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Willa Pennington, P.I. #1
What Doesn't Kill You
Favors are for suckers, especially when they lead you straight to a dead body
Willa Pennington thought that becoming a PI would be better than being a cop. She thought she'd never have to make another death notification or don a bulletproof vest again. She thought she'd be safe.
But she couldn't have been more wrong, because Willa's real problem is that she's always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. And people really don't like that.
Now, agreeing to do a simple favor has netted her a dead body, a missing person, and an old friend who just may be a very bad guy. If whoever is trying to kill her would lay off she could solve the murder, find the missing girl, and figure out if the person she's trusted with her life is the one trying to end it.
Willa Pennington thought that becoming a PI would be better than being a cop. She thought she'd never have to make another death notification or don a bulletproof vest again. She thought she'd be safe.
But she couldn't have been more wrong, because Willa's real problem is that she's always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. And people really don't like that.
Now, agreeing to do a simple favor has netted her a dead body, a missing person, and an old friend who just may be a very bad guy. If whoever is trying to kill her would lay off she could solve the murder, find the missing girl, and figure out if the person she's trusted with her life is the one trying to end it.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 8, 2018
10 people are currently reading
983 people want to read
About the author
Aimee Hix
2 books43 followersAimee spent twenty years working as a federal contractor, so she spent a lot of time contemplating murder. It made total sense that once she retired she would devote her whole life to it. Fictional murder, of course.
She is a native of Northern Virginia and so she truly understands the trials and tribulations of her main character, Willa Pennington, an apprentice PI starting her new career in the Starbucks-laden, decidedly non-gritty streets of Fairfax County.
Her first book, WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU has been nominated for a Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel and an Agatha for Best First Novel.
Aimee lives in Virginia her family, three dogs, and all her killer thoughts. You can visit her at www.aimeehix.com.
She is a native of Northern Virginia and so she truly understands the trials and tribulations of her main character, Willa Pennington, an apprentice PI starting her new career in the Starbucks-laden, decidedly non-gritty streets of Fairfax County.
Her first book, WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU has been nominated for a Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel and an Agatha for Best First Novel.
Aimee lives in Virginia her family, three dogs, and all her killer thoughts. You can visit her at www.aimeehix.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
January 16, 2018
I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to other mystery lovers! The only issue I had with this book was that it was a bit slow in places. In this book the MC is asked to help a girl leave her abusive boyfriend. I have been in this situation on both sides of it and in both situations it was scary. The characterisation in this book was great. This was definitely a good start to the series and I’m curious to see what the author has in store for us next.
July 9, 2017
Willa Pennington is an ex-cop, now in training to follow her father as a Private Investigator. She is asked to help a family friend's daughter. The daughter wants to leave the house she's been sharing with her abusive boyfriend ... and wants someone with her while she moves.
When Willa arrives at the house, the girl is nowhere to be found. However, the boyfriend is there ..and he's dead.
Doing her duty, she calls the police and reports. From there, what should have happened was for Willa to go about her own business. But Willa is not wired that way. She has a bad habit of sticking her nose in where it's not needed .. or wanted.
But then, this case becomes personal for her. Seth is an old flame, the older brother of her best friend who was killed overseas. The attraction has always been there, but there's only been a single one-night stand ...and that was years ago.
Seth appears out of nowhere and has an extremely high interest in the death of the man. While Willa is still attracted ... she doesn't trust easily. And when someone attempts to kill her .. twice .. she's wondering just who she can or cannot trust.
This is the author's debut novel and the beginning of what looks to be a terrific series. Willa is a wonderful character. She's young, she's feisty, headstrong & stubborn, and is still trying to come to terms with the loss of her best friend of many years. She has a younger brother that she adores and would protect with her life. And then there's Seth ... the man she's been attracted to forever. But he has secrets ... secrets that he's not sharing with Willa.
The book is suspenseful. There's a lot of action, some of it quite brutal. The author has done a fine job balancing Willa's professional life with her personal life. I look forward to seeing more of this author ... and Willa Pennington.
Many thanks to the author / Midnight Ink / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
When Willa arrives at the house, the girl is nowhere to be found. However, the boyfriend is there ..and he's dead.
Doing her duty, she calls the police and reports. From there, what should have happened was for Willa to go about her own business. But Willa is not wired that way. She has a bad habit of sticking her nose in where it's not needed .. or wanted.
But then, this case becomes personal for her. Seth is an old flame, the older brother of her best friend who was killed overseas. The attraction has always been there, but there's only been a single one-night stand ...and that was years ago.
Seth appears out of nowhere and has an extremely high interest in the death of the man. While Willa is still attracted ... she doesn't trust easily. And when someone attempts to kill her .. twice .. she's wondering just who she can or cannot trust.
This is the author's debut novel and the beginning of what looks to be a terrific series. Willa is a wonderful character. She's young, she's feisty, headstrong & stubborn, and is still trying to come to terms with the loss of her best friend of many years. She has a younger brother that she adores and would protect with her life. And then there's Seth ... the man she's been attracted to forever. But he has secrets ... secrets that he's not sharing with Willa.
The book is suspenseful. There's a lot of action, some of it quite brutal. The author has done a fine job balancing Willa's professional life with her personal life. I look forward to seeing more of this author ... and Willa Pennington.
Many thanks to the author / Midnight Ink / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
May 5, 2018
A 28-year-old ex-cop, Willa Pennington, investigates a neighborhood murder only to discover an old flame, Seth, is also involved. A reluctant romance is rekindled with Seth. Willa's investigation soon goes beyond a simple murder and some truly sinister people become suspects. Then, as Willa develops more evidence, someone tries twice to kill her.
The characterizations in "What Doesn't Kill You" are realistic, deep and three-dimensional. Willa is strong, smart and witty. And she's grieving the combat death of her best friend. Seth is quiet, confident and charming. The plot is believable, fast-paced and appropriately complex. The writing is polished.
Highly recommended for readers of private investigator mysteries. Also recommended for readers of romantic suspense.
The characterizations in "What Doesn't Kill You" are realistic, deep and three-dimensional. Willa is strong, smart and witty. And she's grieving the combat death of her best friend. Seth is quiet, confident and charming. The plot is believable, fast-paced and appropriately complex. The writing is polished.
Highly recommended for readers of private investigator mysteries. Also recommended for readers of romantic suspense.
January 22, 2018
What a knock out debut for Ms. Hix, I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us regarding the headstrong ex-cop, Willa Pennington, and her sexy childhood crush, Seth Anderson.
Willa left the local police department after a tragic event left her re-evaluating her career path. She had all the makings of being a great cop, but her heart wasn’t in it anymore. She decides she’ll go for her P.I. license and apprentice for her father until she can strike out on her own.
Her parents are away on an extended vacation, so she's holding down her father's agency as well as keeping her eye on her 17-year-old brother, Ben. Willa once introduced him as the only "forty-year-old newborn." He's a child genius, responsible and mindful of the family rules. Willa and Ben just pretend that since she’s the oldest therefore that makes her the wisest.
Willa agrees to do a simple favor for her elderly next-door neighbors, which turns out to be anything but simple. She's not one to back away from trouble and boy does she ever find it. She finds herself slipping back into "cop mode," but that works both ways for her, she finds it helpful in some areas and others not so much.
