What if the person who hated you most was the only one who could save you?
Thousands of gentlemen have gone bankrupt in Bridges and trouble brews between the Diamond and Spadros crime families. Yet the city is united in its desire to exact vengeance for those murdered in the zeppelin disaster.
Penniless and alone, private eye Jacqueline Spadros confronts the lowest point of her life. Seen as an accomplice in the financial crisis and accused of a crime she didn't commit, Jacqui faces trial in front of a hostile jury - and could receive the death penalty.
Jacqui knows she's been framed by the illusive Red Dog Gang. But will the jury believe her?
Patricia Loofbourrow was born in southern California and currently lives in Oklahoma. Learning to read at the age of three, she grew up on Heinlein, Bradbury, and Asimov, and found at an early age that she loved science.
Earning a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry from Cal Poly Pomona then an MD from Rush University, Dr. Loofbourrow practiced family medicine for ten years before becoming a stay at home mom in 2000. After leaving medicine, Patricia Loofbourrow ran one of the first “ask a doctor” patient education websites from 2000-2004.
Patty wrote her first novel during the 2005 National Novel Writing Month, going on to write eight novels, four novellas, and well over 100 short stories, mostly speculative fiction, before choosing to self-publish. She has been a long-time member of the Forward Motion Forums, and was the founder of Fifty Word Fiction on DeviantArt. She has also worked as a freelance non-fiction writer and editor since 2000, and currently runs an informational website on edible landscaping.
The first book in this series sucked me in though noir is not my preferred genre, being largely about the worst in people. Jacq of Spades balanced the dark world with a young woman, Jacqui, determined to do right by people. If you read my reviews of the other books in the series, you know I’ve been holding on to that Jacqui as the stories got darker. The later Jacqui has made choices I didn’t agree with on moral, if not character, grounds.
Well, my patience has been rewarded.
The King of Hearts is an odd book for this series because it occurs around a court case with Jacqui on trial for exploding the zeppelin and killing hundreds. Even her lawyer believes she did it and counsels her to take a plea deal at first. In a lovely way to remind existing fans, Jacqui recounts the events and reveals a little known fact that brings the hard-hearted lawyer to her side, reigniting the crusader Mr. Pike must once have been.
This is a courtroom drama to a large degree, with recesses for various, and sometimes harrowing, reasons. Despite how she is still clinging to what I (and the other characters) believe to be delusions about Joe, the Jacqui I’ve been waiting for is back. She’s watching the prosecution, the reactions, what’s reported in the press, and putting the pieces together with terrifying results. She even manages to turn an enemy into a reluctant ally by holding to truth over the fiction she’s been charged with. It’s only one of the beautifully done arguments in this book, some, sadly, performed by the prosecution.
As has been the case for some time, the one I sympathize with the most is Tony. Yes, like everyone, his hands are not clean, but he’s been manipulated, lied to, and had his life turned upside down more times than I can count. Of all of them (often including Jacqui), he is the only half-decent one among them…except possibly for Jon whose motivations seem straightforward at this point but are murky. That said, I recount this to show how the characters have grown on me rather than that I believe Jacqui should have sacrificed her freedom to maintain Tony’s delusions. I just think she could have gone about things in a different way than running off with Joe. She approaches the issue differently in this novel though I will say neither the result nor the method to avoid spoilers.
This is a dynamic situation still with some motives coming clear while others become murkier. There are surprise turnarounds revealed in the case and the circumstances around it, new possibilities hinted at for me to ponder, and a larger cast to absorb into the story of Jacqui against the world. As much as I want to mention specifics, too many would disrupt the unfolding of the story, so I’ll hold my tongue.
This is the book I have been waiting for even without an ending to the overall mystery. There are still a lot of questions to be answered, and I’m drowning in clues so can’t put them together into a single coherent solution. Still, I liked most of the answers that came to light. This is the side of Jacqui I prefer. Sure, her lingering belief in Joe annoys me as does her punishment of Tony, but despite her sense of being out of control, she was very much an actor in this pageant. She puts her life on the line so those responsible won’t go free, avoiding the easy way out in favor of putting an end to the conspiracy that threatens the Bridges as a whole.
I note the inventors and the mechanisms beneath the city were given short shrift once again. But the events in the forefront were fascinating enough to forgive this oversight while the few lines slipped in on this topic offer intriguing questions to explore.
P.S. I was given this ARC by the author in return for an honest review.
It's not often that I read a book twice in as many months but this is an exception. This entire series (now consisting of four novels and several background novellas?) is fascinating enough so that when offered the opportunity to beta read the latest instalment I jumped at the chance - and I've now read the finished article as an ARC, with the actual publication date still some two weeks off (my pre-order is in so I'm prepared to put my money where my mouth is! Oh, and I'm a Patreon, too).
Having nailed my colours to the mast I'm not going to dwell overmuch on this particular volume - except to say that it is a worthy successor to those that have already been published. It's probably best appreciated by those who are familiar with the future domed city of Bridges - a dome that also encompasses much agricultural land and villages outside the central city itself and which is large enough to support its own weather systems: snow, rain and even tornadoes that are spawned by external weather. The central plot focuses on Jacqueline Spadros, who has left her husband and is now essentially penniless, with the second half of the book detailing her trial accused of offences that are the subject of Book 3.
