What do you think?
Rate this book
Lola Wicks #3
Disgraced
When former foreign correspondent Lola Wicks heads to Wyoming for a Yellowstone vacation, she comes across a story that hits close to her past. One Wyoming soldier returning from Afghanistan commits suicide, two others spark a near-fatal brawl, and a woman is terrorized. Lola, accompanied by her young daughter, senses a story about whatever happened on the far side of the world that these troops have brought so disastrously home. But she soon realizes that getting the story must take second place to getting herself--and her little girl--out of Wyoming alive.
Kirkus Reviews praises Florio's previous novels as "crammed with atmosphere and intriguing characters . . . The writing is top-notch, and the action builds at just the right pace."
Praise:
"Gwen Florio achieves what few others can in the field of crime fiction. She creates characters with real depth and places them in a story that is so hard-hitting and believable, it's easy to imagine it being in tomorrow's headlines."--J.J. Hensley, Award winning author of Resolve and Measure Twice
Kirkus Reviews praises Florio's previous novels as "crammed with atmosphere and intriguing characters . . . The writing is top-notch, and the action builds at just the right pace."
Praise:
"Gwen Florio achieves what few others can in the field of crime fiction. She creates characters with real depth and places them in a story that is so hard-hitting and believable, it's easy to imagine it being in tomorrow's headlines."--J.J. Hensley, Award winning author of Resolve and Measure Twice
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2016
15 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Gwen Florio
16 books156 followersGwen Florio is the author of the Lola Wicks crime series ("gutsy," says the New York Times) as well as SILENT HEARTS (Atria, 2018), a standalone set in Afghanistan. A new crime series starts in November 2020 with the publication of Best Laid Plans (Severn House). Her first novel, MONTANA, won the Pinckley Prize for debut crime fiction, and a High Plains Book Award. Florio is a veteran journalist who has covered stories ranging from the mass shooting at Columbine High School and the Oklahoma City bombing trials, to the glitz of the Miss America pageant and the more practical Miss Navajo contest, whose participants slaughter a sheep. She's reported from Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia, among other countries, as well as Lost Springs, Wyo. (population three). She lives in Missoula, Montana. She is represented by Richard Curtis,
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 16, 2016
Disgraced (A Lola Wicks Mystery #3) by Gwen Florio is a part of a series, but easily read as a standalone. That said, I enjoyed this so much, I will be going back to read Montana and Dakota. Ms. Florio is a veteran journalist and brings her experience to the main character of Lola Wicks, who is a former foreign correspondent writing for a Montana newspaper.
Lola is forced to take a vacation and leaves Montana with her young daughter and dog on their way to Yellowstone. Her friend asks her to stop and check on her cousin, Pal, a returned vet from Afghanistan in Wyoming. She finds small town friends who served together, but on return, one is dead and disgraced, one gets a hero’s welcome, one commits suicide, two beat a man nearly to death and Pal, the only female of the group is traumatized. Lola smells a story and the vacation is postponed while she gets to know all the vets and their stories. Secrets, truths and lies all need to be sorted and it becomes dangerous to know the truth for Pal, Lola and her daughter.
This is an intriguing mystery/thriller that really focuses on the troops from Afghanistan and the many dangers and problems they face there and at home. It also depicts prejudice, rape and a conspiracy of lies. There are violent scenes, but I do not feel they are gratuitous. Lola is a strong protagonist that I really enjoyed. This is a series that makes you think as well as entertains.
Lola is forced to take a vacation and leaves Montana with her young daughter and dog on their way to Yellowstone. Her friend asks her to stop and check on her cousin, Pal, a returned vet from Afghanistan in Wyoming. She finds small town friends who served together, but on return, one is dead and disgraced, one gets a hero’s welcome, one commits suicide, two beat a man nearly to death and Pal, the only female of the group is traumatized. Lola smells a story and the vacation is postponed while she gets to know all the vets and their stories. Secrets, truths and lies all need to be sorted and it becomes dangerous to know the truth for Pal, Lola and her daughter.