While she’s up to her eyeballs in trying to help her neighbors, she receives a mysterious call from her old friend, Seth Anderson, who wants to see her that evening. Willa’s not sure where their relationship stands because when they were last together they left a lot of loose ends. She’s not looking forward to the extremely awkward evening out with Seth, especially after the day she’s had. Could Seth mysterious appearance while she’s working on this case simply a coincidence or something much more menacing?
This is a fast-paced mystery with believable characters and witty dialogue. I liked the witty Willa; she's a strong woman who can hold her own and then some. As I stated earlier, I'm already looking forward to the next installment in the series.
DISCLOSURE: I received this e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The opinions I've expressed above are my own.
Willa left the local police department after a tragic event left her re-evaluating her career path. She had all the makings of being a great cop, but her heart wasn’t in it anymore. She decides she’ll go for her P.I. license and apprentice for her father until she can strike out on her own.
Her parents are away on an extended vacation, so she's holding down her father's agency as well as keeping her eye on her 17-year-old brother, Ben. Willa once introduced him as the only "forty-year-old newborn." He's a child genius, responsible and mindful of the family rules. Willa and Ben just pretend that since she’s the oldest therefore that makes her the wisest.
Willa agrees to do a simple favor for her elderly next-door neighbors, which turns out to be anything but simple. She's not one to back away from trouble and boy does she ever find it. She finds herself slipping back into "cop mode," but that works both ways for her, she finds it helpful in some areas and others not so much.
While she’s up to her eyeballs in trying to help her neighbors, she receives a mysterious call from her old friend, Seth Anderson, who wants to see her that evening. Willa’s not sure where their relationship stands because when they were last together they left a lot of loose ends. She’s not looking forward to the extremely awkward evening out with Seth, especially after the day she’s had. Could Seth mysterious appearance while she’s working on this case simply a coincidence or something much more menacing?
This is a fast-paced mystery with believable characters and witty dialogue. I liked the witty Willa; she's a strong woman who can hold her own and then some. As I stated earlier, I'm already looking forward to the next installment in the series.
DISCLOSURE: I received this e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The opinions I've expressed above are my own.
July 28, 2017
The best debut I've read this year—I adored Willa Pennington and had a blast following her through this smart, well-plotted mystery. I can't wait for the next book in this series!
January 9, 2018
What Doesn't Kill You is Aimee Hix's debut novel, but if you didn't know that, you'd be hard pressed to realize it. This novel reads as smooth and seasoned as the middle of a series, not the beginning. I was fortunate to read an early copy, and I remember being struck by the unfettered transitions from sentence to sentence and scene to scene. I just completed a second reading of the published novel so that my thoughts would be fresh on the content. I was as thoroughly thrilled with the second reading as the first, and one overriding thought was that Aimee Hix really knows how to write. As a former English teacher, I take great delight in her sentence structure, transitions, and command of the language. Her playful turn of phrase can surprise the reader with some gems, like "Even if he hadn't looked like a lying liar pants with his shifty lying body language ..." Add the language mastery to the storytelling and character creation, and you have what is sure to be one of the best new books of 2018.
Willa Pendleton is an ex-cop who is in training to join her father's private investigating business. Still trying to recover from the loss of her best friend Michael, dead just four months, Willa stumbles into a murder scene when doing a favor for her neighbors, David and Susan Horowitz. Their granddaughter Violet is in an abusive relationship with a man, and Willa agrees to meet Violet at the place she shares with the abusive boyfriend to help move. But, when Willa arrives at the isolated house, no one is there, except the dead boyfriend. Violet takes a runner, and Willa, whose father is currently out of town on vacation, feels a responsibility to the Horowitzes to clear Violet of any suspicion in the murder.
When Willa's continued interest and investigation into the murder brings her dead friend's brother into the picture, Willa finds that loose ends to a murder are not all she has to figure out. Seth and Willa have a complicated relationship that provides backstory and sexual tension and witty dialogue and danger. Not bad for a couple of characters trying to figure out both their places in the world and each other's lives. It also is a bit of a problem with both of them having a vested interest in catching the killer. The case is, of course, bigger than a single murder of a loser boyfriend. And, yet, it becomes personal, too. Willa’s doggedness to follow the threads and find answers takes a course of high drama and brutal action that endangers her life.
Suspense, action, great story, great structure, great characters. I can hardly wait for Book #2!
Willa Pendleton is an ex-cop who is in training to join her father's private investigating business. Still trying to recover from the loss of her best friend Michael, dead just four months, Willa stumbles into a murder scene when doing a favor for her neighbors, David and Susan Horowitz. Their granddaughter Violet is in an abusive relationship with a man, and Willa agrees to meet Violet at the place she shares with the abusive boyfriend to help move. But, when Willa arrives at the isolated house, no one is there, except the dead boyfriend. Violet takes a runner, and Willa, whose father is currently out of town on vacation, feels a responsibility to the Horowitzes to clear Violet of any suspicion in the murder.
When Willa's continued interest and investigation into the murder brings her dead friend's brother into the picture, Willa finds that loose ends to a murder are not all she has to figure out. Seth and Willa have a complicated relationship that provides backstory and sexual tension and witty dialogue and danger. Not bad for a couple of characters trying to figure out both their places in the world and each other's lives. It also is a bit of a problem with both of them having a vested interest in catching the killer. The case is, of course, bigger than a single murder of a loser boyfriend. And, yet, it becomes personal, too. Willa’s doggedness to follow the threads and find answers takes a course of high drama and brutal action that endangers her life.
Suspense, action, great story, great structure, great characters. I can hardly wait for Book #2!
December 9, 2017
Love Story.
I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Written by Aimee Hix, and published by Midnight Ink in Woodbury, Minnesota in 2018, the novel is purported to be a PI procedural murder investigation story. In fact, however, it is a thinly-disguised Romance story that is heavy on the hormones and sexual references, and light on the investigation. Wannabe private investigator, and ex-cop, Willa Pennington discovers a dead body when she goes to her neighbor’s granddaughter’s house to assist her in moving away from an abusive boyfriend. The body is that of the boyfriend. He had been shot twice through the chest. The granddaughter, Violet, is the immediate suspect, but Willa believes she is innocent.
Willa’s father is a private investigator, and Willa wants desperately to join him in his practice. He is, however, now on a cruise in the Caribbean with his second wife and Willa’s stepmother. Willa is on her own. Fearing nothing, and unable to control her impulses, she sets about starting her own murder investigation, even though she has no PI license, and even though it is not legal in Virginia for private citizens of any sort to conduct murder investigations. An old flame, Seth Anderson, soon enters the picture, and Willa’s passions are immediately stirred, and stirred, and stirred . . . In fact, the stirring never seems to stop. She seems totally unable to control herself, anxious to jump into bed with Seth at every opportunity. I know what you’re thinking. Somebody with such a total lack of self-control should never be an investigator of any kind, and I agree with you. The author, however, clearly does not.
At the beginning, the book seemed to have been written in 1930s-style detective noir, with a lot of sarcastic dialog and thinking-out-loud that seems a bit out of place in the 21st Century. It recurs periodically throughout the book, but is not constant, so the character of the protagonist seems to change from tough PI to vulnerable woman with romance on her mind as the story progresses.
