If Looks Could Kill The Law Game Volume 5 Andi Marquette Books
Download As PDF : If Looks Could Kill The Law Game Volume 5 Andi Marquette Books
Eleanor “Ellie” O’Donnell is part of a special investigative unit within the New York City Police Department. Her latest assignment has her tasked with uncovering the relationship between internationally known fashion mogul and all-around ice queen Marya Hampstead and a local Russian crime family. As legendary for her business acumen and beauty as her uncompromising and unapproachable personality, Marya Hampstead is not a woman to cross. Unfortunately for Ellie, the only way she can get close enough to conduct her investigation is by pretending to be an aspiring designer who takes an internship at Hampstead’s company. Definitely out of her element, Ellie has to put all her acting and investigative skills to work as she delves into what at first seems a simple case of occasional public outings with a man whose family has ties Hampstead might not know about. But when Marya’s father, an international businessman, shows up in New York, it becomes clear that something else is going on, and that there’s much more to Marya Hampstead than meets the eye. The question is, how much more and how deep is Ellie willing to go to find out? In the fast-paced world of clothes, critics, and competition, Ellie uncovers a lot more than runway gossip, including secrets that will kill far more than a bad outfit. "If Looks Could Kill" is the fifth and final installment of "The Law Game".
If Looks Could Kill The Law Game Volume 5 Andi Marquette Books
I first encountered Andi Marquette’s writing some six and a half years ago when I read the novella “Some Kind of River,” and, whether this sounds trite or not, it was love at first sight. The style, tone, descriptions of setting and action, the dialog but primarily the characters made me certain I’d visit Marquette’s works again and again. Next was Friends in High Places, an s-f adventure — never, ever “sci-fi,” okay? — cum romance rekindled. I’d also call it space opera and to me that’s not necessarily pejorative; there are some pretty awesome novels the term could apply to. After that came the series of mysteries set in New Mexico and a truly delightful short story in the Lori Lake/Jessie Chandler anthology Lesbians on the Loose; Crime Writers on the Lam.But, to the work at hand: If Looks Could Kill, part 5 of The Law Game series featuring 4 other fine writers. In another review, I commented that Marquette couldn’t write a bad book if she tried. Now, I’ll double down on that but add “unless she wants to” because after a pretty thorough (and most enjoyable) journey through much of Marquette’s oeuvre, my conclusion is that she can do anydamnthing with words she wants to. And do it really, really well.
What’s different to me in this novel is the writer’s voice, though as always, that’s hard to define, meaning different things to different people. Here, I find the overall style a little lighter than the Far Seek Chronicles and the New Mexico mysteries. The book is more fun than the average mystery/thriller/spy novel, which enhances the reading experience and keeps things moving along. But the “fun” is in just the right amount; we still know this is serious business, with multiple murders and illegal arms deals. Marquette’s narrative voice changes from novel to novel to suit the main characters’ personalities, voice and characterization combining to make the whole realistic and believable; that’s something not every writer can pull off but Marquette does so with seeming ease. All the elements work together to make things real, important in any fiction, but especially in spy thrillers, murder mysteries and science fiction, where the events are so far removed from the average reader’s everyday experience.
I like intriguing plots, of course, and this one certainly keeps you turning the pages. That I guessed the big “reveal” about one of the characters is no sign of weakness on the author’s part, but instead can be attributed to my many, many years of reading or maybe just a lucky guess. Marquette keeps things interesting by constantly varying the setting: things move seamlessly from Ellie’s undercover gig at a fashion mag to time spent with her boss at the cop shop to a night pent clubbing, a fashion show and a couple of upscale dinners and parties. The scene changes aren’t just for variety, though; they further the plot, helping to move things along with nice pacing.
Protagonist Ellie is a sometimes wisecracking, cinnamon candy-eating, very clever detective. Her possible target, a fashion mogul, is a reputed ice-queen. I like the way their relationship changes in the course of the tale, from boss/intern to friend with slight flirting to some more affection, then to openly expressing their more serious feelings. Marquette manages this romantic/sexual element with no distraction to the mystery plot and it adds complexity and increased reader interest, helping to round out the two principals. The changing relationship and the mystery are well-balanced.
