Eyeshot

Rating:
Summary: Eyeshot falls a little short of first rate.
Review: Julia Winchell is missing but she has left behind enough clues to solve her own disappearance as well as the death of another woman more than eight years before. Cincinnati police specialist Sonora Blair, short on both personality and brains, is merely along for the ride. Following the trail Julia Winchell has already blazed, she bungles the investigation on more than one occasion. The killer seems to be toying with her, he is understandably unimpressed with her sleuthing. In fact it looks like he is planning another murder right under the detective's nose.

Not as gritty and well plotted as a Cornwall thriller and without the excellent character development of a Laura King mystery, this book just limps along dogedly from start to finish.

Rating:
Summary: Once again, great plot. Poorly written, barely edited.
Review: Ms Hightower needs a new editor. I was hoping that after the first Sonora Blair book, her facts would get straighter. I know she's been to "an autopsy" to make sure her facts are straight, etc. etc. etc., but seriously folks. For someone that lives in the Lexington/Cincy area, she does NOT know the world around her.

As per the usual, here are some comments to MS. Hightower:

1) When a cop is speeding from Cincinnati to London, KY, it is fine to warn the KY State Troopers. Even the Ohio ones if you want, but not really any need for that; Kentucky is right across the river, and you probably won't see any Ohio State Troopers within the city limits. BUT WARNING THE TENNESSEE STATE TROOPERS? You're not GOING through Tennessee.

I'm forgiving the rest in this book, since this is most likely the best one of your four; but PLEASE please please get your local geography straight. I know this is merely "picking" for those readers that don't live in the area; but for those who do live in the KY/OH/TN areas, it's insulting.

Rating:
Summary: I've found a new writer at last!
Review: Now instead of waiting for a new book by a favourite author I can continue reading about Sonora Blair, and I think I'll enjoy it. Eyeshot was a great introduction, although not the first book to feature the rather-more human-than-most female detective. Sure, she didn't always get things right, and her mothering skills left a little to be desired at times, but why are so many women in this genre portrayed as super functional? No textbook forensics featured either, which was a welcome change. I didn't get much feel for the dynamics between Sonora and her partner Sam, but that's the beauty of being fresh to a series, I can look forward to learning a lot more about them. The story of Julia, the missing wife and mother, evolves into the tale of the killer and his family, and although I didn't find the plot wholly satisfactory I was soon caught up in the race to stop the killer. There's a liberal sprinkling of good, bad but never indifferent morals amongst the characters, and it all builds up at a cracking pace. My only question is this: What happened to Detective Baylor? He was mentioned several times, but Sonora and Sam never even got to speak to him. We all could have learned a great deal more about the case!

Rating:
Summary: I've found a new writer at last!
Review: Now instead of waiting for a new book by a favourite author I can continue reading about Sonora Blair, and I think I'll enjoy it. Eyeshot was a great introduction, although not the first book to feature the rather-more human-than-most female detective. Sure, she didn't always get things right, and her mothering skills left a little to be desired at times, but why are so many women in this genre portrayed as super functional? No textbook forensics featured either, which was a welcome change. I didn't get much feel for the dynamics between Sonora and her partner Sam, but that's the beauty of being fresh to a series, I can look forward to learning a lot more about them. The story of Julia, the missing wife and mother, evolves into the tale of the killer and his family, and although I didn't find the plot wholly satisfactory I was soon caught up in the race to stop the killer. There's a liberal sprinkling of good, bad but never indifferent morals amongst the characters, and it all builds up at a cracking pace. My only question is this: What happened to Detective Baylor? He was mentioned several times, but Sonora and Sam never even got to speak to him. We all could have learned a great deal more about the case!

Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Review: Succinctly and beautifully written, with a flawed lead character who immediately drew me in and had me cheering for her all the way through. Quite different from the rest of the current crop of female-detective-crime-murder-mystery heroines. I can imagine spending time with Sonora Blair and really enjoying myself! Looking forward to reading Hightower's other Blair offerings.

Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Review: Succinctly and beautifully written, with a flawed lead character who immediately drew me in and had me cheering for her all the way through. Quite different from the rest of the current crop of female-detective-crime-murder-mystery heroines. I can imagine spending time with Sonora Blair and really enjoying myself! Looking forward to reading Hightower's other Blair offerings.