From starting with a “bang” as Willa discovers a dead body, the story slows perceptibly. After a bit, one begins to wish the author would just get on with the story, and stop focusing on the romantic interests of Willa and Seth. It detracted greatly from what, otherwise, could have been a good story. By one-third of the way into the story, I had arrived at the conclusion that the story was “mushy,” and that the character of Willa Pennington was also “mushy.” The book really lacks crispness. After a while, reading it just became tedious, and I began to look forward to the ending so I could read a different book. Too bad. I thought it had a great beginning, but it just petered out . . .
By 60% into the story, I had begun to become tired and bored because this was some sort of Romance novel, filled with a lot of self-psychoanalysis about Willa and her romantic involvements with the men in her life, and with her relationship with her biological parents. Had I known in advance that this novel was a Romance, and not a PI police procedural, I would not have chosen to read it. I am quite disappointed.
There are a few inconsistencies in the story. At location #735 in the Kindle edition, Willa receives a telephone call from the missing Violet, who the police are searching for. She answers the call, trying to protect Violet by saying: “Willa Pennington here. I do not want you to tell me your name.” Five paragraphs later, Willa says: “I need information only you have, Violet.” What? Either she doesn’t want to acknowledge who she is talking to, or she does. Which is it?
From the blurb at the beginning of the book, I did not expect it to be a love story at all. But it is. It more a love story than any other kind of story. I think this writer has talent, but if she wants to write Romance novels, she should make it clear that they are not detective, crime, murder mystery, or police procedural novels. I did not like this book and will not recommend it to others.
Willa’s father is a private investigator, and Willa wants desperately to join him in his practice. He is, however, now on a cruise in the Caribbean with his second wife and Willa’s stepmother. Willa is on her own. Fearing nothing, and unable to control her impulses, she sets about starting her own murder investigation, even though she has no PI license, and even though it is not legal in Virginia for private citizens of any sort to conduct murder investigations. An old flame, Seth Anderson, soon enters the picture, and Willa’s passions are immediately stirred, and stirred, and stirred . . . In fact, the stirring never seems to stop. She seems totally unable to control herself, anxious to jump into bed with Seth at every opportunity. I know what you’re thinking. Somebody with such a total lack of self-control should never be an investigator of any kind, and I agree with you. The author, however, clearly does not.
At the beginning, the book seemed to have been written in 1930s-style detective noir, with a lot of sarcastic dialog and thinking-out-loud that seems a bit out of place in the 21st Century. It recurs periodically throughout the book, but is not constant, so the character of the protagonist seems to change from tough PI to vulnerable woman with romance on her mind as the story progresses.
From starting with a “bang” as Willa discovers a dead body, the story slows perceptibly. After a bit, one begins to wish the author would just get on with the story, and stop focusing on the romantic interests of Willa and Seth. It detracted greatly from what, otherwise, could have been a good story. By one-third of the way into the story, I had arrived at the conclusion that the story was “mushy,” and that the character of Willa Pennington was also “mushy.” The book really lacks crispness. After a while, reading it just became tedious, and I began to look forward to the ending so I could read a different book. Too bad. I thought it had a great beginning, but it just petered out . . .
By 60% into the story, I had begun to become tired and bored because this was some sort of Romance novel, filled with a lot of self-psychoanalysis about Willa and her romantic involvements with the men in her life, and with her relationship with her biological parents. Had I known in advance that this novel was a Romance, and not a PI police procedural, I would not have chosen to read it. I am quite disappointed.
There are a few inconsistencies in the story. At location #735 in the Kindle edition, Willa receives a telephone call from the missing Violet, who the police are searching for. She answers the call, trying to protect Violet by saying: “Willa Pennington here. I do not want you to tell me your name.” Five paragraphs later, Willa says: “I need information only you have, Violet.” What? Either she doesn’t want to acknowledge who she is talking to, or she does. Which is it?
From the blurb at the beginning of the book, I did not expect it to be a love story at all. But it is. It more a love story than any other kind of story. I think this writer has talent, but if she wants to write Romance novels, she should make it clear that they are not detective, crime, murder mystery, or police procedural novels. I did not like this book and will not recommend it to others.
July 24, 2017
Willa Pennington, who is training to become a private inspector, comes across a dead body in someone else’s house. Now what? She was only there to fulfill a favour requested by her family friends to help their daughter Violet leave this home in which she lives with her abusive boyfriend, who is now suddenly dead. With Violet nowhere to be found, Willa gets a creeping feeling that something is most definitely off. I mean, of course she would, she just found a dead man!
Pennington is an ex-cop, so naturally, she would do what she expects of any individual who comes across a dead body. She called the cops in her capacity as a citizen, as she was not on-duty as a PI when she was heading over to the home to help Violet move out. One would expect that once Willa called the cops and they took over the investigation, her involvement would be over, even though she was the only witness. But her inquisitive, curious nature ensures that this is most definitely not the case.
This novel follows Willa as she tries to figure out what led up to this man’s death. Along the way, we see the recurrence of her good friend, Michael, who passed away while serving his country overseas. We also get to know Michael’s brother, Seth, who has a significant interest in this case, along with a love interest for Willa.
Willa has a couple of near death experiences which makes her wonder who she can really trust and confide in. Will she decide to solve the man’s mysterious death? Is everything truly as it seems, and should one always do favours for someone they know well? Read this novel for answers to all of these questions!
I loved Willa’s sassy personality and how she prefers doing things on her own. I loved how much she cares for her younger, highly-intelligent brother Ben, as well as how much she thinks about her old friend, Michael. Her witty personality definitely adds to the novel and makes it far more enjoyable. Additionally, I really liked how all the characters in this novel have some sort of role in furthering the plot. At the end of this novel, I was not left with any unanswered questions!
What Doesn’t Kill You is an impressive debut novel for the author, Aimee Hix, as I was intrigued from the start! This was my first digital copy reading, and I must admit that I truly enjoyed it. I know that after reading this novel, I will most definitely be reading the rest of the PI Mystery series by Aimee Hix!
I want to extend a huge thank you to Netgalley and the publishers at Midnight Ink for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel, which in no way changes my views of this book! It was an excellent, suspenseful novel!
Keep an eye out for my review to be posted on my book reviews blog located at https://elsbookreviews.blogspot.ca/ soon!
Pennington is an ex-cop, so naturally, she would do what she expects of any individual who comes across a dead body. She called the cops in her capacity as a citizen, as she was not on-duty as a PI when she was heading over to the home to help Violet move out. One would expect that once Willa called the cops and they took over the investigation, her involvement would be over, even though she was the only witness. But her inquisitive, curious nature ensures that this is most definitely not the case.
This novel follows Willa as she tries to figure out what led up to this man’s death. Along the way, we see the recurrence of her good friend, Michael, who passed away while serving his country overseas. We also get to know Michael’s brother, Seth, who has a significant interest in this case, along with a love interest for Willa.
Willa has a couple of near death experiences which makes her wonder who she can really trust and confide in. Will she decide to solve the man’s mysterious death? Is everything truly as it seems, and should one always do favours for someone they know well? Read this novel for answers to all of these questions!
I loved Willa’s sassy personality and how she prefers doing things on her own. I loved how much she cares for her younger, highly-intelligent brother Ben, as well as how much she thinks about her old friend, Michael. Her witty personality definitely adds to the novel and makes it far more enjoyable. Additionally, I really liked how all the characters in this novel have some sort of role in furthering the plot. At the end of this novel, I was not left with any unanswered questions!