Ellie’s a bit brash and she adapts to a world where she’s a fish out of water, more easily, in fact, than she expected; she even comes to realize she likes it a bit. She’s also adept at thinking on her feet. Marya, the putative ice-queen is certainly all business when she wants to be, but also exhibits a warmer side at times, and maybe a hint of vulnerability. She’s also the more sophisticated of the two. Neither Ellie nor Marya is one-dimensional; they”re multi-layered and much of the characterization is accomplished through dialog, avoiding the “Ellie was this,” “Marya was that,” type of exposition that inevitably bogs things down for many writers. Marquette is skilled at the “show, don’t tell” aspect of writing that’s so is vital to successful fiction.
All in all, If Looks Could Kill is an extremely enjoyable, well-written, intriguing tale, nicely paced, with characters you can easily relate to, even if you’re not a detective or a fashion mogul. Like the other works of Marquette’s that I’ve read, this one is highly recommended. Enjoy!
Product details
|
Tags : Amazon.com: If Looks Could Kill (The Law Game) (Volume 5) (9783955337216): Andi Marquette: Books,Andi Marquette,If Looks Could Kill (The Law Game) (Volume 5),Ylva Verlag e.Kfr.,3955337219,FICTION LGBT Lesbian,FictionRomance - LGBT - Lesbian,FICTION Lesbian
People also read other books :
- A Most Grievous Fault A mystery edition by Kathryn A Imler Mystery Thriller Suspense eBooks
- The Holy Piby Robert Athyi Rogers 9781475092592 Books
- Y ahora no se como encontrarte Trilogía Escapandome nº 4 Spanish Edition edition by N S Luna Literature Fiction eBooks
- Spiral of Need Mercury Pack Book 1 edition by Suzanne Wright Paranormal Romance eBooks
- Miracle Medicines Seven Lifesaving Drugs and the People Who Created Them (Audible Audio Edition) Robert L Shook John McLain Audible Studios Books
If Looks Could Kill The Law Game Volume 5 Andi Marquette Books Reviews
After three successive hits on members of a Russian gun-running syndicate, the NYPD thinks there's a territorial war afoot between rival Russian crime families, one of whom is closely associated with a top British fashion mogul who runs her empire out of New York. The cops figure the fashion business must be so much easier to infiltrate than Russian gun-runners ;) so they set up one of their own as an intern to try getting an inside look at the inner workings of the suspect fashion publication and see if there's a criminal connection there somewhere.
Undercover cop Ellie is chosen to be the "lucky" intern to be inserted into the fashion mag, which just happens to be run by a Miranda Priestly clone, Marya Hampstead, right down to the British accent, the haughty office walk and the terrorizing-employees bit. (Being an ice queen must be a requisite for success in the fashion magazine industry. ;)
I can't help but feel that the book is in many ways a homage to one of the biggest and most enduring f/f fandoms of all time. Either that or it started life as a former fanfic, lol. I'm talking about the movie The Devil Wears Prada of course. This book combines all the charm and tension of a slightly modified version of the classic Miranda/Andy pairing with a fairly competent crime thriller. Almost equal parts of both. The first half of the book consisted mostly of the investigation. Except for the rather flimsy basis for centering the undercover op on Marya who appeared to be at most, only peripherally involved (e.g. hanging on the arm of a suspect )), the investigation itself was competent, thorough and logical. But the book didn't truly come alive for me until the halfway mark, when the Devil finally starts to take notice of Andy. I mean Ellie. From that point, it was a straight, non-stop read to the end. Action and suspense peppered with twists and turns and enough sexual tension to set the pages on fire.
What I loved Every time Marya is on the page...she just sizzles.
What I wished for That Marya was everything she was vaunted to be .... (SPOILER ALERT) Unfortunately, its all just an act. ( Now wouldn't it be more fun if Marya was a true-blue Miranda Priestly-like ice queen, and if she was really in league with the Russians? Of course, that would have taken twice the current length of the book to resolve. But it would have been an awesome read. I guess you can tell I'm still in thrall with Requiem. )
4.4
ARC from the publisher Ylva
This is a very good read. It's pleasantly surprising. Not Andi's usual characters or setting and she hits it out of the park.
Oh how I really enjoyed this story. It was wonderful. It had cops, women, bad guys, undercover agents and all sorts of fun stuff!
Andi has written a fast paced and entertaining story. Think The Devil Wears Prada meets Le Femme Nikita. Excellent read! Go get your copy!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. First of all, since this is The Law Game series, this book totally sticks with the theme. Fast paced, great characters , and a very happy ending with great sex. What's not to love?
