*** Actual Rating 3.5 / 5 ***
This is the second outing for journo, Morgan Vine, and although I haven’t had the pleasure of reading the first book I was quickly attracted to the underlying story of the potential miscarriages of justice she investigates.
On this occasion, all the evidence supports the fact that Angelica Fry is a murdering arsonist (unfortunate surname given her conviction), so how could she ever hope to convince a complete stranger of her innocence when she has nothing new to offer in her defence?
It’s interesting to see how Morgan Vine tackles this dilemma, especially as she learns of a few unsavoury prison activities during the process and by doing so she gets caught in a perilous web where a deadly spider is waiting – you know, one of those crafty blighters you tackled with the TV guide only to learn it’s been under the sofa and plotting a surprise attack.
The story leaves the starting blocks off at quite a pace. There’s an intriguing plot and the characters appear level-headed and grounded… until... well, events conspire and all logic leaves the building. The Vine family display some dreadful judgement in their personal lives and place themselves in unnecessary danger – in fact they actively throw themselves in its path at times!
There are also various lines of enquiry to consider as many-a-moral compass has cracked under severe pressure. While I can’t help but have very little sympathy for Morgan’s daughter (she became increasingly irritating as time and tragedy ticked on), I couldn’t help but feel appalled for the unlucky recipient of a treasured biscuit tin, the contents of which were a sickening display of the psychological torment they were subjected to.
All in all this was a decent read and kept my interest. Given the outcome of this investigation I would be intrigued to see how life pans out for Morgan Vine in the future.
This is the second outing for journo, Morgan Vine, and although I haven’t had the pleasure of reading the first book I was quickly attracted to the underlying story of the potential miscarriages of justice she investigates.
On this occasion, all the evidence supports the fact that Angelica Fry is a murdering arsonist (unfortunate surname given her conviction), so how could she ever hope to convince a complete stranger of her innocence when she has nothing new to offer in her defence?
It’s interesting to see how Morgan Vine tackles this dilemma, especially as she learns of a few unsavoury prison activities during the process and by doing so she gets caught in a perilous web where a deadly spider is waiting – you know, one of those crafty blighters you tackled with the TV guide only to learn it’s been under the sofa and plotting a surprise attack.
The story leaves the starting blocks off at quite a pace. There’s an intriguing plot and the characters appear level-headed and grounded… until... well, events conspire and all logic leaves the building. The Vine family display some dreadful judgement in their personal lives and place themselves in unnecessary danger – in fact they actively throw themselves in its path at times!
There are also various lines of enquiry to consider as many-a-moral compass has cracked under severe pressure. While I can’t help but have very little sympathy for Morgan’s daughter (she became increasingly irritating as time and tragedy ticked on), I couldn’t help but feel appalled for the unlucky recipient of a treasured biscuit tin, the contents of which were a sickening display of the psychological torment they were subjected to.
All in all this was a decent read and kept my interest. Given the outcome of this investigation I would be intrigued to see how life pans out for Morgan Vine in the future.