Member Review

We Were Killers Once is an interesting take on speculative history that is dragged down by its main character.
Brigid is a retired FBI agent and married to a man whose first wife died. Brigid who is tough and strong in everything but in relations to the first wife; this is the only time Brigid questions here. While trying to deal with these emotions, a man named Jerry enters their life. Brigid is sure he is up to no good.
I can't stand Brigid. This is the first in her series I have read and it will be the last. I like that the author uses an older woman but this idea of self-doubt because of a past relationship seems better suited to a younger woman. While I am sure people this age can feel this way, this didn't jive with how confident and egotistical the woman actually is. I couldn't stand Brigid's constant judgment of everyone around her while her ignoring her own bad decisions and actions. Brigid came off as thinking she is perfect even though she had no emotiona qualms about killing anyone ever in her career. I didn't care about her though I cared about her husband and niece. Luckily, the story alters between her view and that of Jerry who was way more interesting.
The plot itself is interesting. The author lays with the difference between In Cold Blood and what actual records say about the events. Masterman creates a new story that tries to answer the differences as well as unsolved mysteries related to that case and those associated with it. Jerry is the central part of this and it is how Brigid is pulled into the case.
We Were Klelrs Once is imaginative and engaging. Too bad the main character is totally unlikeable.