first one in the series. Still, anyone interested in the series should not miss this book!
While the two story lines converge towards the end of the story, I kind of wish they had converged earlier. It might have made me care about who killed Big Bob more. I didn't know who the villain was before close to the end, which is a plus, but then again we didn't even meet the villain until close to the end of the book, so that does limit being able to know who they are.
There are several things that we don't know about until the end of the book and while some people like that type of plot, I'm not one of them. Yet, there were elements of the story that I really enjoyed, like watching CeCe and Frank's relationship grow throughout the book. I enjoyed the part of the story line where CeCe and Frank were looking into whether or not CeCe had a daughter out there somewhere that she didn't know about.
It was an enjoyable book overall and I do recommend it, but it was not as great as the first one in the series. Still, anyone interested in the series should not miss this book!
May 20, 2016
Second book in the "A Sketch in Crime" mystery series.
While it took me a while to get "into" the first book in this series--I had trouble identifying with the Freegan lifestyle of the main character--this second book was much more fun. The Freegan ways of reusing "trash" and dumpster-diving for edibles was less in-your-face. Funny thing to say, since the plot actually revolves around trash and recycling and the mysterious death of the man in charge of the recycling facility.
The plot also involves a fertility clinic and improper use of genetic materials. It also raises the concern that one container of sperm could in theory be used to create multitudes in the same geographic area, causing a real genetic problem for the next generation as people unwittingly wed their genetic half-siblings. In fact, in the area where I live, a fertility doctor actually did this, using his own sperm to artificially inseminate his patients.
Some important issues are considered in this book, but don't let that deter you. A very fun read, kept me entertained and turning the pages throughout.
While it took me a while to get "into" the first book in this series--I had trouble identifying with the Freegan lifestyle of the main character--this second book was much more fun. The Freegan ways of reusing "trash" and dumpster-diving for edibles was less in-your-face. Funny thing to say, since the plot actually revolves around trash and recycling and the mysterious death of the man in charge of the recycling facility.
The plot also involves a fertility clinic and improper use of genetic materials. It also raises the concern that one container of sperm could in theory be used to create multitudes in the same geographic area, causing a real genetic problem for the next generation as people unwittingly wed their genetic half-siblings. In fact, in the area where I live, a fertility doctor actually did this, using his own sperm to artificially inseminate his patients.
Some important issues are considered in this book, but don't let that deter you. A very fun read, kept me entertained and turning the pages throughout.
January 18, 2016
Drawing Blood builds upon plot lines introduced in the first book in this series - Drawing Conclusions. If you haven't read Drawing Conclusions, I strongly recommend you go back and start there. Really. It's worth it.
If you have read Drawing Conclusions and are wondering whether to continue on with Drawing Blood the answer is yes, yes, absolutely yes!!!! Deirdre Verne gives us an excellent mystery that will keep you guessing right up to the end as she weaves together the most improbable threads with excellent skill. And I love the way she brings in issues - with a light hand, no preaching - of science, technology and consumerism. The regular characters are a quirky but lovable bunch that form a supportive family.
Deirdre Verne's Drawing Conclusions and Drawing Blood are exceptionally well written, cleverly plotted and truly unique in the cozy mystery genre. I can't recommend them enough.
If you have read Drawing Conclusions and are wondering whether to continue on with Drawing Blood the answer is yes, yes, absolutely yes!!!! Deirdre Verne gives us an excellent mystery that will keep you guessing right up to the end as she weaves together the most improbable threads with excellent skill. And I love the way she brings in issues - with a light hand, no preaching - of science, technology and consumerism. The regular characters are a quirky but lovable bunch that form a supportive family.
Deirdre Verne's Drawing Conclusions and Drawing Blood are exceptionally well written, cleverly plotted and truly unique in the cozy mystery genre. I can't recommend them enough.
August 18, 2016
You really need to read the first book, Drawing Conclusions, first for background, even though this is a more polished (3 1/2 stars) effort. Freegan CeCe still lives on her sustainable farm with her friends, dating police detective DeMarco, whom she met when her supposed brother was murdered. Now a friend of hers, who ran the local recycling center, has disappeared, and CeCe has a bad feeling about it. Her housemate Katrina is hugely pregnant, and CeCe is obsessed with the child born to a surrogate from her genetic material. What's worse, CeCe learns that her brilliant, unstable father is back in the area.
November 30, 2016
This was a great book. Enjoyed it very much. I recommend everyone that loves Mysteries to read it.
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