What Doesn’t Kill You is an impressive debut novel for the author, Aimee Hix, as I was intrigued from the start! This was my first digital copy reading, and I must admit that I truly enjoyed it. I know that after reading this novel, I will most definitely be reading the rest of the PI Mystery series by Aimee Hix!
I want to extend a huge thank you to Netgalley and the publishers at Midnight Ink for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel, which in no way changes my views of this book! It was an excellent, suspenseful novel!
Keep an eye out for my review to be posted on my book reviews blog located at https://elsbookreviews.blogspot.ca/ soon!
July 27, 2017
While still reeling from the death of her best friend, aspiring private investigator Willa Pennington agrees to help the granddaughter of a neighbor move away from an abusive boyfriend. But when she gets to the house, she finds the boyfriend dead and the girl missing.
After calling the police, she decides to investigate herself, even though she is technically unlicensed. She has been apprenticing under of her private detective father, who is currently on vacation. Her attempts to solve the murder lead her to reconnect with her dead best friend's brother, with whom she develops complicated relationship.
I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately it read more like an unpolished rough draft of Veronica Mars fan fiction rather than a finished novel. The way the police allow her to traipse through the crime scene unaccompanied was completely implausible. The protagonist as reckless damsel in distress trope got old quickly and she just comes off as immature and whiny. There are countless inexplicable leaps of logic and connections that appear randomly. Most of the novel is overly neurotic internalizations rather than action or dialogue with other characters.
The conclusion for the story was good and almost made up for the flaws of the rest of the novel. But then a new character (and potential threat) appeared near the end and then inexplicably disappeared. This ruined what could have been a solid ending.
To make matters worse, the ARC that I read was rife with countless typos and paragraph formatting so bad it was hard to tell who was speaking sometimes. I hope the publisher fixes these before it goes to print.
I think this author shows a lot of potential. It's just not fully realized in this novel.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
After calling the police, she decides to investigate herself, even though she is technically unlicensed. She has been apprenticing under of her private detective father, who is currently on vacation. Her attempts to solve the murder lead her to reconnect with her dead best friend's brother, with whom she develops complicated relationship.
I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately it read more like an unpolished rough draft of Veronica Mars fan fiction rather than a finished novel. The way the police allow her to traipse through the crime scene unaccompanied was completely implausible. The protagonist as reckless damsel in distress trope got old quickly and she just comes off as immature and whiny. There are countless inexplicable leaps of logic and connections that appear randomly. Most of the novel is overly neurotic internalizations rather than action or dialogue with other characters.
The conclusion for the story was good and almost made up for the flaws of the rest of the novel. But then a new character (and potential threat) appeared near the end and then inexplicably disappeared. This ruined what could have been a solid ending.
To make matters worse, the ARC that I read was rife with countless typos and paragraph formatting so bad it was hard to tell who was speaking sometimes. I hope the publisher fixes these before it goes to print.
I think this author shows a lot of potential. It's just not fully realized in this novel.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 10, 2017
I was impressed with this author's first book. She has a way with intermixing suspense with humor that has you on the edge of your seat while also hanging on to it from laughing.
What Doesn't Kill You kicks off a new series about a former police officer who quits to join her father's PI business. She hasn't gotten her license yet but when her next door neighbors ask her to help their granddaughter move out of an abusive situation she figures what's the harm. Well things take a big turn when she arrives to find said abusive boyfriend dead.
Willa is not one to just stand on the sidelines and let the police handle the situation. With her police training and tough as nails personality she is a force to be reckoned with.
While she is meddling where she shouldn't, she is also having to deal with the brother of her dead best friend who is back in town with whom she has a long history with and its looking like he might not be the good guy he once was.
There is so much going on through out this book – more than what I've noted in the review – that your never bored. I'm looking forward to more in this series.
What Doesn't Kill You kicks off a new series about a former police officer who quits to join her father's PI business. She hasn't gotten her license yet but when her next door neighbors ask her to help their granddaughter move out of an abusive situation she figures what's the harm. Well things take a big turn when she arrives to find said abusive boyfriend dead.
Willa is not one to just stand on the sidelines and let the police handle the situation. With her police training and tough as nails personality she is a force to be reckoned with.
While she is meddling where she shouldn't, she is also having to deal with the brother of her dead best friend who is back in town with whom she has a long history with and its looking like he might not be the good guy he once was.
There is so much going on through out this book – more than what I've noted in the review – that your never bored. I'm looking forward to more in this series.
August 7, 2019
Overall: 2/5 Stars
Characters: 2.5/5 Stars
Believability: 2/5 Stars
Peeve Factor: 1.5/5 Stars
Personal Opinion: 2.5/5 Stars
This one ended up being only an okay book, and just barely at that, for me for a couple of reasons. I really have a difficult time with crime/police drama books that disregard the most commonly known beliefs about police procedure and practices. This book seems to stretch, bend and break a lot of those. No, Willa isn’t a police officer, but she manages to get involved in this case and access to things that a non-police officer should never get. It doesn’t matter if she was a former police officer. She wasn’t even a detective, just a basic officer, which makes those breaches even worse in my opinion.
The other major issue was how utterly all over the map Willa’s character is. Is she a hormone driven idiot? Or is she this composed, put together professional? Does she have a moral core or does she have no compunction at all for breaking rules and laws to get the results she wants? Is she a bumbling amateur without two brain cells to rub together or is she a bit of a badass that knows her shit? All the different parts of her personality tended to contradict themselves, making her character seem flighty and difficult to like. I could never pinpoint how old she was supposed to be because her levels of maturity weren’t consistent. More times than not, she seemed like a willful, bratty teenager and not someone who was old enough to have ever been a police officer.
To add to the pile of peeves, you get this weird, annoying thing where everyone in any authority gives her whatever she wants because she is apparently brilliant. More so than the actual police and federal agents working on the case. See the above comments about her coming across as a bumbling amateur and you will see why this was an even more annoying occurrence. And why I really wasn’t a fan.
Characters: 2.5/5 Stars
Believability: 2/5 Stars
Peeve Factor: 1.5/5 Stars
Personal Opinion: 2.5/5 Stars
This one ended up being only an okay book, and just barely at that, for me for a couple of reasons. I really have a difficult time with crime/police drama books that disregard the most commonly known beliefs about police procedure and practices. This book seems to stretch, bend and break a lot of those. No, Willa isn’t a police officer, but she manages to get involved in this case and access to things that a non-police officer should never get. It doesn’t matter if she was a former police officer. She wasn’t even a detective, just a basic officer, which makes those breaches even worse in my opinion.
The other major issue was how utterly all over the map Willa’s character is. Is she a hormone driven idiot? Or is she this composed, put together professional? Does she have a moral core or does she have no compunction at all for breaking rules and laws to get the results she wants? Is she a bumbling amateur without two brain cells to rub together or is she a bit of a badass that knows her shit? All the different parts of her personality tended to contradict themselves, making her character seem flighty and difficult to like. I could never pinpoint how old she was supposed to be because her levels of maturity weren’t consistent. More times than not, she seemed like a willful, bratty teenager and not someone who was old enough to have ever been a police officer.
To add to the pile of peeves, you get this weird, annoying thing where everyone in any authority gives her whatever she wants because she is apparently brilliant. More so than the actual police and federal agents working on the case. See the above comments about her coming across as a bumbling amateur and you will see why this was an even more annoying occurrence. And why I really wasn’t a fan.
