Member Review
Review by
Susan J, Reviewer
“I was tired of running in circles. I was tired of being the last one to know everything. I was tired of being the studious little court reporter who was on a need-to-know basis. For once, I wanted the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”*
Victoria Justice’s latest case features her high school nemesis as the defendant. Langley’s prank all those years ago left lasting scars on Victoria, and Langley seems hellbent on continuing her vendetta. To add to her day from hell, Victoria’s beloved mentor is found dead, and the murderer may be linked to their most recent case. What’s a smart and savvy woman to do, but find the killer and deliver justice.
Victoria makes a fantastic protagonist. She’s relatable and likable in her pursuit for the truth with supportive relationships with her mentor, mayoral candidate mother, and female friends. Sparks fly between her and the sexy state trooper who busted Langley. The setting with its downtown area and cozy Cake & Kettle restaurant, run by a confidant, work well in the story. The large cast of characters provide plenty of possible suspects as the body count rises.
Johnson’s beautiful writing kept me captivated, as did Victoria’s strength and resolve. The use of a court reporter amateur sleuth was handled brilliantly. The court scenes and Victoria’s court reporter job were nicely balanced with the other locations and aspects of Victoria’s life. Enough of the nuts and bolts of her career were nicely shown without slowing down the story. “Learning a secret language to capture, transform, and transcribe the spoken word into verbatim transcripts was tantamount to magic.”*
POETIC JUSTICE delivers a great character-driven mystery. I look forward to reading more from this promising debut author.
For me, the novel is a four and a half star read, rounded up to five.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books, an imprint of Polis Books, LLC, for providing an Advance Reader Copy.
*Please note that my review is based on uncorrected text.
Victoria Justice’s latest case features her high school nemesis as the defendant. Langley’s prank all those years ago left lasting scars on Victoria, and Langley seems hellbent on continuing her vendetta. To add to her day from hell, Victoria’s beloved mentor is found dead, and the murderer may be linked to their most recent case. What’s a smart and savvy woman to do, but find the killer and deliver justice.
Victoria makes a fantastic protagonist. She’s relatable and likable in her pursuit for the truth with supportive relationships with her mentor, mayoral candidate mother, and female friends. Sparks fly between her and the sexy state trooper who busted Langley. The setting with its downtown area and cozy Cake & Kettle restaurant, run by a confidant, work well in the story. The large cast of characters provide plenty of possible suspects as the body count rises.
Johnson’s beautiful writing kept me captivated, as did Victoria’s strength and resolve. The use of a court reporter amateur sleuth was handled brilliantly. The court scenes and Victoria’s court reporter job were nicely balanced with the other locations and aspects of Victoria’s life. Enough of the nuts and bolts of her career were nicely shown without slowing down the story. “Learning a secret language to capture, transform, and transcribe the spoken word into verbatim transcripts was tantamount to magic.”*
POETIC JUSTICE delivers a great character-driven mystery. I look forward to reading more from this promising debut author.
For me, the novel is a four and a half star read, rounded up to five.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books, an imprint of Polis Books, LLC, for providing an Advance Reader Copy.
*Please note that my review is based on uncorrected text.
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
