|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Veterinarian Jessica Popper and her law student boyfriend Nick Burby are on vacation in Maui. Jessica is there to attend a conference but plans on enjoying a vacation with her significant other at the same time. This trip does bring back some bad memories as the last time Jessica and Nick visited Maui, their relationship ended. Jessica hopes that this time the vacation will go much smoother and be more relaxing. Unfortunately this trip is less than peaceful. After meeting a reporter, Marnie Burton, in the hotel lobby, Jessica finds herself interested in some of the issues with which those living in Maui are concerned. Before Jessica has the chance to learn more, Marnie is murdered. The local police believe her death was due to domestic violence and seem uninterested in additional investigating. Jessica does not think the solution is that easy and begins digging into Marnie’s life. Some of Jessica’s doubts stem from the fact that Marnie had a note hidden in her freezer and her work notes are missing. The fact that Jessica is probing makes someone nervous as Jessica’s belongings are searched and her life threatened. With Nick’s help, Jessica must figure out who would want Marnie killed and why. Time is running out and they must discover the killer’s identity before the killer eliminates them from the scene. RIGHT FROM THE GECKO differs somewhat from the other books in the series. Even though Jessica Popper is a veterinarian, the books in this series do not deal with a lot of animal tips or lore. Having a mobile vet clinic allows Jessica to use her profession and her clinical visits as a way of hunting down suspects and clues. Normally this means that while little time is paid to her patients, animals and animal care play a role in the plot In RIGHT FROM THE GECKO, Jessica is on vacation without her own animals or her patients. She is in Maui for a conference, but she spends little time at the sessions much preferring to investigate Marnie’s death. Therefore, this book contains almost no mention of animals, animal care or other veterinarian topics. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it makes the series title of ‘reigning cats and dogs mystery series’ inaccurate. I enjoy this series as it is very light-hearted and offers a good escape from reality. The one part of this series that always bothers me is Jessica’s issues with commitment and her inability to understand Nick’s concerns. While the two of them frequently spend time together, she always leaves him behind – or in a lurch – in order to solve a crime. Her inability to understand his fears for her safety, or his annoyance at playing second fiddle to her obsession with crime solving, makes her seem selfish and childish. Luckily in RIGHT FROM THE GECKO, they are able to come to an understanding and Jessica is finally able to see Nick’s point of view. I am glad that Jessica finally has some empathy to his feelings as I was about ready to stop reading the series. Now I can only hope that she continues to view the world beyond her own wants and needs and use Nick’s detecting skills for her amateur investigations.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, April 2007
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
