Whatcha Readin? Week 45

Another perk of being an Amazon Prime Kindle user is Kindle First, a program that gives you the opportunity to read certain books the month before they're released.  My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni is a suspenseful thriller.  In other words, Amazon lured me way out of my typical genre with this one!

Tracy Crosswhite's younger sister Sarah disappears and is never found. A man with a history of rape and assault is convicted of Sarah's murder with circumstantial--and suspicious--evidence. Tracy sees the inconsistencies during the investigation and trial, but no one will listen to her. Tracy blames herself for Sarah's disappearance and becomes obsessed with trying to figure out what really happened. She eventually becomes a detective with the Seattle Police Department, always reviewing her sister's case in her mind.

Not too far into the story, some hunters or hikers find Sarah's body. The case, of course, goes from the back of Tracy's mind to the forefront. She returns to her small hometown to give her sister a proper memorial and burial. But she is still bothered by the way things don't quite add up. And, despite warnings from everybody in her life, she just can't leave it alone.

I'll be honest, this genre stresses me out. I don't like not knowing what's going on; I don't like little hints here and there; I don't like holding my breath and waiting for the boogeyman to pop out at me. This. Is. Not. My. Favorite. Genre.

Me, reading My Sister's Grave

I made it through the first two-thirds of the book just fine, but that last third--EEK!!!  I couldn't put it down, couldn't read fast enough. I was SO GLAD to reach the end and just collapse.

My Sister's Grave had the level of character development that is typical of this genre, which I think is too bad, because Tracy could have been really fascinating. But, again, if Dugoni had spent a lot of time and effort on character development, it would have slowed the plot to a crawl, which would have left the majority of his audience dissatisfied. (Who do I think I am, anyway, dipping my toe in this genre and expecting it to change to meet my character needs?! ha!)

OK, so now that I've whined and complained about thrillers, suspense and mysteries, guess what's next on my list? Yep. Another thriller. This one is called Sleep Tight (Yeah, I see no possible way this could go badly.)  After I finish Sleep Tight, I'm jumping back to my comfort zone. You heard it hear first. ;-)