September 17, 2017
First offering from a new author who understands the word "suspense" to the core. Dark and mysterious, featuring characters who are struggling separately and together to find meaning and direction after a terrible tragedy. Nothing is what it seems and the author makes the most of that as the action and suspense builds from a dynamite opening scene. I enjoyed the characters as much as plot. I can't wait to find out what happens to Willa and Seth especially and I want to find out more about them both personally and professionally--always a good indicator that I'll be waiting impatiently for book two.
I won an early ARC review copy of this book, which I had preordered anyway. Lucky me, and thanks!
I won an early ARC review copy of this book, which I had preordered anyway. Lucky me, and thanks!
October 21, 2019
3.75 Stars This is a first novel for Aimee Hix and features Willa Pennington, a former cop in training to be a PI. Willa agrees to help a neighbor's granddaughter move out of her abusive boyfriend's house. When Willa shows up, she finds the boyfriend shot to death. Willa helps her old police department investigate. The investigation is connected to one that a friend and romantic crush is also investigating. There is quite a bit of romantic tension and action in this first novel. Some of the romantic tension and drama goes a little over the top at times, but this was a very enjoyable read with a good underlying investigation. This book is nominated for the Anthony Award for best first mystery.
February 19, 2018
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Willa Pennington left the police force to become a PI, but when she stumbles on a body, she realizes it might actually be harder than what she anticipated.
The cover doesn’t tell it but this actually an amazing mystery that was also filled with a great romance.
I was captivated from beginning to end.
Willa was all kinds of great and I really liked the characters.
The mystery also had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
This was a really good debut novel and I will be waiting for more from this author.
Willa Pennington left the police force to become a PI, but when she stumbles on a body, she realizes it might actually be harder than what she anticipated.
The cover doesn’t tell it but this actually an amazing mystery that was also filled with a great romance.
I was captivated from beginning to end.
Willa was all kinds of great and I really liked the characters.
The mystery also had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
This was a really good debut novel and I will be waiting for more from this author.
March 17, 2018
I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I quite enjoyed this one!
I found the main character, a cool, 28-year-old ex-cop, quite relatable and I was really curious to see how her story is going, which was further encouraged by the really engaging writing style. Further, the comparatively small set of characters was fitting for the novel's length. This novel never got boring and I didn't mind the love story/crime mix up at all (which I usually do).
All in all, I highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants to enjoy some easy yet exciting bedside reading.
I quite enjoyed this one!
I found the main character, a cool, 28-year-old ex-cop, quite relatable and I was really curious to see how her story is going, which was further encouraged by the really engaging writing style. Further, the comparatively small set of characters was fitting for the novel's length. This novel never got boring and I didn't mind the love story/crime mix up at all (which I usually do).
All in all, I highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants to enjoy some easy yet exciting bedside reading.
February 20, 2018
The debut mystery novel from author Aimee Hix came to my attention via a blog post on the Jungle Red Writers site. After reading that post I was very intrigued and ordered the book the same day.
Now that I've been able to get around to reading it, I found it to be a solid book that serves a strong foundational launchpad for the series as a whole.
Willa Pennington is training to become a private investigator after having left the police force. She's apprenticing to her father. While he and her mother are out of town, she's called upon to help the granddaughter of a family friend move out on her abusive ex-boyfriend.
But that favor leads to the discovery of the dead body of said boyfriend and suddenly a relatively simple moving job transforms not into a murder investigation but finds Willa's life threatened. The girlfriend is in the wind and the inquiries Willa makes leads to an awkward reunion with the older brother of her deceased best friend.
As Willa continues to try and clear the granddaughter of suspicion in the death of the ex, she finds herself questioning if those around her might somehow be involved and looking to tie up any loose ends...including her.
The author does a nice job of establishing Willa as an unassuming badass without making her seem patently ridiculous or unbelievable. She's got actual training so she's no lightweight in either investigatory matters or when the situation calls for it, fighting off an attacker. But broadening the character by making her a devoted big sister to a computer genius younger brother and giving her the often joked about by others habit of being a junk food junkie was a nice, if a tad familiar, touch.
The supporting cast includes Seth Anderson, the older brother of Willa's late friend. They share a past of both happy and sad memories, all of which come rushing back at their reunion. His introduction immediately had me suspecting him of secrets which I was proved right upon as the story unfolded but rather than be disappointed in how easy that was to figure out, I went along for the ride as the truth was learned by Willa in due course.
I don't know if Detective Jan Boyd is planned to be a recurring character for the series, but I did enjoy her scenes in this book and would love to learn more about her in future books.
I will say that at times I wanted to see Willa ditch the internal dialogue and get on with things, but this being the first book in the series, it was necessary to give the readers as much of a full picture of the character and set things up for what I'm sure are to be great things to come.
For me, "What Doesn't Kill You" is a debut novel for both the author and the character that gives readers a strong feeling of what's to come for a bright new addition to the PI literary genre.
Now that I've been able to get around to reading it, I found it to be a solid book that serves a strong foundational launchpad for the series as a whole.
Willa Pennington is training to become a private investigator after having left the police force. She's apprenticing to her father. While he and her mother are out of town, she's called upon to help the granddaughter of a family friend move out on her abusive ex-boyfriend.
But that favor leads to the discovery of the dead body of said boyfriend and suddenly a relatively simple moving job transforms not into a murder investigation but finds Willa's life threatened. The girlfriend is in the wind and the inquiries Willa makes leads to an awkward reunion with the older brother of her deceased best friend.
As Willa continues to try and clear the granddaughter of suspicion in the death of the ex, she finds herself questioning if those around her might somehow be involved and looking to tie up any loose ends...including her.
The author does a nice job of establishing Willa as an unassuming badass without making her seem patently ridiculous or unbelievable. She's got actual training so she's no lightweight in either investigatory matters or when the situation calls for it, fighting off an attacker. But broadening the character by making her a devoted big sister to a computer genius younger brother and giving her the often joked about by others habit of being a junk food junkie was a nice, if a tad familiar, touch.
The supporting cast includes Seth Anderson, the older brother of Willa's late friend. They share a past of both happy and sad memories, all of which come rushing back at their reunion. His introduction immediately had me suspecting him of secrets which I was proved right upon as the story unfolded but rather than be disappointed in how easy that was to figure out, I went along for the ride as the truth was learned by Willa in due course.
I don't know if Detective Jan Boyd is planned to be a recurring character for the series, but I did enjoy her scenes in this book and would love to learn more about her in future books.
I will say that at times I wanted to see Willa ditch the internal dialogue and get on with things, but this being the first book in the series, it was necessary to give the readers as much of a full picture of the character and set things up for what I'm sure are to be great things to come.
For me, "What Doesn't Kill You" is a debut novel for both the author and the character that gives readers a strong feeling of what's to come for a bright new addition to the PI literary genre.
May 10, 2019
Thank you to Netgalley, the Publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.
This is a debut novel, but you would not know that from reading it. It was very enjoyable. Willa Pennington, ex-cop, Private Investigator in training, is asked to assist a granddaughter of a neighbour leave an abusive boyfriend, an easy thing to do becomes difficult when the boyfriend is found dead and the girl missing, it sets Willa off on a quest to get to the bottom of this mystery. I really liked Willa, she is no-nonsense gal with a good heart. I did find the story dragged a few times, but as a first novel this was great. Great story with great potential; I will definitely be in the lookout for the next book in this series.
