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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful milieu; reasonable mystery, July 18, 2008
This review is from: Fisherman's Bend (Jane Bunker Mysteries) (Hardcover)
This is definitely a mystery meant for someone in just the right mood, or a particular kind of reader. That is to say, it has a slow, meandering pace that reminds one of the very sort of rambling conversation one might have when talking to a relaxed person from a small town in rural Maine. It includes a great deal of detail about how each fishing- and boat-related task is done, and walks its way stoically through each part of every day, whether detailing a near-fatal accident at sea or a thought-filled drive down a country road. Most of the story consists simply of Jane's internal monologue as she observes her new home and surroundings and tries to unravel the events going on around her. The peek into life among Maine's fishing communities is fascinating. The details regarding lobster fishermen, their families, and the ways in which 'outside' concerns such as drugs begin to encroach upon the countryside are very real. Unfortunately, the law enforcement end of the story doesn't hold up as well. Jane is supposed to be a big-city cop, but she comes off as naive and amateur. She keeps believing the best of everyone even when you want to shake her and point out what seem like obvious inconsistencies, suspicious coincidences, ridiculous scenarios, and so on. Then, both the author and Jane cheat: when she does figure stuff out she 'hides' it from the reader, despite the fact that we're supposedly experiencing an interior monologue of her thoughts as she has them. I found myself being frustrated with her for not noticing or figuring something out, only to find out later that she had, but simply hadn't let the reader in on it. In addition, well, without giving too much away, let's just say the bad guy did a couple of all-too-convenient things in the finale that were straight out of Cartoon Villainy 101. The material on the local community and the very unusual voice in which the story is told are absolutely fantastic. They give it a highly unusual feel and it's really nice to read something new. It's just too bad that the law & order parts don't match it for quality.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
I didn't like this book., August 5, 2008
This review is from: Fisherman's Bend (Jane Bunker Mysteries) (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I am sorry to say that I did not enjoy reading this book. It is written in the first person style and that is something I usually try to avoid. This is the second Jane Bunker mystery, the first being SLIPKNOT. I kept waiting for the knot called the fisherman's bend to play some part in the story but it never did, that was a disappointment. Also, this author does not seem to be very interested in descriptive passages. Not of her main character, the other characters in the story or the landscape. I had hoped to revisit the wonderful coastal towns and villages of Maine through reading this story but it just never happened. Aside from one mention of the houses and forest along one roadway I got no descriptions to remind me of those wonderful days I spent in Maine. I found the character of Jane Bunker to be flat and uninteresting. I think her frugality was supposed to show us an aspect of her past and her personality but all it succeeded in doing was to annoy me. Why did I have to read about her wrestling with herself over whether or not to fill up her gas tank? After all, she was going to be reimbursed for it. Many references were made to her adventures in the previous book but they were not actually explained. I also didn't like the fact that she looked on almost every man she met as a potential "suitor". The main word used to describe the captain of the research vessel is "attractive" and she wonders if he finds her enchanting. Enchanting? After meeting her two times? Good grief! Then there would be a mention of past failed relationships but not anything concrete. I kept feeling as if I had missed reading something somewhere. Yes, there are "quirky" characters in the book. For me, there were too many quirky characters. And most of their quirks were just plain irritating, especially the speaking style of Willard Kelley. The positive side of this book comes about when this author is writing about boats and ships. It is obvious that she is very comfortable with those subjects and that is fine, she does a great job in that area. The mystery, on the other hand, was actually not interesting to me at all. In fact, none of the mysteries were interesting. I didn't care where they were leading because I figured out the main mystery when it was first being described. The reaction of one of the people who arrived at the scene was a complete give-away. And the ending was a shock. Not because of the revelation of the bad guy but how abruptly the story was concluded. Did the timer go off and someone shout "Time's Up"? I would never recommend this book to one of my "reading" friends who likes to read mysteries. It was unsatisfactory for me.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Just painful, August 12, 2008
This review is from: Fisherman's Bend (Jane Bunker Mysteries) (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
As an Amazon Vine reviewer, I have taken my task seriously,completing giving much thought to each product. Until now. This book is just too painful to complete, although I gave it the old college try and made it half-way through. Admittedly, I have never read any of the Jane Bunker books before, but there is nothing about this character in this book that would compel me to read another. In this book, she works as an insurance investigator and a part-time sheriff, investing the same crimes wearing both hats. Perhaps it is my legal background, but I could not suspend my disbelief that this would actually occur, as it is a huge conflict of interest. Jane is supposed to be a hardened police officer, one who has seen her share of sexism, yet approaches two men she encounters through business as if they may be potential suitors on their second meeting (dreaming of having babies with one of them!). The secondary characters are stock: the plucky waitress, the kooky neighbors, etc. One character's name is a play on two Beatle's name, which was mildly amusing the first time it was used, but lost its charm fifty times later. If I do finish and change my opinion, I will update my reiew.
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