Thanks to twitter I have made friends with the lovely and talented Abigail Arrington. She is pretty funny and always has great 140 character insights to share. For the sake of the FTC and since Abby has an extensive background in law I have to disclose that she offered and gave me her book to review, which I was pleased to do so regardless that this is not my usual genre-but I suspect a number of my blogger friends read more suspense than I do so...
Abby's novel Precession has done the miracle of actually making me like a lawyer. The main character Riley Morgan (who I couldn't help but picture as Abby while reading) is an attorney with spunk. She is clever, attractive and confident, her dedication had me rooting for her at every turn, despite my natural inclination to abolish all lawyers. Abby you have changed my mind at least slightly.
The title Precession is referring to the astronomical term for a shift in position, and is related to Riley and her client Evan Cole. Evan is stuck with a bad recording contract which Riley is helping him to get out from under, while his star is about to rise in a familiar singing competition. At the same time a killer is loose wanting vengeance on Riley for her role in child services taking his children away as well as for domestic abuse. While this novel could be termed Suspense/Romance I was not put off by the romance because it had such a natural flow I could relate too.
Other interesting characters include Riley's dog Mason, her assistant Dani, and a federal agent Kent Donovan that is likable but wasn't in the book quite enough-I believe Abby is planning on expanding his role in future installments. To me, that is where a lot of Arrington's strength lies-how great she is with her characters and making me want to see what happens with them next. She has drawn a lot from her professional and personal life to create this novel. Like all great writers (and Attorney's) she has observed people and presents them in great realistic tones that show motivation, conflict and drama.
For the sake of any of you wondering I would definitely categorize it as a clean read, with only the slightest hint of language by antagonist attorney Sam Stone. I also liked a lot of her observations about society that were slid into the characters dialouge-for instance the idiocy of using the term "sick" as a good thing. Riley Morgan isn't sick, she's a legal Valkyrie.
10 comments:
very very interesting.
I'm wondering what you'll think of my novel.
P.S. I have my blog set to moderation after 24 hours. It seems like spammers don't post until the blog is a day old. That way you can catch the spam before it appears and delete it. Just FYI.
a Valkyrie! I like that in a woman.
Tamara-I am looking forward to your novel_ I do read outside my usual genre.
Exactly Charles.
Ooh! Fantasy is my first love, but I do enjoy a good suspense. I'll have to check this one out. Thanks for the review!
Sounds like a fascinating read. I've been reading outside my normal genre more and more this year and it sure yields some interesting experiences. Might just have to pick this one up.
Sounds good. That's pretty awesome that she asked you to do that review!
Nisa-you're welcome
Kim'yeah helps to keep us writer well rounded by reading outside the genre.
Void-I appreciate the comments-how soon til I can read yours?
I'll read almost anything; not to fond of YA, but even that sometimes. My fav's are fantasy and thrillers. Mystery's and Lit (usually called mainstream, I think) are also high on my list.
This sounds interesting. You did an excellent review. I'll have to add it to my TBR pile.
Thanks.
.......dhole
Thanks for dropping by Donna.
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