This is an intriguing mystery/thriller that really focuses on the troops from Afghanistan and the many dangers and problems they face there and at home. It also depicts prejudice, rape and a conspiracy of lies. There are violent scenes, but I do not feel they are gratuitous. Lola is a strong protagonist that I really enjoyed. This is a series that makes you think as well as entertains.
January 20, 2018
Lola and her daughter Margaret are forced into a vacation when Lola is furloughed, and they head to Wyoming. Lola's editor asks her to check in on her sister, who has just returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, and a fellow soldier commits suicide at the welcome reception. Of course, Lola senses a story, especially when two other returning soldiers end up in jail on attempted murder charges. As she pushes deeper, she begins to unravel the truth, which lays far beyond the scars of war and PTSD. Florio continues to pursue her obviously deep-seated feelings about how poorly native Americans are treated. I especially enjoyed the crazy hen, Jemalina.
P.S. Not sure why this one was not titled Wyoming for consistency with her first two books.
P.S. Not sure why this one was not titled Wyoming for consistency with her first two books.
February 2, 2016
Wow did I enjoy this book. The pacing is great—the plot never lags—and I loved the character of Lola. What particularly endeared me to her was that she is a worse cook than I am, which is hard to do, and her thoughts on being a female journalist in Afghanistan, whether a reporter or photographer, plus her actions throughout the book, illustrate what a strong, capable woman she is. Though Lola’s days in Afghanistan are long behind her, they continue to haunt her. Now she’s forced to go on furlough from her job as a reporter in Montana, so she takes her six-year-old daughter Margaret and her three-legged dog Bub on a vacation in Wyoming. (I also adored Margaret and Bub.) Lola quickly finds herself in the midst of uncovering a story about five men and one woman who went to Afghanistan and either died there or ran into serious trouble (including suicide) once they returned. The mystery Lola works to solve is compelling. Florio discusses a lot of things that are important to me—race, class, gender, and who is actually fighting and suffering in these wars—but she does it so deftly that you don’t realize she’s quietly talking about important things because you just want to find out how the story unfolds. A great read.
October 20, 2015
I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy and I was not disappointed. Disgraced is the third book in a series, but don't worry about having to read Montana or Dakota first. This reads great as a standalone story and is the perfect edition to the series. Florio has used her background in journalism to create a wonderful protagonist in Lola Wicks. Disgraced moves fast, but has real depth. You'll want to check this one out.
August 2, 2016
In the new mystery, "Disgraced," the war moves from back burner to front in a crackling story about oppression, secrets and dredging up memories that are painful to confront. And Wicks’ familiarity with the war zone comes neatly into play.
The setting this time is windblown Wyoming. Wicks isn’t supposed to be working—her small hometown newspaper has put her on a money-saving, three-week furlough. The mandatory kind. She’s got her five-year-old daughter Maggie in tow. And a dog. She is supposed to be on a break. She is also taking some time to ponder the idea of marrying Maggie’s father Charlie, a.k.a. Sheriff Charles Laurendeau, the part-American Indian who is back home in Magpie, Montana.
As we learned in the first two books, Wicks’ reporter hat is a permanent fixture. She has an eye—and an ear—for details. She is familiar with the treatment of the powerless and she knows a victim when she sees one.
And Wicks has her own experiences in Afghanistan to process as she’s drawn into wondering why a returning soldier commits suicide upon arrival at the Casper airport. Wicks is there to pick up a friend’s cousin, a sullen woman named Palomino Jones. “Pal” is returning on the same military flight. Pal’s odd reaction to the airport chaos and her anti-social demeanor beckon Wicks to keep asking questions, the thing she does best. Soon, she’s in the middle of a group of locals who had all grown up in the town of Thirty and all gone off to war together. Four had come home. One had been killed in country and one died, at his own hand, within earshot of Wicks.
