I’ve never hidden my excitement at finding a new detective/crime series. This time, it comes in the form of Kimberley King, a transplant from NYPD to Custer County, Oklahoma.
I thought the premise was timely, probably even more so than the author intended. Kimberley has decided to move to Oklahoma (where her mom lives) to be able to spend more time with her young daughter.
From the beginning, there are also hints of something that happened on the job, but the reader gets that in flashback form, as events in her new town lead Kimberley to remember a pivotal case in NYC.
I thought that the connection between the two could have been stronger. Kimberley’s memories and motivations didn’t seem to be pivotal as they could have been. Perhaps if the crimes had been more similar? The only it seems to work for me is if the author is laying the groundwork for a through-line for future book plots.
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I liked Kimberley, for the most part. (Caveat: I’m picky of everything to do with NYC and NYPD due to my personal connections with both. So, some of this can probably be taken with a grain of salt). I thought her instincts were good, and I liked how she was torn between trying to fit into the confines of her new job but still maintain her self-imposed standards.
However, I also felt that her attitude didn’t always ring true. There were a few times where she seemed more caricature or stereotype rather than a legitimate person. Again, that’s a personal observation, not necessarily any fault of the author.
The case itself was decent, if a little underbaked. I liked how the author laid everything out, but kept some facts hidden which caused me to suspect more people than I needed to; I like it when an author does that.
I did also like that there was an uneasy feeling about a couple of characters from the start. It was an effective way to make the reader suspicious, but without being able to pinpoint exactly why or what to be suspicious about. It made the resolution just a bit more interesting as well, which was good, because at the same time it kind of came out of nowhere.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the personalities of the sheriff’s department, and hope that future books continue to explore the different officers and their backgrounds. I think there is enough there to keep this series going for a while.
Twitter: @jradlerauthor
Author Bio:
Originally from Wisconsin, J.R. Adler currently lives in Ithaca, New York with her husband, Drew, and her English Bulldog, Winston. When not writing, you can find her reading, playing board games, travelling, and binge watching The Office for the umpteenth time.