Ok, this is a real book. Worthy of your time and attention in the lesfic world. So well written - dialog I could just HEAR, it flowed so well, an intriguing story, and nice balance between romance and mystery.
Not once did I have to stumble or pause over a misplaced word, typo, or just flat out confusing sentence or paragraph. If you can't write like this, get better before you publish. Or get an editor to help you. PLEASE.
I first encountered Andi Marquette’s writing some six and a half years ago when I read the novella “Some Kind of River,” and, whether this sounds trite or not, it was love at first sight. The style, tone, descriptions of setting and action, the dialog but primarily the characters made me certain I’d visit Marquette’s works again and again. Next was Friends in High Places, an s-f adventure — never, ever “sci-fi,” okay? — cum romance rekindled. I’d also call it space opera and to me that’s not necessarily pejorative; there are some pretty awesome novels the term could apply to. After that came the series of mysteries set in New Mexico and a truly delightful short story in the Lori Lake/Jessie Chandler anthology Lesbians on the Loose; Crime Writers on the Lam.
But, to the work at hand If Looks Could Kill, part 5 of The Law Game series featuring 4 other fine writers. In another review, I commented that Marquette couldn’t write a bad book if she tried. Now, I’ll double down on that but add “unless she wants to” because after a pretty thorough (and most enjoyable) journey through much of Marquette’s oeuvre, my conclusion is that she can do anydamnthing with words she wants to. And do it really, really well.
What’s different to me in this novel is the writer’s voice, though as always, that’s hard to define, meaning different things to different people. Here, I find the overall style a little lighter than the Far Seek Chronicles and the New Mexico mysteries. The book is more fun than the average mystery/thriller/spy novel, which enhances the reading experience and keeps things moving along. But the “fun” is in just the right amount; we still know this is serious business, with multiple murders and illegal arms deals. Marquette’s narrative voice changes from novel to novel to suit the main characters’ personalities, voice and characterization combining to make the whole realistic and believable; that’s something not every writer can pull off but Marquette does so with seeming ease. All the elements work together to make things real, important in any fiction, but especially in spy thrillers, murder mysteries and science fiction, where the events are so far removed from the average reader’s everyday experience.
I like intriguing plots, of course, and this one certainly keeps you turning the pages. That I guessed the big “reveal” about one of the characters is no sign of weakness on the author’s part, but instead can be attributed to my many, many years of reading or maybe just a lucky guess. Marquette keeps things interesting by constantly varying the setting things move seamlessly from Ellie’s undercover gig at a fashion mag to time spent with her boss at the cop shop to a night pent clubbing, a fashion show and a couple of upscale dinners and parties. The scene changes aren’t just for variety, though; they further the plot, helping to move things along with nice pacing.
Protagonist Ellie is a sometimes wisecracking, cinnamon candy-eating, very clever detective. Her possible target, a fashion mogul, is a reputed ice-queen. I like the way their relationship changes in the course of the tale, from boss/intern to friend with slight flirting to some more affection, then to openly expressing their more serious feelings. Marquette manages this romantic/sexual element with no distraction to the mystery plot and it adds complexity and increased reader interest, helping to round out the two principals. The changing relationship and the mystery are well-balanced.
Ellie’s a bit brash and she adapts to a world where she’s a fish out of water, more easily, in fact, than she expected; she even comes to realize she likes it a bit. She’s also adept at thinking on her feet. Marya, the putative ice-queen is certainly all business when she wants to be, but also exhibits a warmer side at times, and maybe a hint of vulnerability. She’s also the more sophisticated of the two. Neither Ellie nor Marya is one-dimensional; they”re multi-layered and much of the characterization is accomplished through dialog, avoiding the “Ellie was this,” “Marya was that,” type of exposition that inevitably bogs things down for many writers. Marquette is skilled at the “show, don’t tell” aspect of writing that’s so is vital to successful fiction.
All in all, If Looks Could Kill is an extremely enjoyable, well-written, intriguing tale, nicely paced, with characters you can easily relate to, even if you’re not a detective or a fashion mogul. Like the other works of Marquette’s that I’ve read, this one is highly recommended. Enjoy!
0 Response to "[IJP]≫ [PDF] Free If Looks Could Kill The Law Game Volume 5 Andi Marquette Books"
Post a Comment