Francine’s Moment In the Sun Shines Bright!
When I opened this book and realized I was not going to hear Genevieve’s voice, I confess I was hugely disappointed. One of the great delights of the previous 6 books in this series is that they are written in the first-person perspective of an autistic narrator. I love getting to see the world through Genevieve’s eyes! The Léger Connection breaks this pattern—it’s written in the third person, which felt jarring and wrong. I came close to putting the book down altogether!
I’m glad I didn’t! Although the third person narration—mostly from Francine’s perspective—means we miss out on Genevieve’s point of view, it allows us into Francine’s world, which is different from Genevieve’s, of course, but turns out to be equally entertaining. This perspective shift allows for Ryan to have some fun with Francine and Manny in a way she couldn’t if what we saw were always filtered through Genevieve’s eyes, and we get to be introduced to Francine’s parents—also great fun.
Of course, as usual, all of this in the context of a tense and twisted crime to be solved, where the stakes are nothing short of people’s lives. Only with each member of the team operating at peak capacity will they manage to solve the puzzle in time.
After six books of seeing Genevieve from inside her own head, it’s fun to see her from the outside. And though I was skeptical at the outset, it was fun to see Francine have her moment in the sun in this book.
I wonder if the other characters will get a chance in the spotlight in upcoming books in this series? If so, I know I’m in good hands—Ryan is a consummate pro, just like the members of the team she writes about. I will continue to devour anything she writes, and won’t doubt again if the next book is in third person!