Like the fog of war itself, what happened “over there” among this group is tough to discern, but Wicks knows she’s onto something. “Stories about such situations were complicated, tangled affairs, the best of them reflecting larger truths about individuals in particular and humanity in general.”
Even on furlough, Wicks recognizes a good piece of journalistic steak, far meatier than her “usual diet of the hamburger that comprised police briefs and weather reports.”
Sorting through rich layers of social, racial and sexual tensions, Wicks dives deep into the small town fray, knowing full well she’s drawing unwanted attention and putting herself—and Maggie—in jeopardy.
"Disgraced" adds depth and dimension to Wicks’ character. The choices she confronts, the lies she deciphers, and her relentless pursuit of a story give Disgraced a satisfying weight. The story echoes the real-life Bowe Bergdahl case of desertion, Sebastian Junger’s non-fiction account "War," Helen Thorpe’s non-fiction account "Soldier Girls," and "Missoula," Jon Krakauer’s non-fiction account of campus rape at the University of Montana (a book that drew heavily from Florio’s own real-life reporting for the newspaper in Missoula).
Whenever Wicks senses that “hard knot of uncertainty,” we know she’ll be grabbing her notebook and will start asking questions, whether she’s on duty or not. "Disgraced" is the best of Florio’s fiction to date.
The setting this time is windblown Wyoming. Wicks isn’t supposed to be working—her small hometown newspaper has put her on a money-saving, three-week furlough. The mandatory kind. She’s got her five-year-old daughter Maggie in tow. And a dog. She is supposed to be on a break. She is also taking some time to ponder the idea of marrying Maggie’s father Charlie, a.k.a. Sheriff Charles Laurendeau, the part-American Indian who is back home in Magpie, Montana.
As we learned in the first two books, Wicks’ reporter hat is a permanent fixture. She has an eye—and an ear—for details. She is familiar with the treatment of the powerless and she knows a victim when she sees one.
And Wicks has her own experiences in Afghanistan to process as she’s drawn into wondering why a returning soldier commits suicide upon arrival at the Casper airport. Wicks is there to pick up a friend’s cousin, a sullen woman named Palomino Jones. “Pal” is returning on the same military flight. Pal’s odd reaction to the airport chaos and her anti-social demeanor beckon Wicks to keep asking questions, the thing she does best. Soon, she’s in the middle of a group of locals who had all grown up in the town of Thirty and all gone off to war together. Four had come home. One had been killed in country and one died, at his own hand, within earshot of Wicks.
Like the fog of war itself, what happened “over there” among this group is tough to discern, but Wicks knows she’s onto something. “Stories about such situations were complicated, tangled affairs, the best of them reflecting larger truths about individuals in particular and humanity in general.”
Even on furlough, Wicks recognizes a good piece of journalistic steak, far meatier than her “usual diet of the hamburger that comprised police briefs and weather reports.”
Sorting through rich layers of social, racial and sexual tensions, Wicks dives deep into the small town fray, knowing full well she’s drawing unwanted attention and putting herself—and Maggie—in jeopardy.
"Disgraced" adds depth and dimension to Wicks’ character. The choices she confronts, the lies she deciphers, and her relentless pursuit of a story give Disgraced a satisfying weight. The story echoes the real-life Bowe Bergdahl case of desertion, Sebastian Junger’s non-fiction account "War," Helen Thorpe’s non-fiction account "Soldier Girls," and "Missoula," Jon Krakauer’s non-fiction account of campus rape at the University of Montana (a book that drew heavily from Florio’s own real-life reporting for the newspaper in Missoula).
Whenever Wicks senses that “hard knot of uncertainty,” we know she’ll be grabbing her notebook and will start asking questions, whether she’s on duty or not. "Disgraced" is the best of Florio’s fiction to date.
February 19, 2016
It's always so refreshing to pick up one of Florio's books. Always, from the very first sentence, I get swept away in her beautiful prose and within the first few pages, swept away into her story. I've read all the 'Lola' books and I was so excited to pick up this one! I've adored Lola's character from the beginning and I love her even more in this book, as a mother! Her badass nature just happens to make her one of the most protective and realistic fictional mothers I've ever read.
