Review by Soph H -- All Good Things by Rosemary Reeve

[Soph H]

[Following is a volunteer review of "All Good Things" by Rosemary Reeve.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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“There wasn’t enough blood. That was the problem.”
I always liked in medias res beginnings, and All Good Things by Rosemary Reeve has one surprising opening. And it’s not just about starting in the middle. It’s about making the reader do a double take. There wasn’t enough blood. Huh? What kind of book is this? One sentence and you’re already riveted.

28 year old associate Jack Hart finds blood on the carpet of his best friend, Harmony Piper’s office. At first he is struggling to make the police understand that something is off, but as the clouds start to gather, Jack finds himself investigating along detective Anthony Anthony and officer Mark Oden to uncover a series of mysteries.

The author, Rosemary Reeve, a lawyer by profession, wrote this book to entertain her mother as she sent her chapters weekly. I was a bit worried that with the author being a lawyer the text will get heavy with legal terminology, however it was actually written very thoughtfully. It’s easy enough to understand, even for someone who doesn’t know much about the world of the law. At the same time it doesn’t feel like it’s dumbed down for you. It is also very well edited with no grammatical errors. What bothered me the most about the editing is that in the first half of the book most chapters are really short, sometimes only one or two pages. It is no big deal, but it felt a bit fragmented. I generally like when the chapters are roughly the same length throughout the whole book.

My favorite thing about this book is that all the characters are unique and some of them are practically impossible to dislike. While reading a mystery, I deliberately try to distance myself from the characters, because getting attached to them makes it harder to realize who the culprit is. I had no luck in this regard. Of course you will also find the stereotypical ruthless lawyer in the book, but the protagonist is just the opposite. Even though Jack is a bit of an introvert and may seem emotionless in the beginning, he is anything but. He desperately hates pretenses and has the biggest heart you can imagine. His background is detailed and explains not just his personality, it also adds to the storyline. The other key character to this story is Harmony, whom we get to know through Jack’s memories. She’s the missing heart of the story: admirable, patient, smart and kind, but doesn’t let anyone walk all over her. Jack also has a furry oddball dog, Betsy. She is endearing and funny in a most unusual way. Her presence makes the otherwise serious and sometimes dark storyline lighter and sweeter. The appearances of the characters however were a bit loosely portrayed. Not all of them were described at first and it’s a nice touch if a character’s look is up to your imagination. But when the protagonist refers to himself as a tall and huge blond guy in chapter 24 and you’ve been imagining a skinny, dark haired man for all that time, it can get confusing.

The ending was nicely done. You know a mystery is well written, if you can’t deduct who the culprit is. But he/she must be hiding somewhere in the text. If there was absolutely no indication that the villain had a motive and/or way to commit the crime, then we can’t be talking about a good mystery. This book does what it’s supposed to: it keeps you on your toes. There are smaller parts you can figure out on your own, but the main storyline remains mysterious. This is the first book of the Jack Hart Mysteries, but does not end with a cliffhanger. I rate this book 3 out of 4 points, because it was a solid and entertaining mystery with a detailed background. I would recommend it to anyone who likes this genre and prefers an original read, but not necessarily to a hardcore, critical crime story fanatic.

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All Good Things
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[Erin Painter Baker]

"But when the protagonist refers to himself as a tall and huge blond guy in chapter 24 and you’ve been imagining a skinny, dark haired man for all that time, it can get confusing."
Ahh yes, one of the hardest parts of being a writer - how do you get a character whose point of view you are in to describe themselves? And how do you do it quickly? But sometimes, even when it happens early on, the reader's vision of the character takes precedence over any written word.
I am not a huge fan of murder mystery novels, but I do have friends who are. I'll have to mention this book to them.