My Review: A Fool and His Monet

I love this book title!

Description:
Serena Jones has a passion for recovering lost and stolen art--one that's surpassed only by her zeal to uncover the truth about the art thief who murdered her grandfather. She's joined the FBI Art Crime Team with the secret hope that one of her cases will lead to his killer. Now, despite her mother's pleas to do something safer--like get married--Serena's learning how to go undercover to catch thieves and black market traders.

When a local museum discovers an irreplaceable Monet missing, Jones leaps into action. The clues point in different directions, and her boss orders her to cease investigating her most promising suspect. But determined to solve the case and perhaps discover another clue in her grandfather's murder, she pushes ahead, regardless of the danger.



About the Author:
Sandra Orchard is the award-winning author of several inspirational romantic suspense/mysteries, including Deadly Devotion and Blind Trust. Her Love Inspired Suspense titles have garnered two Canadian Christian Writing Awards and a Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award. Sandra has also received a HOLT Medallion, a Word Award, and a Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. In addition to her busy writing schedule, Sandra enjoys speaking at events and teaching writing workshops. She lives in Ontario, Canada.






My Review: 3 stars
This is the first book I’ve ever read from Sandra Orchard and to be honest, it wasn’t a favorite. I’ve been in love with mysteries since reading all of the Nancy Drew books as a child, so of course this book sounded right up my alley. Though I didn’t wouldn’t declare it terrible, or awful, or anything of that degree, it just didn’t hold my attention and I found myself very willingly putting it down. I also didn’t find it as humorous as some have described it as being, so that was a bit of a disappointment, as well.

It’s very apparent that Ms. Orchard has put a huge amount of time and research into the investigative side of the story, something I very much appreciated. I enjoyed the extra details and the little known facts that popped up here and there. That being said, I sometimes found it to be a bit tedious, as the investigation seemed to just drag on with one false lead after another, none appearing to go anywhere. This went on for about half of the book, and I was quite excited when things actually began to happen and Serena began to make headway. I appreciated the realistic portrayal of a FBI search, but to me it seemed more than a bit boring and I struggled to keep my attention on the story.

This book is written from Serena’s view point, which worked out very well. I liked the author’s writing style and how she gave Serena such a distinctive personality. I found myself laughing a few times at her internal dialogue and liked getting to know her better. Her character is one I could easily see myself being friends with. There are also a myriad of other characters to meet, something that left me scratching my head more than once, trying to remember which name went with who, especially when it came to the case. I know that the author was trying to build the cast, since this is the first book in a series, but I found it more than a little confusing at times. I also didn’t particularly care for Serena’s aunt Martha. I’m sure I was supposed to find her humorous or endearing, but to be frank, I just found her annoying. I was also a little confused by the love triangle that seems to be starting here, with two possible heroes for Serena to eventually end up with. It just became a little overwhelming with everything else that was going on.

Despite my gripes, this really isn’t a bad book. It just wasn’t my cup of tea, a fact that colors my opinions. If you’re looking for a mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie or maybe a bit of Murder, She Wrote, then you may very well find this book a delight. I was looking for something a little faster paced and with maybe a few less characters to keep up with, and didn’t find quite what I was hoping for.

I recommend this book if you enjoy complex mysteries.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.


Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and read my review!  Obviously, this is just my opinion of this book.  I know numerous people have loved it and if you'd like to check out some of their reviews, you can find links below.  I don't want to put anyone off reading this book, simply because it wasn't my favorite.  I hope you'll consider giving it a go if it sounds like something you would enjoy.  

Have a delightful day!

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