This is a debut novel, but you would not know that from reading it. It was very enjoyable. Willa Pennington, ex-cop, Private Investigator in training, is asked to assist a granddaughter of a neighbour leave an abusive boyfriend, an easy thing to do becomes difficult when the boyfriend is found dead and the girl missing, it sets Willa off on a quest to get to the bottom of this mystery. I really liked Willa, she is no-nonsense gal with a good heart. I did find the story dragged a few times, but as a first novel this was great. Great story with great potential; I will definitely be in the lookout for the next book in this series.
January 7, 2018
All debut novels should be as good as this one. It's a romantic thriller with a strong female protagonist, with enough romance for those that like that element in their novels, and enough solid thrills for those who want to be on the edge of their seat, dammit! I read it in one sitting, staying up well past my normal bedtime. It's a fast read -- the pacing is excellent and makes it a page-turner.
January 7, 2020
I had difficulty keeping on about half way through. I am in a Mystery book club, and this is the selection for January, so I made myself read one chapter a day up to about chapter 23. Then I read the last 40 pages all at one go.
I must be getting old and jaded.
I must be getting old and jaded.
February 11, 2018
This is one of the most amazing firsts in a new series I've read in at least 10 years. I promise not to hold my breath till the next book arrives at my door, but please don't let it be too long.
April 7, 2019
If you like well-plotted mysteries featuring kick-ass detectives, then this is a great series for you. Hix introduces Willa Pennington, a smart, complex private detective in training, and mixes the story with interesting supporting characters to keep this a series worth watching!
January 10, 2018
This is the author's first book, a crime/suspense book and I must say it's hard to describe it. Nothing of the book was for my liking, for the premise you thought it would be a good cop/PI story with a character super badass who would get you inside the story and you would just finish in two days. I love cops books and I was very excited for this one.
Unfortunately it was a big disappointment, Willa is the main character and everything about her, about the back story, about the storyline is rushy. Not a single time it made with time and thought it was like the author wanted to be done with this novel as soon as possible. Everything was so rushed and lack in back story that it took me a really long time to finally get the hang of the book actually.
Willa is not a character that I had bonded with, she was always needing to show herself off and she wouldn't listen to anyone for her she was the freaking superhero and no one would take that from her and it's just borderline annoying how she and apparently her parents treat a seventeen year old boy like a baby and he lets it. Benjamin is her younger brother and he's a teenager who just lets everyone treat him like a child, I want to see any real teenage at seventeen letting someone do that even geek ones and I was a huge geek back at my teen years. I couldn't stand their parts on the book together, I thought I would scream in frustration waiting for the moment of rebellion (Does someone want to guess if it happened?!)
For someone who's not even a real PI she had some serious luck which annoyed me because in real life or even other crime books that wouldn't have happened to quickly or smoothly. The suspense about her best friend was another loose string I hated that was left that way, he dies and we learn how but she and her best friend's older brother made a promise where we only can guess what it was but never was spoken about it or how it changed everything and everyone. Excuse me give me some answers! Valid and good ones!
Seth the other main character is just machist for me, everything he needed to be the one doing it, Willa couldn't think of doing something he wanted to haul her into a safe house and do everything herself. At the end she attributed everything to "love" which killed me so hard I was glad the book ended right there or I would have dropped this book dead at that precise moment. Ridiculous. I've never been so disappointed with a book in my life, usually you don't like a book but you can find some strong points on the story where you liked or could have been better approached. With this book I'm find harder and harder to just connect to something remotely good.
I didn't really enjoyed the author's writing style and I think she could have opened the book with a better introduction. All of the character are thrown at us so suddenly and with no back story that you have to swim hard to get with the flow. I think the author can do better with a next novel, not rushing into anything, giving the character better back stories and more answers about their past that justify how they are in the present. Not rushing the crime, the development of the whole story and less annoying characters please.
Next time for a better made suspense which doesn't trick you with the summary and it makes more sense. I'm trying to understand how the killer at the end was fixated on her since the poor explanation we have is just ridiculous. Completely and utterly ridiculous.
Overall I just hope a next book will be better, not really sure I'd give another go but you never know when it comes down to it.
Unfortunately it was a big disappointment, Willa is the main character and everything about her, about the back story, about the storyline is rushy. Not a single time it made with time and thought it was like the author wanted to be done with this novel as soon as possible. Everything was so rushed and lack in back story that it took me a really long time to finally get the hang of the book actually.
Willa is not a character that I had bonded with, she was always needing to show herself off and she wouldn't listen to anyone for her she was the freaking superhero and no one would take that from her and it's just borderline annoying how she and apparently her parents treat a seventeen year old boy like a baby and he lets it. Benjamin is her younger brother and he's a teenager who just lets everyone treat him like a child, I want to see any real teenage at seventeen letting someone do that even geek ones and I was a huge geek back at my teen years. I couldn't stand their parts on the book together, I thought I would scream in frustration waiting for the moment of rebellion (Does someone want to guess if it happened?!)
For someone who's not even a real PI she had some serious luck which annoyed me because in real life or even other crime books that wouldn't have happened to quickly or smoothly. The suspense about her best friend was another loose string I hated that was left that way, he dies and we learn how but she and her best friend's older brother made a promise where we only can guess what it was but never was spoken about it or how it changed everything and everyone. Excuse me give me some answers! Valid and good ones!
Seth the other main character is just machist for me, everything he needed to be the one doing it, Willa couldn't think of doing something he wanted to haul her into a safe house and do everything herself. At the end she attributed everything to "love" which killed me so hard I was glad the book ended right there or I would have dropped this book dead at that precise moment. Ridiculous. I've never been so disappointed with a book in my life, usually you don't like a book but you can find some strong points on the story where you liked or could have been better approached. With this book I'm find harder and harder to just connect to something remotely good.
I didn't really enjoyed the author's writing style and I think she could have opened the book with a better introduction. All of the character are thrown at us so suddenly and with no back story that you have to swim hard to get with the flow. I think the author can do better with a next novel, not rushing into anything, giving the character better back stories and more answers about their past that justify how they are in the present. Not rushing the crime, the development of the whole story and less annoying characters please.
Next time for a better made suspense which doesn't trick you with the summary and it makes more sense. I'm trying to understand how the killer at the end was fixated on her since the poor explanation we have is just ridiculous. Completely and utterly ridiculous.
Overall I just hope a next book will be better, not really sure I'd give another go but you never know when it comes down to it.
December 9, 2017
Willa Pennington has quit the police force and is apprenticing with her father to become a private investigator when a neighbor asks her to do a favor. The Horowitz's granddaughter Violet has gotten involved with an abusive boyfriend and the grandparents have asked Willa to go help her move out. However, Violet is missing and the abusive boyfriend Joe is there but dead after being shot twice in the chest.
Willa's first goal is to prove that Violet had nothing to do with the death. But the case quickly spirals into far more dangerous territory as she investigates Joe who had some really creepy friends. One friend surprises her. Willa's childhood friend Seth seems to know Joe too.
Willa and Seth have a complicated relationship. Willa and Seth's brother Michael were best friends until Michael's recent death in an IED attack. Michael had long since made Willa promise not to have anything to do with Seth when he realized that she had a crush on him. Willa is still regretting hooking up with Seth after Michael's memorial service and now, after years of seeing him only at family gatherings, Seth is back and acting in a very suspicious way.