In this story, Lola's next story lead is a group of soldiers who have return from Afghanistan--well, most of them. Lola ends up spending most of her time with one in particular--Pal, who gives Lola a run for her money in the take-no-shit arena. The interaction between the two characters kept me intrigued and I enjoyed watching them both grow throughout the course of the story.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has already read the other two Lola books, but it could be easily be read as a stand alone. If you love mystery, kick-ass female heroines, and beautiful writing, you won't be disappointed.
In this story, Lola's next story lead is a group of soldiers who have return from Afghanistan--well, most of them. Lola ends up spending most of her time with one in particular--Pal, who gives Lola a run for her money in the take-no-shit arena. The interaction between the two characters kept me intrigued and I enjoyed watching them both grow throughout the course of the story.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has already read the other two Lola books, but it could be easily be read as a stand alone. If you love mystery, kick-ass female heroines, and beautiful writing, you won't be disappointed.
June 30, 2016
Cold beer served in frozen glasses and steamy action best describes this thought-provoking adventure with Lola, Margaret and Bub on "vacation" in Wyoming. Plus, you'll learn a new way to cap strawberries.
September 4, 2017
Grabbed this book from the TBR shelves on my way out the door for an overnight trip that ended up being longer, and the upside was a chance to read this book in a short time. And my, was it absorbing. My intro to Lola and her daughter, Margaret, who are on vacation in Wyoming and agree to do a friend a favor and welcome the friend's young cousin, Palomino "Pal" Jones back from Afghanistan, where she deployed after enlisting with five young men from her small ranching community. Now one is dead, one kills himself at the airstrip, two are jailed for a vicious assault, and Pal's not talking. What the hell happened over there, and what fresh hell is it causing now? This is a dynamite book, with intriguing characters and strong writing, and a vivid portrayal of some of the many forms and consequences of war-related PTSD. Highly recommended.
February 19, 2016
Wyoming and Afghanistan: The novel Disgraced takes place in two locations that typically wouldn’t have me cracking a cover. But what a mistake if I hadn’t taken this book suggestion from a friend! I would have missed out on a vivid journey into two worlds I’ve never visited. However, this book isn’t a geography lesson. It’s fast-paced with loads of political intrigue. But the political intrigue isn’t the run-of-the mill – no, it’s rural we-make-our-own-laws Wyoming politics, rez politics, women in the military politics. Florio takes a common occurrence – a bunch of high school buddies from Wyoming who enlist because they have few other options – and switchbacks the story into a nail-biter who-done-it with complicated, authentic characters - all trying to survive anything but common circumstances.
August 19, 2017
A most excellent 5 star read!
Well, you have done it again.
Such a travesty we heap upon our most brave and innocent.
Lola and Margaret head to Wyoming for a "vacation" but Lola has never been any good at down time. When checking on a friend for a friend who has just returned from Afghanistan she stumbles upon a town and a girl in shame, pain and denial.
Digging in deep for the truth and taking on the town bullies she puts herself, her daughter and her new friend in harms way.
I loved the "strawberry surprise" ending because karma is always a bitch and talk about lucky with, well never mind, you have to read the story to find out just how she got lucky!
You will be biting your nails, flipping pages, shaking your head, laughing at Bub and Jemalina and marveling at Margaret. I hope you are hard at work on the next book...:)
Well, you have done it again.
Such a travesty we heap upon our most brave and innocent.
Lola and Margaret head to Wyoming for a "vacation" but Lola has never been any good at down time. When checking on a friend for a friend who has just returned from Afghanistan she stumbles upon a town and a girl in shame, pain and denial.
Digging in deep for the truth and taking on the town bullies she puts herself, her daughter and her new friend in harms way.
I loved the "strawberry surprise" ending because karma is always a bitch and talk about lucky with, well never mind, you have to read the story to find out just how she got lucky!
