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Rating: 
Summary: Happy to have Lena back
Review: Hightower's writing, to me, is best described as "unflinching." She doesn't sugar coat things, she doesn't "make nice" with her characters or her books. I really like that about her books. From the dysfunctional family in High Water (one of my favorite books of 2002) to the malfunctioning Lena Padgett and her relationships in Fortunes of the Dead, Hightower never insults my intelligence. She doesn't blink in the face of domestic violence and its reality. She doesn't spare me details of someone's sick behavior -- but she doesn't lovingly linger over any of it either. Hightower is one of my top authors, and Fortunes of the Dead is one of her best books.
Rating:
Summary: Happy to have Lena back
Review: Hightower's writing, to me, is best described as "unflinching." She doesn't sugar coat things, she doesn't "make nice" with her characters or her books. I really like that about her books. From the dysfunctional family in High Water (one of my favorite books of 2002) to the malfunctioning Lena Padgett and her relationships in Fortunes of the Dead, Hightower never insults my intelligence. She doesn't blink in the face of domestic violence and its reality. She doesn't spare me details of someone's sick behavior -- but she doesn't lovingly linger over any of it either. Hightower is one of my top authors, and Fortunes of the Dead is one of her best books.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Kentucky Writer
Review: I have been reading Lynn Hightower since 1993. Being from Lexington, Kentucky, and living in the Chevy Chase area, I identify very easily with her stories. Her early novels with the sci-fi mystery genre were fun to read. Lynn has grown quite a bit as a writer since then. As she states in "Fortunes of the Dead", "...I admit I saw things in black and white, with good guys and bad guys and no shades of gray.", no "shades of gray" in this novel. She has always paid great attention to detail in her stories, with a woman's eye for color and texture. Scenes are not so much written for the reader as painted in accurate 3D perspective. Now, she is really applying this quality to her characters. She is breathing life into them.
Always the story teller, Lynn easily draws her readers into her novels. I have really enjoyed her work over the years and enthusiastically encourage others to also enjoy her talent. Kentucky should be proud.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't finish it
Review: I read Ms Hightower's earlier books in this series a few years ago and enjoyed them moderately - not enough to collect the first editions, but enough to keep coming back. So I picked this one up after not seeing her work for a couple years with a certain anticipation. Unfortunately, it's terrible. The mystery isn't very interesting, but Lena and her relationsihp are what really get in the way. She is so incredibly narcissistic and self-involved that the book loses focus on the case and becomes a sort of adolescent exploration of Lena and her relationship.
Skip this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not one of Hightower's best novels!
Review: I was turned on to Hightower by my mother. The first novel I read was Flashpoint (which is one of her best). This is the second Hightower book I have read. It is at a much lower standard than Flashpoint. During the first few chapters, the author skips from several different characters that have no link. I had to keep looking back to see how they fit into the plot. It is not apparent until the last fifty pages how they fit together. Even at that point, I still am confused! The novel was slow going and confusing. I recommend Flashpoint over this novel!
Rating: 
Summary: could have been better
Review: Private investigator Lena Padget has bought a cottage with her homicide detective boyfriend Joel Martez. Their dreamed about idyllic existence gets a little rocky when Lena agrees to investigate the disappearance of a ATF intern for the family, in conjunction with the investigation by thre police headed by Joel. Joel works with ATF agent Wilson McCoy looking for a serial killer that targets ATF agents. With duel investigations going it becomes clear that the case are connected.Intricately plotted, but sometimes very confusing. There was a segue into another part of the story that was very disjointed. I had to check the title several times to make sure I did not pick up another book by mistake. All of a sudden with a chapter change, we have a whole new set of characters and setting with no known connection to the main story. Of course, it all ties together nicely at the end, but it could have been written better. It just did not flow quite right and it made the story drag at times. Characterization was quite good with a very strong primary cast. Lena Paget is a likable heroine and look forward to reading her next adventure hopefully in a stronger, more coherent storyline.
Rating: 
Summary: ONE OF LYNN HIGHTOWER'S BEST
Review: Three things I look for in a mystery. 1. Good writing, 2. unique plot, 3. interesting characters. This has all three. This was a stay up late to finish book. Looking forward to her next.
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