Thursday, August 12, 2010
Silencing Sam
This review is so long overdue.
I'm pretty sure I'm a hash tag on Twitter. Seriously. Search for #karenisaprocrastinator and see what happens.
(Okay, I just did that and nothing came up. So my secret's still safe. For now.)
Anyway, I should have posted this review forever ago. But then I left the country. And then I wrote about leaving the country. And then we moved offices at work and I had to
But, finally, I've gotten around to it.
Silencing Sam is the third novel in Julie Kramer's series about investigative TV reporter Riley Spartz and her habit of finding herself in the middle of some very dangerous stories. In Silencing Sam, Riley has a highly publicized run in with slimy gossip columnist Sam Pierce. It isn't long before all of the circumstantial evidence points to Riley and she is charged with Sam's murder. Despite facing serious criminal charges, Riley keeps working, investigating strange cases like dead bats at the site of wind farm bombings, and trying to swap cases with the hot new reporter, Clay Burrel. And then there's her FBI boyfriend, Nick Garnett, who wants their relationship to move forward, and she has to decide if she's really ready to meet her most anxiety-inducing challenge: introducing him to her parents.
Silencing Sam is a fun story that is a perfect summer read. The dialog is pithy and generally avoids being cheesy. Though the language occasionally strays a bit far into cliché, the story is still entertaining enough that you probably won't even notice.
The clues mixed into the story are sewn in just the right way so that an attentive reader will find them, but not any sooner than the author wants you to.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's a page turner that is neither too long nor too short. The action moves quickly and the conclusion is satisfying. Julie Kramer manages to create characters that are appropriately endearing or irritating, sympathetic or downright mean.
It's hard to say much more about this, honestly. It's a fun novel that's worth reading. But it's not particularly deep. This is a good book to read by the pool, but would probably leave your book club looking for something else to talk about.
(Unless, of course, your book club is like mine...You know...where discussing the book isn't REALLY the reason we get together...)
Anyway, I want to go back and read Kramer's previous Riley Spartz novels: Stalking Susan and Missing Mark. I'm sure I'm going to like those, too.
*I'd like to thank Atria Books for sending me a copy of Silencing Sam for review. But, seriously, these opinions are mine and were in no way influenced by the fact that I didn't have to pay for the book.
**Is anyone else kind of tired of these obligatory disclosure things?
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Sounds like a fun read. And I too really hate the disclosures because no one really cares where or why you go the book to review. And lol at #karenisaprocrastinator. I bet we could start one.
ReplyDeleteHalf the time I wonder why my book club actually reads a book at all. We talk about the book for maybe 10 minutes. Our book club meetings are typically 3 hours long.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, my book club is the same way! Thanks for this review.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that I get to preview without the hassle. It's a perk, and a pleasure. I'm behind as well due to my craving for fluff novels.
ReplyDeleteGreat review.
Lyn