Synopsis from Amazon:
Jill Andersen is one of Baltimore's best and brightest detectives, but she harbors a dark secret -- a secret that threatens to come out when the body of Dr. Trent Roberts is pulled out of the Chesapeake Bay. Dr. Roberts' connection to Jill reveals a past that involves a tour in Iraq, a secretive cybernetic experiment, and a conspiracy that involves a native son.
Can Jill solve the case while still keeping her secret? Will her partners at the Seventh Precinct find out what she's so desperate to hide? What was Dr. Roberts looking into that led to his murder? And perhaps the biggest question of all...
Who is Bounty?
>>>>
My Review:
I went in with the understanding that Jill Andersen was largely
inspired by the character Kate Beckett on the TV show Castle. I may have
expected something like the outrageously-fun "Richard Castle novels", which are
basically "season recaps", told through the eyes of an imaginative
mystery author, with the characters basically exactly the same and the
names changed. (But only slightly)
I quickly discovered within
only a few pages that Jill was no Kate—and yet the two fictional
characters, should they ever meet, would doubtless relate.
It
is a subtle, delicate art to take a genre and a theme so popular, so dense with
common tropes and lively cleverness, and turn it into something
completely unique and fresh and engaging—but Cunegan nails it.
He
gives us a heroine of the truest sort, one with every reason to be
bitter and sulky, but who chooses instead to rise and take a stand and
be the one to make her world better.
He provides that heroine with just
the support she would need: a loyal work partner, a hard but just
captain, a sympathetic friend... And a family she believes is worth the
difficult task of reconciliation.
He gives that heroine an aspect that
is often her greatest strength (literally) but could also become her
deepest flaw: she is a cyborg, with an optical implant for an eye, and a
reinforced skeleton. It's a classic recipe for the best sort of "superhero vigilante"
story—but a flaw because of the need to stay hidden, which does not lend
itself to letting anyone get too close, and a need that her enemies
would willingly exploit if they knew.
He crafts a dire mystery
with red herrings, misdirects, betrayal, and twists aplenty. And he
resolves it all just enough... But not too much.
I
really enjoyed Cunegan's writing style; each character had his and her own distinctive
personality, and those personalities stayed true throughout the book, in
each circumstance. Scenes were set up with plenty of atmosphere, and
the imagery evoked just the right kind of emotion. I didn't even mind
the alternative lifestyle preferences represented; the choices felt
completely natural for the characters, and none of it was a big deal.
I
fell in love with the characters, intrigued by the mystery, entertained
all the way through, and by the end, I wanted more. I give this book
*****5 STARS***** and I am definitely going to want the rest of the series! BOUNTY and the rest of the Jill Andersen mysteries promise to be perfect for avid fans of the "superhero vigilante" trope, the mystery/crime genre, and are looking for a new, fresh voice to rejuvenate the fandom!
Further Reading: (Also By This Author/Conspiracy/Thriller/Mystery/Strong Female Lead)
The Jill Andersen Series--J. D. Cunegan
-Bounty *(This book)
-Blood Ties
-Behind the Badge
-Behind The Mask
-Bounty *(This book)
-Blood Ties
-Behind the Badge
-Behind The Mask
The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow
-The Alcatraz Coup
-Jacq of Spades
-Queen of Diamonds
-Ace of Clubs
-The Alcatraz Coup
-Jacq of Spades
-Queen of Diamonds
-Ace of Clubs
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