2 out of 4 stars
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Toxic Side Effect, the second in a series by Sandy Magner, is a bit of a mystery itself. With a title that sounds like a medical mystery and is listed in the Kindle store as a thriller/suspense novel, I had high hopes for a heart pounding read. However, the level of suspense was not high, and I did not find the novel fit the pacing or plot of a thriller. An amateur sleuth mystery that greets the reader with the foul language of a hard-nosed PI, Jennifer Burns isn't a retired cop, a private investigator, or a former Federal Agent. But she can swear like a sailor, and F-bombs will be dropped. And though most of the novel takes place in the same town, it does not read like a cozy, either. In my opinion, Toxic Side Effect falls between genres, and can’t get up.
The mystery concerns Jennifer’s father, Richard Burns, who is the victim of poisoning, and the search for his killer. At first his wife, Audrey, is suspected. When it is revealed that Richard had a mistress, Maureen, who may have had access to the poison, the focus shifts to her. Jennifer discovers she has a half-brother by this woman and decides to meet her father’s other family while continuing her search for evidence to prove her theory that the mistress did it. The murderer is finally discovered, but not until after a false confession is sent to the police. This confession, which has nothing to do with Jennifer’s skills as a sleuth, points away from its author and seals the fate of the killer.
I read a lot of mysteries, and compared to most other novels, there was a lack of suspects. Indeed, the normally circuitous route followed in most mysteries, as clues are uncovered, various individuals come under suspicion, and are cleared (or not), doesn't happen here. There are only two individuals who are ever suspected, and there is never any real search for evidence because it keeps falling in Jennifer’s lap. Her attempt to get a confession from Maureen is okay by the police, who for some reason are reluctant to question her because she is ill. Apparently, not too ill to send Jennifer to do their job for them.
Though its short length and interesting subplot may appeal to some readers, I found the writing to be marred by serious problems with believability and consistency of plot, and by grammar and formatting errors. Ms. Magner chose to use ellipses ( . . . ) thirty-one separate times. I’ve never seen them used so frequently, and almost every time they were used, they were used incorrectly. There were no missing words, and a period or comma would have done the job.
The opening of the story, where Jennifer is with her mother in the hospital, contains some of the best writing. The author has a talent for describing relationships, including a family in distress and a very unorthodox marriage. The story is at its best with the 3 main characters: Jennifer, Audrey, and Maureen. Although Maureen could be considered a secondary character because she is not present as much as the other two, her name and backstory fill the novel. Other family members were barely mentioned and are one dimensional at best and do little, if anything, to move the story forward. Jennifer’s side kick, Kat, seemed superficial to me, as if her only purpose was to make unkind and judgmental remarks. I liked the character of Audrey Burns the best, and I felt the description of how she adapted to her marriage to be unique. I liked the fact that she made the best decision for her own peace of mind, and lived with it.
Though I considered the beginning the most compelling part of the novel, it was ruined by hyperbole. Ms. Magner’s depiction of Jennifer tearing into the hospital, running through the waiting room yelling and looking into curtained-off areas, was over the top. Come on, who careens through an ER that way? In these days of HIPAA privacy rules and gun crime, she would never get past the check-in desk. She even yells at the doctor who is trying to save her father’s life. Later on, when she thinks the nurses are whispering about her, I just wanted to laugh. Anyone who has had loved ones in the hospital knows that nurses are so over worked they don’t have time to stand around whispering. You’re lucky if you ever see two nurses in the same spot, never mind wasting time gossiping about someone they might possibly recognize from years ago.
The suspense that should be building during these hospital scenes, as we try to figure out what has happened, falls flat as we are spoon fed the diagnosis and the first suspect. I was impressed that the doctor could diagnose cyanide poisoning so quickly. When he makes the assumption that Jennifer’s mother did it, I just couldn’t buy it.
Then there are the inconsistencies in the plot. On page 153 (or location, as the Kindle calls it) Jennifer is recalling the only other time she has seen her father in such bad physical shape: when his affair with Maureen was initially exposed, and he and her mother began to fight. After months, the fighting ends. Then Jennifer asks herself: “Had mom decided to accept his relationship with Maureen, or had he promised to end the relationship? It was unclear to me . . .”
Although her mother doesn’t come clean for several chapters, on the next page, Jennifer decides that her father has continued to see Maureen, and uses this as the reason to suspect that her mother poisoned him. A few pages after that (location 169), Jennifer calls her friend Kat, and Kat’s dialog tells us she knows about the affair. At this point, Jennifer doesn’t know that the affair has persisted for years, so how does Kat know? The suspicion that Jennifer’s mother poisoned her father for revenge takes up a good part of the initial chapters of the book and pushes Jennifer to investigate, yet she doesn’t know it to be true until much later in the story.
There are other problems like this, including the unflattering manner in which the police are portrayed. I don’t want to go into any more detail because I don’t want to spoil the whole book. However, I think many mystery readers would agree with me and find this novel lacking. I rate it a 2 out of 4 Stars.
Despite my criticism, some readers might enjoy it. It is a short book and a fast read. I finished it in about 3 hours. I didn’t have an affinity for Jennifer, yet I did not find her unlikable, and the question of who killed Richard Burns kept me reading. If you are a fan of light, fluffy mysteries, this might appeal to you, especially if you are not too particular about forensics, witnesses, or, you know, actual police procedures.
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Toxic Side Effect
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