Porcelain Doll

Porcelain Doll was the first book I'd read by Joe Cosentino. I hadn't read the first Jana Lane Mystery book prior to reading this, I will say it did not spoil my enjoyment of Porcelain Doll although I thinkI would have also got more out of it, if I had read it (Also Paper Doll did have some amazing reviews).

Porcelain Doll is set in the 80s which I really liked having been a child around the time this book was set. I liked the mentions of fashion/talk shows (Their styles) as they were true to the era. The film that Lana is filming during this book is also apt, as its something that would be popular of its time too.

Lana's a 40 year old mother of 3, married and an ex famous child star. Surprisingly she's grounded and someone I could see myself being friends with. I related to her, I am 40 myself and found her a likeable character. I understood her concerns and feelings regarding getting older. There are also quite a few other characters in this book. I don't want to really concentrate on telling you too much about them as I don't want to give things away about the story. I will say I had a big dislike for one character early on, but my 'thoughts' on this person were wrong.

The story has good pace, the momentum keeps you interested and your mind working. I do dislike books sometimes when there are so many characters to consider but didn't find Porcelain Doll overpowering in the least.

I thought the ending had a great climax. It really did reminded me of an 80s film thriller and that gave the book more appeal to me too. I will definitely look to more of Joe's work in the future when I'm in the mood for this genre as this book really did tick all the boxes for me, add to that the great reviews of Paper Doll and I think he's definitely someone to look at! 4 stars, a great mystery thriller!