Dirty Little Secrets by Liliana Hart Published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform on December 4, 2012
Genres: Police Procedurals, Women Sleuths
Series: J.J. Graves Mystery #1
Pages: 274
Format: eBook
Source: Amazon, Personal Library
Buy on Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Bookshop.org
J.J. Graves has seen a lot of dead bodies in her line of work...
She's not only in the mortuary business, but she's also the coroner for King George County, Virginia. When a grisly murder is discovered in the small town of Bloody Mary, it's up to J.J. and her best friend, Detective Jack Lawson, to bring the victim justice.
The murders are piling up...
The residents of Bloody Mary are dropping like flies, and when a popular mystery writer shows up on J.J.'s doorstep with plans of writing his new book about the Bloody Mary Serial Killer, J.J. has to decide if he might be going above and beyond the call of duty to create the spine tinglers he's so well known for. It only clouds the issue and puts her reputation on the line when the attraction between them spirals out of control.
And passions are rising...
J.J and Jack are in a race against time. They discover each victim had a shocking secret, and the very foundation of J.J.'s life is in danger of crumbling when it turns out she’s harboring secrets of her own—secrets that make her the perfect victim in a deadly game.
My Thoughts
Liliana Hart’s Dirty Little Secrets is a mediocre mystery novel that only lives up to its initial concept. The story is about a small-town coroner, J.J. Graves, who gets involved in a murder investigation after discovering a body in her morgue. While the idea of a coroner-turned-amateur sleuth is interesting, the execution is disappointing.
There are severe problems with character development in this book. J.J. Graves is a main character who does not bring about any real feelings from the reader. Throughout the story, her actions and decisions seem forced and implausible, so as a reader, it isn’t easy to feel a genuine connection with her.
In addition, the plot is predictable, without much suspense or tension. The twists and turns intended to make the reader wonder what is about to happen are shortly identifiable, making the story stop to impact the reader. Also, the flow of the novel could be more consistent as there are periods that could be faster and more uneventful, making it hard to remain interested.
The writing style in Dirty Little Secrets is also dull. This dialogue reads as forced and unnatural, and the prose of it seems lacking in any real depth or creativity. Often enough, the author tries to weave witty banter between characters, but it falls flat and makes the relationships feel forced.
Though written to cater to readers who prefer reading a light, smooth mystery novel, Dirty Little Secrets fails to leave a lasting impact. It comes across as an utterly forgettable entry in the genre because of its lack of character evolution, predictable plot, and average writing style. As a whole, this is an average book that never realizes its full potential.
About Liliana Hart
Liliana Hart is a New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly Bestselling Author of more than 60 titles. After starting her first novel her freshman year of college, she immediately became addicted to writing and knew she’d found what she was meant to do with her life. She has no idea why she majored in music.
Since publishing in June of 2011, Liliana has appeared at #1 on lists all over the world and all three of her series have appeared on the New York Times list. Liliana is a sought after speaker, and she’s given keynote speeches and workshops to standing-room-only crowds from Hawaii to New York to London.
Liliana can almost always be found at her computer writing or hanging out with her husband (her real life hero). They call a suburb of Dallas home and have five children and a French bulldog named Bacon.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
