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Kat Lebo's Reviews > Arsenic in the Azaleas
Arsenic in the Azaleas (Lovely Lethal Gardens, #1)
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Arsenic in the Azaleas, Lovely Lethal Gardens #1
by Dale Mayer
I wanted to like this first-in-the-series book, and I suppose I did like it, but I did not love it.
The editing and proofing were excellent. The pacing was good, with lots of action that flowed well. The characters were definitively drawn, and I was very fond of Mugs, Goliath, and Thaddeus. There was no cliffhanger ending. There was plenty of humor in the writing. So why didn't I like it better?
It's difficult to fall in love with a series where you don't particularly like the main character. At first, as I'd never read any of this author's work before, I thought Dale Mayer must be a man to craft such a bitchy female main character, but a quick internet search proved that incorrect -- Dale Mayer is a woman. So, I have to assume that she intended the main character to come across as bitchy, privileged, self-pitying, and inefficient in things everyone, not just women, should know how to do. Through the book the author tries to either lessen those traits and make the character seem more independent, but doesn't succeed and, while the character does soften some, she remains suspicious for no real reason, feels sorry for herself and/or has to keep reminding herself of how lucky she is to have what she has. And what man or woman, who discovers that her/his divorce attorney is the paramour of his/her spouse, wouldn't go directly to either the state bar association or to another attorney with the facts of the case, including that the attorney lied to her, encouraged her to sign paperwork not in her best interests, etc.? Ignorance of the law is no excuse is not just a saying, but words to live by. Just as you should always get a second opinion on big health issues, you should always get a second opinion on big law issues (believe me, I worked in a law office for 4 decades -- always be alert and cautious).
Besides that, the book seemed more a romcom than a mystery. Bleh.
In any event, I never did warm up to Doreen or ever feel sorry for her or particularly wish her well. So, Lovely Lethal Gardens, will not be a series I pursue.
by Dale Mayer
I wanted to like this first-in-the-series book, and I suppose I did like it, but I did not love it.
The editing and proofing were excellent. The pacing was good, with lots of action that flowed well. The characters were definitively drawn, and I was very fond of Mugs, Goliath, and Thaddeus. There was no cliffhanger ending. There was plenty of humor in the writing. So why didn't I like it better?
It's difficult to fall in love with a series where you don't particularly like the main character. At first, as I'd never read any of this author's work before, I thought Dale Mayer must be a man to craft such a bitchy female main character, but a quick internet search proved that incorrect -- Dale Mayer is a woman. So, I have to assume that she intended the main character to come across as bitchy, privileged, self-pitying, and inefficient in things everyone, not just women, should know how to do. Through the book the author tries to either lessen those traits and make the character seem more independent, but doesn't succeed and, while the character does soften some, she remains suspicious for no real reason, feels sorry for herself and/or has to keep reminding herself of how lucky she is to have what she has. And what man or woman, who discovers that her/his divorce attorney is the paramour of his/her spouse, wouldn't go directly to either the state bar association or to another attorney with the facts of the case, including that the attorney lied to her, encouraged her to sign paperwork not in her best interests, etc.? Ignorance of the law is no excuse is not just a saying, but words to live by. Just as you should always get a second opinion on big health issues, you should always get a second opinion on big law issues (believe me, I worked in a law office for 4 decades -- always be alert and cautious).
Besides that, the book seemed more a romcom than a mystery. Bleh.
In any event, I never did warm up to Doreen or ever feel sorry for her or particularly wish her well. So, Lovely Lethal Gardens, will not be a series I pursue.
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Reading Progress
May 9, 2019
–
Started Reading
May 9, 2019
– Shelved
May 12, 2019
–
Finished Reading