You will be biting your nails, flipping pages, shaking your head, laughing at Bub and Jemalina and marveling at Margaret. I hope you are hard at work on the next book...:)
May 30, 2024
Found this book randomly on my bookshelf and was hoping that it would be an undiscovered gem but instead found myself stuck with a poorly written book with infuriating, self-destructive characters and a mediocre plot. This is one of the times when I wish I could leave a book unfinished.
March 15, 2016
Disgraced is the third Lola Wicks Mystery [Montana, Dakota] by Gwen Florio. This time around, Lola’s off on a road trip to Yellowstone with her five-year-old daughter Maggie and stumbles upon quite the interesting story. Her co-worker and friend Jan asked her to drive her friend Pal home from the airport. Pal just returned from Afghanistan. At the airport, she witnesses a soldier’s suicide. No one wants to talk about it. What could possibly be the reason? Pal remains sullen, reserved and takes to heavy drinking. She just won’t discuss anything. While she just returned from war she’s still remarkably closed off. This young woman holds many secrets that will slowly be revealed.
Using her investigative journalism skills she digs into this immediately. It involves a group of friends from a local Native American reservation who just returned home from Afghanistan. Until she moved to Montana, Lola worked as a foreign correspondent. She’s familiar with Afghanistan. There’s not much about the suicide in the local paper although Lola notices some connected stories—another soldier killed while on duty. She notes to herself that in most places this many casualties and ruined lives would spark further questioning—“But this was the rural West, with its staunch and unquestioning patriotism.” Author Gwen Florio always excels with establishing sense of place. She writes: “In fact, she thought, throw in a few flat-roofed mud houses, some flocks of shaggy, fat-bottomed Arabi sheep, and bearded men in pajama-like shalwar qamiz toting AK-47s, and Wyoming would look just like Afghanistan—a fact not inclined to endear the state to her.”
full review here: http://entertainmentrealm.com/2016/03...
Using her investigative journalism skills she digs into this immediately. It involves a group of friends from a local Native American reservation who just returned home from Afghanistan. Until she moved to Montana, Lola worked as a foreign correspondent. She’s familiar with Afghanistan. There’s not much about the suicide in the local paper although Lola notices some connected stories—another soldier killed while on duty. She notes to herself that in most places this many casualties and ruined lives would spark further questioning—“But this was the rural West, with its staunch and unquestioning patriotism.” Author Gwen Florio always excels with establishing sense of place. She writes: “In fact, she thought, throw in a few flat-roofed mud houses, some flocks of shaggy, fat-bottomed Arabi sheep, and bearded men in pajama-like shalwar qamiz toting AK-47s, and Wyoming would look just like Afghanistan—a fact not inclined to endear the state to her.”
full review here: http://entertainmentrealm.com/2016/03...
February 19, 2018
This is the third installment in Florio's Lola Wicks mystery series. Lola is a small town Montana journalist who previously had been a reporter in Afghanistan.
Six new high school graduates from a small Wyoming town and the nearby Indian reservation band together and sign up for the military. Four white men, a woman, and an Indian. They take their prejudices and life experiences with them.
One dies in Afghanistan. A second kills himself after stepping off the plane in what is supposed to be a triumphant homecoming. The remaining four are all obviously troubled.
Lola has been sent by a friend to interrupt her vacation with her daughter and drive the returning woman soldier home. Clearly something is very wrong.
While all of her mysteries have embraced aspects of social justice, I found this one much darker than her previous entries: a military patrol unit in Afghanistan took very wrong turn; a woman soldier enduring the worst kind of sexual harassment, and, as usual in Ms Florio's books, racism against Indians.
But there is humor, too: Jemalina the hen who may be aspiring to become a house dog, and Lola's sad attempts at cooking stand out. These things definitely lighten the load of what could otherwise be a very bleak story.
4 stars. Not quite what I was expecting, but I was certainly drawn right in and couldn't put it down. This one could work as a stand alone since there is a six year gap between this and the last novel.
