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Monday, July 17, 2023

Reader's Review: "King of Hearts" by Patricia Loofbourrow


Synopsis from Amazon:

She knows she's been framed. Getting anyone to believe her is another story.

Thousands of gentlemen have gone bankrupt in Bridges and trouble brews between the Diamond and Spadros crime families. Yet the city is united in its desire to exact vengeance for those murdered in the zeppelin disaster.

Penniless and alone, private eye Jacqueline Spadros confronts the lowest point of her life. Seen as an accomplice in the financial crisis and accused of a crime she didn't commit, Jacqui faces trial in front of a hostile jury - and could receive the death penalty.

Jacqui knows she's been framed by the illusive Red Dog Gang. But will the jury believe her?
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My Review:

What does one do when one has a massive, tangled web of intrigue, murder, and conspiracy that's supposed to be spread over the course of thirteen books, yet one has managed to pack such epicness into the first three books that there needs to be a moment to build up the background and lay the footwork for future shenanigans without completely running the overall plot off the rails, nor does one want to lose the reader's interest, but it has become necessary to essentially hit "pause" on the big and flashy points of near-peril and fill a book in itself with character development, callbacks to previous plot points, and set things up to really start taking off in the ensuing books?

If you're Patricia Loofbourrow, you take the opportunity to place everything that has happened in the last three books into the context of a highly-public trial. I've been watching random episodes of Law & Order lately, so this kind of felt like par for the course--but at the same time, Loofbourrow's finesse for placing clues and revelations exactly where they are needed in the narrative, her penchant for hinting at something bigger going on beneath the surface, and her willingness to put main character Jacqui through some very desperate experiences added just that extra bit of flair that made it less about the trial, and more about the continued threats from the Red Dog Gang.

Removing Jacqui from the glamorous fakery and shiny veneer of civility she experienced in high society marks an interesting turn for the rest of the series. She's left Spadros Manor with no intention of ever returning to her position as Mrs. Anthony Spadros, she's striking out on her own now... or at least attempting to, if she can wether the charges being brought against her.

In the midst of trying to get out from under the Spadros roof, Jacqui has to face charges brought against her, blaming her for the catastrophic events at the end of Queen of Diamonds. Meanwhile, she has to figure out who she can trust around her, and keep the ones who she knows she can't trust at bay--a fitting conundrum that keeps a reader's interest in between the court scenes.

The "action" in this installment may be emotional and psychological rather than physical, but the energy keeps flowing all the way through. We see the fallout from past choices, and moves in play that will impact the future--just like a real card game!

This series just keeps delivering one fantastic twist after another. The world-building, the character development, and the twists and turns keep coming! King of Hearts gets a well-deserved *****5 STARS***** and I can't wait to continue on in this series! Team Jacqui all the way!

Further Reading: (Also By The Author/Steampunk/Investigations)
The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow
       -Gutshot (Novellette) 
       -The Alcatraz Coup (Novella) 
       -Vulnerable (Short Story) 
       -Jacq of Spades 
       -Queen of Diamonds 
       -Ace of Clubs 
The Alexander Legacy--Sophronia Belle Lyon
       -A Dodge, A Twist, and A Tobacconist 
       -The Pinocchio Factor 
The Jill Andersen Series--J. D. Cunegan
       -Bounty 
       -Blood Ties 
       -Behind the Badge 
       -Behind The Mask
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