Willa and Seth need to work together to solve Willa's case and Seth's since he is an undercover ATF agent dealing with locating some stolen guns. The danger keeps building as Willa gets closer to the case. There are at least two attempts on her life.
I loved Willa. She is strong and smart and dealing with losing her best friend. She is in need of therapy and can't sleep. She has a very smart mouth that helps cover some of her grief. I loved her relationship with Seth. She wasn't going to stand to be the little woman who was put somewhere safe while the menfolk dealt with all the danger.
This was an excellent first novel. I can't wait to read more about Willa in future novels.
Willa's first goal is to prove that Violet had nothing to do with the death. But the case quickly spirals into far more dangerous territory as she investigates Joe who had some really creepy friends. One friend surprises her. Willa's childhood friend Seth seems to know Joe too.
Willa and Seth have a complicated relationship. Willa and Seth's brother Michael were best friends until Michael's recent death in an IED attack. Michael had long since made Willa promise not to have anything to do with Seth when he realized that she had a crush on him. Willa is still regretting hooking up with Seth after Michael's memorial service and now, after years of seeing him only at family gatherings, Seth is back and acting in a very suspicious way.
Willa and Seth need to work together to solve Willa's case and Seth's since he is an undercover ATF agent dealing with locating some stolen guns. The danger keeps building as Willa gets closer to the case. There are at least two attempts on her life.
I loved Willa. She is strong and smart and dealing with losing her best friend. She is in need of therapy and can't sleep. She has a very smart mouth that helps cover some of her grief. I loved her relationship with Seth. She wasn't going to stand to be the little woman who was put somewhere safe while the menfolk dealt with all the danger.
This was an excellent first novel. I can't wait to read more about Willa in future novels.
February 26, 2019
What a book to debut a new series !!!
What Doesn't Kill You by Aimee Hix is an amazing book and the story grabs the reader from the very beginning and doesn't let loose until the very end.
The reader will instantly love and respect the main character Willa Pennington for so many reasons. Some of those reasons are that Willa loves her family and will do whatever it takes to protect them, she will also do whatever she can to protect friends of the family, she is a woman that knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get that, no matter how dangerous it is. She is also someone you want next to you if you ever find yourself in a tough spot or dark alley.....
And you will love the "relationship" she has with her childhood "friend" Seth. Their relationship and the hard times and the things that connect them are so deep and trying that you cannot help but respect them for it. And when it seems like it is getting too much to handle, Hix knows exactly what to write to get us back into the dirt of the story....
The dirt of the story puts Willa in the middle of more than she can handle when she agrees to help her neighbors with a little favor.....A favor that starts with a dead guy !! This takes Willa and her "cop want to be a PI" training where she never expected it to lead this soon into her career. However this brings her a lot closer to her childhood friend Seth and opens up a can of worms that they have both been trying hard to keep closed.......
Hix shoots this one out of the ballpark !! I was on the edge of my seat reading What Doesn't Kill You and I cannot wait to visit the next installment in this series. I need to know more about the lives of Willa and Seth and see where things take us....... I hope you will also !!!
What Doesn't Kill You by Aimee Hix is an amazing book and the story grabs the reader from the very beginning and doesn't let loose until the very end.
The reader will instantly love and respect the main character Willa Pennington for so many reasons. Some of those reasons are that Willa loves her family and will do whatever it takes to protect them, she will also do whatever she can to protect friends of the family, she is a woman that knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get that, no matter how dangerous it is. She is also someone you want next to you if you ever find yourself in a tough spot or dark alley.....
And you will love the "relationship" she has with her childhood "friend" Seth. Their relationship and the hard times and the things that connect them are so deep and trying that you cannot help but respect them for it. And when it seems like it is getting too much to handle, Hix knows exactly what to write to get us back into the dirt of the story....
The dirt of the story puts Willa in the middle of more than she can handle when she agrees to help her neighbors with a little favor.....A favor that starts with a dead guy !! This takes Willa and her "cop want to be a PI" training where she never expected it to lead this soon into her career. However this brings her a lot closer to her childhood friend Seth and opens up a can of worms that they have both been trying hard to keep closed.......
Hix shoots this one out of the ballpark !! I was on the edge of my seat reading What Doesn't Kill You and I cannot wait to visit the next installment in this series. I need to know more about the lives of Willa and Seth and see where things take us....... I hope you will also !!!
January 6, 2018
2.5 stars
I'm always on the lookout for a good mystery or thriller and the blurb for this one sounded quite promising. Unfortunately, the reality didn't quite live up to that promise. The story starts out mysterious enough with our main character finding a dead body, but it quickly becomes more about Willa and Seth's relationship than anything else. I like romance and may have been okay with that part had I cared enough about these characters to want to see them together. Willa turned me off from the beginning when she views finding the body as more inconvenience than anything else and seemed to only use the I'm sorry, this is my first time finding a dead body and I'm upset reasoning when it suited her. I can appreciate sarcasm and even gallows humor. In fact, I often like it in a story, but it just didn't work here. Willa comes off more crass and uncaring than anything else. I also realize that this is fiction and a certain amount of leeway can be given, but the idea that an ex-police officer would be allowed to walk through a crime scene and be that involved in an active investigation was a bit much for me. We do get a decent bit of action toward the end, but it just wasn't enough to save this one for me. The author does show some potential, but in the end, this character and story just wasn't for me and I don't think I'll explore the series further.
I'm always on the lookout for a good mystery or thriller and the blurb for this one sounded quite promising. Unfortunately, the reality didn't quite live up to that promise. The story starts out mysterious enough with our main character finding a dead body, but it quickly becomes more about Willa and Seth's relationship than anything else. I like romance and may have been okay with that part had I cared enough about these characters to want to see them together. Willa turned me off from the beginning when she views finding the body as more inconvenience than anything else and seemed to only use the I'm sorry, this is my first time finding a dead body and I'm upset reasoning when it suited her. I can appreciate sarcasm and even gallows humor. In fact, I often like it in a story, but it just didn't work here. Willa comes off more crass and uncaring than anything else. I also realize that this is fiction and a certain amount of leeway can be given, but the idea that an ex-police officer would be allowed to walk through a crime scene and be that involved in an active investigation was a bit much for me. We do get a decent bit of action toward the end, but it just wasn't enough to save this one for me. The author does show some potential, but in the end, this character and story just wasn't for me and I don't think I'll explore the series further.
July 31, 2017
Aimee Hix is a new author to watch out!
I really enjoyed the first book of the Willa Pennington series and` ll looking forward for the next books.
At the beginning I had a bit to struggle with the frist-person narrative, because it`s not my favoured narrative form when I´m reading a book. But it fits the book.
What doesn`t kill you is a fast pacing story about Willa beeing ask to do her neighbours a favour by helping their granddaughter moving out from her abusive boyfriend. What seems first a smal favour changed suddenly to murder and a missing granddaughter.
Beeing an ex-cop Willa started snooping around on her own and soon she`s finds herself knee-deep in a ATF operation with a murderer on her heels.
Beeing sometimes to headstrong than it`s good for her, Willa meets in Seth - an old childhood friend and ATF agent - the considerate and balanced counterpart she needs. Furthermore working together helps both to sort out their long suppressed feelings for each other.
I loved how Willow and Seth interacted with each other and now I`m hoping that we`ll get more of these two - and their developing relationship - in the following books.
ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the first book of the Willa Pennington series and` ll looking forward for the next books.
At the beginning I had a bit to struggle with the frist-person narrative, because it`s not my favoured narrative form when I´m reading a book. But it fits the book.
What doesn`t kill you is a fast pacing story about Willa beeing ask to do her neighbours a favour by helping their granddaughter moving out from her abusive boyfriend. What seems first a smal favour changed suddenly to murder and a missing granddaughter.
Beeing an ex-cop Willa started snooping around on her own and soon she`s finds herself knee-deep in a ATF operation with a murderer on her heels.
Beeing sometimes to headstrong than it`s good for her, Willa meets in Seth - an old childhood friend and ATF agent - the considerate and balanced counterpart she needs. Furthermore working together helps both to sort out their long suppressed feelings for each other.
I loved how Willow and Seth interacted with each other and now I`m hoping that we`ll get more of these two - and their developing relationship - in the following books.
ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 4, 2019
What Doesn’t Kill You is Aimee Hix’s debut novel. She now has a second out in the same series (Willa Pennington, PI Mysteries), Dark Streets, Cold Suburbs, which I am eager to read. If you like strong female protagonists in detective/mystery series such as Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski or Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone, you’ll enjoy Hix’s Willa Pennington.
Willa retired from the police department in her late twenties to apprentice with her father as a private investigator. A neighbor asks her to help their daughter move from the apartment she shares with her abusive boyfriend. Willa arrives just in time to find no daughter, just the boyfriend’s body.
This is a lovely debut book. Hix has impeccable timing in her plotting and manages to keep all the plot balls juggling until the reveal. Hix manages to blend cozy mystery domesticity (scenes with Willa’s family add to this ambiance) and noir. Hot/cold scenes with Seth, a one-night stand/old friend who’s reentered her life provide a sizzle of sex appeal and add to the twists and turns of the plot. The reader can look forward to great characterization, a tense storyline, and a first novel that provides a good underpinning to the sequels to come.
Willa retired from the police department in her late twenties to apprentice with her father as a private investigator. A neighbor asks her to help their daughter move from the apartment she shares with her abusive boyfriend. Willa arrives just in time to find no daughter, just the boyfriend’s body.
This is a lovely debut book. Hix has impeccable timing in her plotting and manages to keep all the plot balls juggling until the reveal. Hix manages to blend cozy mystery domesticity (scenes with Willa’s family add to this ambiance) and noir. Hot/cold scenes with Seth, a one-night stand/old friend who’s reentered her life provide a sizzle of sex appeal and add to the twists and turns of the plot. The reader can look forward to great characterization, a tense storyline, and a first novel that provides a good underpinning to the sequels to come.
February 1, 2019
Fun read, if a bit too heavy on the hormones
I enjoyed this book enough to finish it in a sitting and a little more, although I didn't understand going in that there would be such an emphasis on the romance/hormone issues. I don't normally read the romance genre. The mystery was a solid one, but could have been better developed had less time been spent on repetitive descriptions of the romantic relationship. I liked Willa a lot, liked her nerve, her intelligence, and her overall badassery. The other characters were well drawn as well, and I adored Willa's younger brother, Ben. I especially enjoyed the clever, funny interaction between Willa and Seth's mostly silent colleague, Gordon. While I enjoy using my imagination, a bit more physical description of the characters would have made them easier to picture. For instance, Willa mentions how different she looks from Ben, but doesn't really say in what ways, and it would have been interesting to learn. I cared about all of the characters, and that's an important accomplishment by the author. Overall, I enjoyed this book enough to purchase the next one and I'd not hesitate to recommend it, especially if you're a romance/suspense fan.
I enjoyed this book enough to finish it in a sitting and a little more, although I didn't understand going in that there would be such an emphasis on the romance/hormone issues. I don't normally read the romance genre. The mystery was a solid one, but could have been better developed had less time been spent on repetitive descriptions of the romantic relationship. I liked Willa a lot, liked her nerve, her intelligence, and her overall badassery. The other characters were well drawn as well, and I adored Willa's younger brother, Ben. I especially enjoyed the clever, funny interaction between Willa and Seth's mostly silent colleague, Gordon. While I enjoy using my imagination, a bit more physical description of the characters would have made them easier to picture. For instance, Willa mentions how different she looks from Ben, but doesn't really say in what ways, and it would have been interesting to learn. I cared about all of the characters, and that's an important accomplishment by the author. Overall, I enjoyed this book enough to purchase the next one and I'd not hesitate to recommend it, especially if you're a romance/suspense fan.
August 25, 2017
First, thanks to Midnight Ink, Netgalley and the Aimee Hix for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Willa Pennington is an ex-cop who is now training to be an Private Investigator under her father’s supervision. Willa is asked to help out a family friend’s granddaughter who has been living with her abusive boyfriend. Willa arrives at the house to find the boyfriend dead and the granddaughter missing. Being an ex-cop, Willa starts investigating the death on her own and finds herself messed up with ATF operation, being run by an childhood friend named Seth.
This is Ms. Hix’s debut novel, and after reading it, it appears this will be a great series to read. I loved Willa Pennington, she is a strong female character. The novel was well put together with humour and suspense, one moment you couldn’t wait to get to the next scene to see what happens, and the next moment you are laughing-out-loud. I loved the chemistry between Willa and Seth, it was so believable.
I will be recommending this novel to all my suspense/thriller friends and I can’t wait to read the next Willa Pennington series.
Willa Pennington is an ex-cop who is now training to be an Private Investigator under her father’s supervision. Willa is asked to help out a family friend’s granddaughter who has been living with her abusive boyfriend. Willa arrives at the house to find the boyfriend dead and the granddaughter missing. Being an ex-cop, Willa starts investigating the death on her own and finds herself messed up with ATF operation, being run by an childhood friend named Seth.
This is Ms. Hix’s debut novel, and after reading it, it appears this will be a great series to read. I loved Willa Pennington, she is a strong female character. The novel was well put together with humour and suspense, one moment you couldn’t wait to get to the next scene to see what happens, and the next moment you are laughing-out-loud. I loved the chemistry between Willa and Seth, it was so believable.
I will be recommending this novel to all my suspense/thriller friends and I can’t wait to read the next Willa Pennington series.
March 1, 2018
Ex-cop Willa Pennington is messed up emotionally after the death of her best friend Michael but she is able to watch her younger computer-nerd brother Ben while their parents are away on vacation. Then neighbours David and Susan Horowitz ask Willa to help their granddaughter Violet move out of the house she shares with her abusive boyfriend Joe Reagan, and she agrees. But Willa’s good deed turns sour when she finds Reagan shot dead in the empty house. With Reagan dead and Violet gone, Willa wants to find his killer even though she isn't even a licensed PI. But things get complicated when Michael's brother Seth Anderson gets involved in the case and discourages Willa from investigating on her own. Is Seth trying to protect her, or does he have an ulterior motive?
Willa refuses to back down and gets herself involved in a case involving an ATF investigation and a Neo-Nazi who is determined to stop her. This is a strong debut mystery with an intriguing, wounded protagonist.
I received an eARC via Netgalley and Midnight Ink with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.
Willa refuses to back down and gets herself involved in a case involving an ATF investigation and a Neo-Nazi who is determined to stop her. This is a strong debut mystery with an intriguing, wounded protagonist.
I received an eARC via Netgalley and Midnight Ink with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.
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