Shooting Star

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointing Continuation of the Starr/Waskowitz Saga
Review: I was introduced to Kathleen Creighton last year when I stumbled across One Christmas Knight in the public library. It looked pretty corny, but I was immediately captivated by the sensitive characterization and subtle description. As several reviewers have already said, Jimmy Joe Starr is a wonderful creation, an incredibly likeable and admirable man and natural gentleman, what we Europeans would consider to be the ideal American and Mirabella Waskowitz is quite fascinating as well. I re-read the book several times, as well as anything else I could get my hands on by Creighton, which is not particularly easy here in Iceland. I liked everything I read by her, but enchanted as I had been by the first Knight book, I was especially happy to discover the sequels, several of which I ordered used through Amazon. One more Knight, about Jimmy Joe's older brother Troy and Mirabella's best friend, was almost as good and the books about Mirabella's two sisters, while somewhat less good, were still very enjoyable, so when I read that the story of the youngest brother would be out this summer, I naturally pre-ordered it.

To put it bluntly, the book was a disappointment. I can only assume that either Creighton is be tired of the story and was feeling pressured to continue it or else she was in a real creative low (hopefully temporary). Neither CJ Starr nor Caitlyn Brown are particularly interesting characters and in the course of the story, one doesn't get to know them very well at all. At 248 pages, the book is not exactly short, but it feels as if twice as much needed to be said about them. I think the story of the alcoholic older brother would have been more interesting than this one. Here's hoping that the story of the Starr daughter, Jess and the return of her missing-in-action husband will be more convincing.