Review of Bless Your Heart

[Stephen Christopher 1]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Bless Your Heart" by Susann Camus.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Dr Jeannie Johal is ordered by her boss, Dr Beatrix Bach, to temporarily leave Vancouver for Greenville, North Carolina, to assist her old military buddy, Dr Norma Dunn. Dr Dunn is working on a health authority project where a new medicine is being developed to assist in reducing obesity in women. There seem to be some issues with the data, and Jeannie’s expertise is required to get to the bottom of it.

Not long after arriving in Greenville, people start dying, and Jeannie is thrown into a world of chaos. Can she discover what’s going on with the program and find out who the killer is before she’s the next victim? Read Bless Your Heart by Susann Camus to find out.

At first, there was a lot to like about this story. The author built up the intrigue nicely and introduced a range of entertaining supporting characters, like Tanisha, LaDonna, and the detectives. Henry and Harmony.

The story is told over eleven days with multiple chapters for each day. A lot happens in Greenville in that brief period.

At the very end of the book is a set of book club questions, which would make for excellent discussion topics. I thought this was an excellent inclusion. The book was also impeccably edited, as I didn’t spot a single error.

After reading the prologue and the first chapter, I thought to myself that this was going to be an excellent book. As I read further, though, my opinion faltered. Here’s what I didn’t like.

I felt there was some unnecessary repetition in the book. The story of how Dr Dunn met Tanisha was repeated numerous times, and at the end of chapter 26, the two detectives discuss what food will be served at a funeral, then at the beginning of the next chapter, the same list of food is repeated.

I also felt there were some unnecessary back stories in the novel. Sure, Jeannie’s is relevant as she’s the protagonist, but the ones for Will and LaDonna, and even Lila-Jean’s and Lexi’s, felt like they took up pages and didn’t add any benefit to the story. (That may just be my opinion, though.)

With such a lot of buildup, it felt like everything was really rushed by the ending, and I have to admit that I wasn’t totally satisfied with what happened to the villain in the book.

I liked Bless Your Heart, but I didn’t love it, so I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars.

This is the second book in the Jeannie Johal thriller series, and there’s enough reference to what happened in the first book for this to be read as a standalone. However, these snippets have intrigued me enough to make me want to read the first one, as I’m keen to know Jeannie’s full story.

I recommend the book to lovers of small-town mysteries and character-driven narratives.

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Bless Your Heart
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[Seetha E]

I enjoyed reading your take on Bless Your Heart; it is detailed and covers all aspects that influenced the reading. I agree that the ending left me feeling let down.
... and yes, I also appreciated the discussion questions at the end of the book. Well-written and informative review!

[Priya Murugesan]

Plot sounds very interesting, Stephen, but the negative aspects put me off. Might try this for pleasure reading. Thanks for a detailed review!

[Etimbuk Eshiet]

Your review makes me curious about Jeannie Johal’s character arc—especially since you’re still intrigued enough to want to read the first book. That says a lot about the storytelling. I’m also a fan of small-town thrillers, so this sounds like something I’d enjoy, even if the ending isn’t perfect.

[Sarah Sarachi]

Yes I would love to read another book by SUSANN CAMUS, I love her creativity, intelligence, sense of reasoning and writing style. The book "BLESS YOUR HEART" was a fun filled book to read.