Thank you Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.
One sentence review: Honda Civic Reliable++ thanks to a stellar ending
SYNOPSIS
FBI Special Agent Kendall Beck teams up with Denver PD Detective Adam Taylor to take on TWO complex cases: a double murder with ties to sex trafficking, and the disappearance of Adam's niece, Frankie.
MY OPINION
What a fun ass ride! I absolutely loved the intro, it was unique and snatched my attention. The writing flowed naturally... Even the "unnecessary" dialogue between characters was enjoyable to read and rounded out the characters. The jokes and chemistry were effortless. Idk how she did it, but Sparks managed to use the phrase "more tea on our vic..." and "spilling the tea" without coming off cringey LOL. I actually cackled at some of the one-liners. But be warned, the humour can be crude at time (ie, calling someone a twatwaffle LOL). Some of my fave scenes were the interrogations led by Kendall. Her retorts were on point.
The writing and plot execution reminded me of Alafair Burke. Now, Alfair and I go way back. When I started reading again in 2017, I blazed through her entire backlist. Is she a literary goddess? Not particularly. But does she weave a thicc ass intricate web? Yes ma'am. Similarly, Sparks juggles multiple storylines with expertise. She does a fantastic job of keeping the story "busy" enough that several clues fly right past you. Or at least they did for me. But then again I do have a swiss cheese memory sooo... take that as you will.
And shockeroo, I liked all the characters. Kendall Beck kept it real. She wasn't over the top (you know the typical "chip on her shoulder" female cop), she wasn't rude af (ahem DD Warren), and she wasn't whiny. Taylor was a little OD with his idolization of his big bro's marriage, but other than that, he wasn't a sleaze.
Lastly, THE ENDING. AUTHORS (mostly Sharon Bolton– ily though) TAKE NOTE. THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A SATISFYING ENDING. You DO NOT need 1409294 twisty twists and out of left field reveals. You can simply tie up any loose threads and have just ONE final act. Then you can have a lil epilogue that isn't written "catching up with a friend over coffee" style aka "Character One is now a baker with three kids, good for her." This was one of the best, tbh maybe THEE best, ending I've read in a hot minute. I can't tell you how relieved I was to "turn" to the last page and there wasn't some stupid ass contrived twist waiting for me. Big kudos to Sparks.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: 2 mysteries for the price of 1, fun banter, great flow, well-paced, plot execution on point, PERFECT ending – not OTT, not everything plus the kitchen sink, no stupid forced epilogue
Cons: some spoon-feeding