I can't wait to read the 4th one; the 5th will be out soon, too.
Six new high school graduates from a small Wyoming town and the nearby Indian reservation band together and sign up for the military. Four white men, a woman, and an Indian. They take their prejudices and life experiences with them.
One dies in Afghanistan. A second kills himself after stepping off the plane in what is supposed to be a triumphant homecoming. The remaining four are all obviously troubled.
Lola has been sent by a friend to interrupt her vacation with her daughter and drive the returning woman soldier home. Clearly something is very wrong.
While all of her mysteries have embraced aspects of social justice, I found this one much darker than her previous entries: a military patrol unit in Afghanistan took very wrong turn; a woman soldier enduring the worst kind of sexual harassment, and, as usual in Ms Florio's books, racism against Indians.
But there is humor, too: Jemalina the hen who may be aspiring to become a house dog, and Lola's sad attempts at cooking stand out. These things definitely lighten the load of what could otherwise be a very bleak story.
4 stars. Not quite what I was expecting, but I was certainly drawn right in and couldn't put it down. This one could work as a stand alone since there is a six year gap between this and the last novel.
I can't wait to read the 4th one; the 5th will be out soon, too.
July 7, 2016
I enjoyed reading Gwen Florio's novel "Disgraced" and was captivated by the descriptions of Wyoming & Afghanistan. The major characters were compelling, Lola Wicks especially. Having read "Montana" also, I thought Lola became even more interesting in this book alongside her daughter and as she wrestled with her various concerns. The matter into which she was investigating and the issues surrounding that were also compelling and relevant on so many levels.
April 18, 2016
Another great entry in this Lola Wicks series. I've read and enjoyed them all. I also learn a lot from her books--about Native American life, US oil fields, the war in Afghanistan and its effects, etc--thanks to Gwen Florio's own background and her research.
December 28, 2016
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS MONTANA AUTHOR, IT IS TIME TO SEARCH FOR HER BOOKS. THEY ARE TOP NOTCH AND YOU WILL NOT WANT TO PUT DOWN ONCE YOU START.
December 24, 2017
I was not familiar with Gwen Florio's books until a couple of years ago when I met her parents while on a trip to New Hampshire. Since I am a library or secondhand book buyer, I had no luck finding her books until I joined the library here in Dade City, Fl and found "Disgraced". Not being a journalist or reporter, I found it difficult to like Lola's "need to get the story' no matter what...she was on a forced furlough from her job at the newspaper, she had a 5-year old child who was put in danger many times and expected to 'amuse' herself for hours. Margaret is certainly one special little girl. Loved the interaction with Bub, the 3-legged dog and Jemalina, the hen which brought some much-needed humour to the story.
A most compelling read; hated to put it down when other duties called. I was fascinated with the author's insight and descriptions of Afghanistan; it's beauty but its horror and fear which would certainly override anything else in that country. Can't imagine living in such fear all the time. I admit to being depressed while reading and I wondered how often the events in the story happen to the soldiers today, especially the female ranks.
The story is fast paced but also very 'deep' as we learn why these 6 young people from Wyoming were so greatly affected by their tour of duty. If I had a grandchild who had to serve in Afghanistan, I would be so frightened for him/her; I would certainly be talking to God in prayers many, many times each day. This story awakened deep feelings for servicemen who daily live among these unseen enemies and how it affects them once they return home.
A most compelling read; hated to put it down when other duties called. I was fascinated with the author's insight and descriptions of Afghanistan; it's beauty but its horror and fear which would certainly override anything else in that country. Can't imagine living in such fear all the time. I admit to being depressed while reading and I wondered how often the events in the story happen to the soldiers today, especially the female ranks.
The story is fast paced but also very 'deep' as we learn why these 6 young people from Wyoming were so greatly affected by their tour of duty. If I had a grandchild who had to serve in Afghanistan, I would be so frightened for him/her; I would certainly be talking to God in prayers many, many times each day. This story awakened deep feelings for servicemen who daily live among these unseen enemies and how it affects them once they return home.
