Day: December 4, 2020

Sometimes it’s really difficult to review a series.

A lot can go wrong: plot points can be at odds with previous events, characters change personalities, timelines don’t match up…there’s a lot of work that goes into maintaining consistency.

That’s a fairly easy review.

However, if an author does a good job of continuing plotlines, has consistency of characters, and keeps the readers interest while remaining true to the world that has been created, that’s a success.

That’s harder to write. Why?

Because to me a review of that kind of book feels repetitive. Even though the criminal case at hand might be different, I don’t want to focus on that because we all know that I hate spoilers.

And I don’t regurgitate blurbs either.

So, where does that leave me with Silent Ridge?

After the events of Snow Creek and Waters Edge, we have a pretty good feel for Detective Megan Carpenter and her erstwhile sidekick, Ronnie. Megan is as caustic and snippy as ever; consider it part of her charm. Ronnie still isn’t used to all of Megan’s quirks.

I will say, I really dig Megan’s inner thoughts. For example, a gunpoint confrontation with another character later in the book leads to Megan thinking about what she should have said to the person – contrasted with what she actually said.

I like that we get this insight to her very strange trains of thoughts.

Once again, the crimes at hand seem to target Megan. On the one hand, I get where this could be a great conspiracy, and Megan being good at her job could put the bullseye on her.

On the other hand, she could also just have the worst past and the worst luck that no matter how hard she tries to escape, the past just keeps following and haunting her.

I’m leaning toward the latter possibility.

The author now has a signature style of plotting the story, and it’s just as successful as the first two books. Again, no spoilers, but he does keep it fresh, even as it’s still about Megan.

That being said, if you haven’t read the first two books, I would definitely recommend starting at the beginning now, before the series gets too deep.

You’ll have a much better understanding of Megan which will add to your understanding of her motivations.

That will increase your enjoyment of this book immensely.

Author Bio:

A #1 New York Times, Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, Olsen has written nine nonfiction books, seventeen novels, a novella, and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child.

The award-winning author has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and Discovery Channel.

The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year by the ILA and Starvation Heights was honored by Washington’s Secretary of State for the book’s contribution to Washington state history and culture.

Olsen, a Seattle native, lives in Olalla, Washington with his wife, twin daughters, three chickens, Milo (an obedience school dropout cocker) and Suri (a mini dachshund so spoiled she wears a sweater). Website: https://www.greggolsen.com/