Review by kmcpartland -- Veterans Day by J. J. Jorgens

[kmcpartland]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Veterans Day" by J. J. Jorgens.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

In Veterans Day, Mary Jane Morris receives a phone call on Halloween from her ex-partner Davy who is in desperate need of her help. From that moment, she enters into a whirlwind of crime and corruption as she works to discover “who dunnit” and more importantly why. J.J. Jorgens take us on an enjoyable ride and incorporates a nice blend of history, humor, and conspiracy. Throughout the book, the history of some of Washington’s most questionable events is revealed and nicely intertwined with the events taking place in the story. Mary Jane uses some comically old and, at other times, innovating tactics as she seeks to save Veterans from the widespread greed and manipulation of Washington’s most powerful politicians.

I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. I was unable to rate it a 4 due to grammar errors alone. I chose the 3 because the book is a page turner albeit a slightly unpolished one. At times, this book reads like a draft that just needed another read through or two to be really fantastic. Examples of errors included, “all the way down the tracks to yawning black tunnel on the other side” (8), “I had been a strange year” (38), “Rodiguez” instead of Rodriguez (53), and “He said that funny” (68). Mistakes like these interrupted my reading which is the worst when you have a nice flow. The good news is that after my brief check, I was able to continue and immerse myself in the story again.

The start of this book is decidedly rough. The novel had lots of cliché statements and moments that left you wondering why it had been included in the first place. Statements like, “I’d rather be lucky than good” and “Time to rejoin the land of the living” made me pause, and I felt as though I was reading something extremely amateur. As the narrator, Mary Jane is initially a fickle character and the reader is trying to figure out just who she is. For example, when walking onto a crime scene, Mary Jane decides to do the dishes. For a good detective, with a law degree, and a student of Poirot and Marple, that is an aggravatingly dumb thing to do. However, the book significantly improves as you continue reading and Mary Jane evolves into a worthwhile lead character.

It took me about 30 pages, but then I was hooked. I wanted to know how everybody was connected and how Mary Jane and her extremely wide network of friends were going to be able to uncover and reveal the truth. My favorite part about this book was following Mary Jane as she took on a variety of personas in order to get close to her suspects. I also enjoyed the changes of setting from the Potomac River, to a southern plantation, to a West Virginia carriage house. This book left me appreciative of close friendships in life and the knowledge that they are a necessity in politics.

This novel takes on a feeling similar to TV series such as Scandal or House of Cards where no politician is in it for the right reasons, and the people who attempt to fix it or speak out are threatened, murdered, or paid off. The reasons why people are put at risk in this novel fills the reader with a huge sense of injustice and drives you to want to turn the pages to see if Mary Jane is able to serve the criminals the justice they deserve. If you like a good laugh, enjoy mysteries, and can put up with a flawed and yet endearing main character, then this would be a great book to check out.

******
Veterans Day
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like kmcpartland's review? Post a comment saying so!