July 9, 2017
This is a change in what I have been reading. Enjoyed the book so will look for the rest of the series.
July 26, 2017
not my fave of the series so far
January 29, 2020
4.5 enjoyed this one in the series, about Afghanistan and what happens there that the world never sees.
October 7, 2022
Wow! This book was a little hard for me to get into, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. The twist I was expecting came, but was nothing like I expected.
April 30, 2024
Absolutely riveting storytelling and the tensions of the rural west. Amazing.
August 9, 2016
Journalist Lola Wicks heads to Wyoming with her daughter Margaret and dog Bub for a Yellowstone vacation. Lola promised her friend Jan that she would check up on Jan's cousin Pal who is now returning to Wyoming from a stint in Afghanistan. While they are at the military homecoming ceremony, a soldier commit suicide with his gun. Pal claims not to know him but Lola soon learns they were in the same unit. Two more returning soldiers get into a bar fight and almost kill someone. One soldier in Pal's unit was killed in Afghanistan and the rumor is that he was sleeping while on guard duty. Pal seems to be trying to drink herself into oblivion and she is steadily cutting herself. Lola, who covered Afghanistan as a foreign correspondent, senses a big story but she's having a hard time getting anyone to talk. She tries investigating the story through multiple contacts with the other guys in the unit. If she could just break through Pal's defenses, she has the best chance of breaking the story wide open.
I'd never heard of this author before and certainly didn't know this was the 3rd in a series with Lola Wicks, but it read just as well as a standalone book. I thought Lola was a very strong character and I really liked her. She seemed very real and so did Pal. I liked how the author dealt with the stories of soldiers coming home from Afghanistan. I also liked the hints of Native American culture and I bet others in this series delve more into this theme. Now I'll be looking to find the first 2 books with Lola Wicks.
I'd never heard of this author before and certainly didn't know this was the 3rd in a series with Lola Wicks, but it read just as well as a standalone book. I thought Lola was a very strong character and I really liked her. She seemed very real and so did Pal. I liked how the author dealt with the stories of soldiers coming home from Afghanistan. I also liked the hints of Native American culture and I bet others in this series delve more into this theme. Now I'll be looking to find the first 2 books with Lola Wicks.
May 18, 2016
An exciting story, briskly told . . . maybe a little too brisk, since Ms. Florio is dealing with plenty of important issues here, like soldiers with PTSD and the fact that thousands of American Indians have fought for the country which murdered their ancestors. However, it's all in service of a well-told but ultimately predictable thriller, the protagonist of which is a dogged and heroic reporter (shades of Stieg Larsson). Does someone need to write a scathing nonfiction book about how the American government has abandoned veterans? Definitely. Could someone write a moving history of Native American soldiers and the contrast between their bravery on the battlefield and the desperation of their lives? Probably. Could Ms. Florio write that book? Maybe. But writing decent mysteries isn't necessarily the worst choice.
April 13, 2016
(3 1/2). This is a powerful book. The subject matter is so real it draws you in deeply. The problems of returning veterans and improprieties in the military are nothing new but this story really hits home. Florio has done a nice job with great character development and the Wyoming setting is perfect. This is a real stomach churning kind of story with a Lee Child type of plot that just keeps going deeper and deeper with every new discovery. Very little downtime here, a good page turner that keeps you on edge.
May 24, 2016
Gripping mystery, if a little predictable, about a veteran, Pal, from Afghanistan who returns to her small town in Wyoming, shattered. The other veterans from her town are also in trouble - one died overseas, one commits suicide, and two are in jail. Lola, a journalist, arrives in town with her small daughter to check on Pal as a favor to a friend and finds herself pulled into Pal's story, wanting to uncover more about what happened overseas and why. But that turns out to be dangerous.
Strong portrayal of war and its aftermath - not for the faint - and of small town prejudices.
Strong portrayal of war and its aftermath - not for the faint - and of small town prejudices.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews