CBR Bingo: Landscape
My whole plan this year of picking up series I’d abandoned kind of got, well, abandoned when Bingo started, but I was glad I found a square for this series as I enjoyed the first book quite a bit.
Series: Alice Vega. This is Book #2, I read (and reviewed) Book #1 in 2020.
What I remembered about this series prior to reading this book: I remembered the two main characters, Alice Vega (the no-nonsense, prone to explosive violence PI) and Max “Cap” Caplan (her more reasonable partner, a former cop, who is slightly in love with her). I remembered that the first book was about a kidnapping, and that I was therefore surprised I liked it because I hate stories about kidnapping.
Why I stopped reading the series: I didn’t really; I always had every intention of reading this book because I liked the first one so much. It just took me a long time to get around to it.
The plot: After partnering to successfully find two little girls who had been abducted, Vega and Cap have amicably gone their separate ways. Vega is back in California, and Cap is doing PI work for an attorney in Pennsylvania. Vega is called in to assist the San Diego police department in solving the murders of two unidentified teenage girls (the “Janes” of the title). She asks Cap to come out and help her, and the two of them slowly unravel the case to uncover drugs, human trafficking, and corruption.
The good: Vega and Cap are good characters. I like both of them, especially Cap, and their relationship is fun to read about. The mystery kept me guessing, and there were some unexpected twists thrown in. I liked the ending, too.
The bad: There’s this one part where there’s a shootout in the desert and I just found the setup of this part to be wholly unbelievable. This book is also not for the faint of heart, as it was a lot grosser than the first book and also pretty disturbing.
Did The Janes change my mind about the series: Nope–I enjoyed both books and would like to read more, if and when they are published.
Will I keep reading the series? Yes, if Louisa Luna keeps writing it. I hope she does!