Those familiar with the books will need no encouragement to pick up this latest volume - those not yet familiar with Bridges have a treat in store (though I urge you to start at the beginning before delving into this one).
The King of Hearts is my fifth read from author Patricia Loofbourrow, following The Jacq of Spades, Tony and Roy, The Alcatraz Coup, The Queen of Diamonds & The Ace of Clubs; obviously, I’m enamored with the story & the writing. An enjoyable, detailed, well-written book in which many questions are answered, details divulged, with memorable, engaging characters. Captivating, spine-tingling, suspense building read, I'll be reading more from this author and I look forward to The Ten of Spades, the next book in this series. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
Wow. What a book, couldn’t get enough. Had me gripped from the beginning as I needed to find out the answer. Had no idea what the end could be. This entire series is magnificent.
This was a GREAT read Full of surprises and twist and turns even when plot supposedly was rather Easy. This Series is captivating I devoured this book in one sit. Cant wait for The next book as everything is not what it seems!
Another great book but Patricia Loofbourrow. I find this series very interesting. In this book Jacqui is framed for something she didn’t do. It kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. Many twists and complicated relationships. Things are not as they may appear.
Such an amazing series , each book deepening the desire to know what is next and every unexpected twist makes the story grab you that much more . highly recommend reading !
I hesitate to give this book 3 stars. It’s a good story and it’s well written. The characters are engaging. I would have given a full five stars but for a major continuing flaw in this ongoing series. When you have an ongoing saga with multiple characters it would help if each new book had a short prologue or some type of informative “cast list with background explanations” to recap past events or people mentioned in the prior books.
Each new book comes out months apart. Because of that, unless the readers are taking reference notes, needless time is usually spent trying to recall things involving some of the characters or sub-plots. I would suggest taking the time to simply provide a brief prologue recapping some events or minor characters. Then, if some readers need to , they can refer to it as they read the book.
As more books come out and the various people and plots. become even more convoluted, this is going to be an even greater issue for readers. I hope the author reads this and take this suggestion. Again, if not for that flaw this would be a five star.
All of the intrigue and the colorful characters of the earlier Red Dog Conspiracy books!
Oh my goodness, Jacqui! What have you gotten yourself into now?
When we last left Jacqui Spadros, she had discovered startling information about her husband, Tony Spadros…a man she respected but never loved. More importantly, she had managed to get through an inquest into the explosion of a zeppelin; an explosion that most residents of Bridges believe Jacqui caused killing more than three hundred people in a mass murder conspiracy. In The King of Hearts, Jacqui finds herself on trial, accused by a corrupt political, and perhaps financially, motivated prosecutor of mass murder and conspiracy to commit mass murder; a trial in which she has already been prejudicially tried and convicted by public opinion. Perhaps worse, she has left Tony Spadros and cut herself off from resources to pay her attorney. Now, she must sell all that she has in order to survive. She soon finds out who her friends are…but are her friends really her friends at all? Are her enemies really her enemies?
The King of Hearts is the story of a trial. It is the story of Jacqui’s internal and external tribulations, insecurities and musing while dealing with the stress of trial, maintaining as many of her social contacts as possible, maintaining her independence from the Spadros family, particularly Tony…and Roy Spadros, and trying to fathom exactly who, among all of the people of Bridges, was the one person behind the conspiracies against her.
The King of Hearts contains all of the intrigue and the colorful characters of the previous Red Dog Conspiracy books adding the drama of a courtroom trial in Bridges. A trial with the deck stacked against a poor ‘Pot-Rag’. This book easily held my interest and, like the key piece of a puzzle, fits tightly and neatly into the Red Dog Conspiracy Series. Fans of the series, fan of Steampunk in general, and fans of conspiratorial intrigue should find The King of Hearts enjoyable.
At initial glance Patricia Loofbourrow’s The King of Hearts: Part 4 of the Red Dog Conspiracy is indeed about how Jacqi, the wonderful heroine here, is set up for something she did not do and the trial that follows. But as with this entire series you can’t let the surface fool you. There are plots within plots, and conspiracies within conspiracies, in this book so wonderfully filled with perfectly fantastic complexities. Among those are the thoughts and motivations of Jacqi herself, as well as her husband and friends, the reason why she was set up, the relationship between the crime lords who actually rule Bridges, and the ultimate question of what’s behind the Red Dog Conspiracy. I have been following along all the books in this series, and the background tale of the city’s creation. It’s breathtakingly wonderful. I cannot recommend it strongly enough, though this is absolutely a series that needs to be started with its first (excellent) story. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises - the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series - as I’m looking forward to Jacqi going after and breaking the Red Dog Conspiracy.
Another excellent page turning steampunk noir detective story.
This is the fourth novel in the Red Dog Conspiracy steampunk series by Patricia Loofbourrow, who has become my favorite author.
Her books offer a gritty realism and explore feminist troupes of this steampunk city of Bridges.
This book had me reading until I finished. Ms. Loofbourrow's style includes genuine hard research to ensnare the reader into the story. These are book I cannot put down.
As a former deputy sheriff, who had to help prosecute many cases in my day, the case as told from the defendant's perspective is incredibly realistic. It is even better than those modern day setting crime dramas.
If you love gritty, film noir style detective stories with a steampunk setting, I recommend the entire series of work by this author.
In this book, we find Jacqui on trial for a crime she didn't commit. Enemies on all side, Jacqui doesn't know who to trust or where to turn. Betrayed or not, she awaits a court of men to decide her fate as new clues to the Red Dog Conspiracy come to light during the legal proceedings in her defense.
New drama, unexpected betrayals, this book will leave you on pins and needles eagerly awaiting the next book.
Another great addition to a wonderful series! I thoroughly enjoy the whole Red Dog Conspiracy books and each one just keeps getting better and better!
Our protagonist, Jacqueline Spadros, has finally decided to get out of her horrible situation and start her life over with the love of her life. However, she instead finds herself framed for the explosion of an airship and the murder of thousands of people.
This book really grabbed me from the first page and kept me reading long into the night. Ms. Loofbourrow has a wonderful way with words, her characters are complex and well-developed and the world-building is amazing! I can't wait to see what happens next!
This was by far my favorite of The Red Dog Conspiracy series to date! Unlike with the previous books in this series, Loofbourrow jumps right into the action of the story. The beginning has its dark moments, but throughout I found myself on a pleasant roller-coaster of emotions and "what's going to happen next"s as Jacqui undergoes legal trials and a new living situation. Plus more about Jon Diamond!
I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who loves mystery, dystopian fiction, steampunk, and/or noir.. Furthermore, this particular volume might appeal to those who enjoy legal dramas.
Patricia LoofBourrow writes a thrilling conspiracy tale with The King of Hearts
In The King of Hearts, the reader is introduced to Jacqueline Spadros. She's a private detective, but is flat broke, and she just hit her life's all-time low. The King of Hearts is part of the Red Dog Conspiracy Series, and this is volume four. I read the ones that came before it, and plan on reading the books that come after this one. It's been a while since I've read one of Patricia LoofBourrow's book, and I see that she's been very busy with this series. It is recommended that the series be read in volume order. Jacqui faces a lot of turmoil and crisis in her life. And now, she's being framed by the Red Dog Gang, but she doesn't know how to prove it. Financial issues and conspiracies behind a recent zeppelin incident that were murdered. Jacqui is determined and tenacious, and determined to clear her name, and convince the jury that she is not guilty, and being set up. There is a lot of action, and details behind the characters and their backstories, as well as what made these people who they are today. Organized Crime. Financial ruin and murder, and that's just the beginning of this remarkable story. This is a grand suspenseful story. The King of Hearts is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book to also write a review.
The author continues to surprise me at every turn with her creativity and multiple story line perspectives. With a rich and complex story line behind it, the trial of Mrs Spadros introduces additional characters, some savory some unsavory, some savory seeming who are truly not. In fact, almost all of the characters we have grown to know and care about have skeletons creeping out of their closets as the testimonies uncover secrets, mysteries, unsuspected connections and well-concealed motivations. Sworn enemies working together - how and why could this happen, and what exactly are they working to accomplish? And now the Red Dog Gang appears to have a sister Spadros-hating organization spawned from within Spadros Manor itself. No more details here because this book is far too good to diminish the pleasure, consternation, relief and angst the reader experiences as if walking on eggshells through this captivating book full of surprises. 5 stars well deserved and my best personal recommendation!
Pros: Reestablishes the story and events so far in a seamless manner. Reintroduces and familiarizes key players. Courageously lays out the elements and proceedings of a trial instead of glossing over events which plays to this reader's particular interest. Sincere commentary of social economies of class and the justice system.
Cons: Character dynamics and central character's opinions of them keep flip-flopping every five seconds.
A character 'flaw' receives an instant fix.
A transitory novel that doesn't progress the plot very far.
Personal irritation: Anything to do with the romance drama chips away at any sympathy I have for her history and pride of her ambition.
An inspirational take on a young woman on trial for something she didn't do. Win or lose Jaqu has no good options. Loved the twists, revelations, and brave actions. With more to come this series continues to surprise.
The King Of Hearts (Red Dog Conspiracy #4) is a fabulous Steampunk fiction / Noir Crime novel in this fascinating series. This is a continuous story that needs to be read in order. Told in first person single pov of Jacqui Spadros it captures the essence of the character and her inner thoughts. Absolutely loved the fourth novel in this captivating series. The story is inescapable as it draws you, holds your mind and keeps the pages continuiously moving. The writing style is intriguing. The world building descriptions and settings are well detailed. The characters are compelling with complex personalities and very well evolved. I'm looking forward to reading the next novel in this beguile series which is already available. I highly recommend reading this series as its intoxicating and unique with unexpected plot twists and sprinkles of romance.