OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Only the Good" by Rosemary Reeve.]

Only The Good is the third installment in A Jack Hart Mystery series. This riveting thriller begins with Jack Hart dining out with some of his clients (insurance executives), following three days of depositions. Jack, the attorney for American Fidelity, is hoping to prove that they have no obligation to pay for the environmental cleanup- if the paper mill (their client) knowingly leaked processing chemicals into Bellingham Bay.

Little did Jack know that on his drive home, that same paper mill was in flames. To further complicate matters, Jack’s father, who disappeared from Jack’s life at age five, perished in that fire. To Jack’s ultimate surprise, his father was the owner of the said mill and appeared to have died under suspicious circumstances. Now that Jack has inherited his dad’s mill, he has become a primary person of interest in his estranged father’s death. Compound the situation with the fact that Jack will soon learn that his father had another family, including a wife and four daughters. As you can see, there are a plethora of mysteries to solve.

Since I was unfamiliar with this series and had not read the previous installments, I was thrilled that this novel was able to stand alone. The major plot and all subplots are resolved neatly in the end.

I loved the pace of this story. It is fast enough to maintain the reader’s interest until the end. The twists and surprises will further engage readers and keep them turning the pages quickly until the mystery is solved. The author employed a bit of foreshadowing to pique the interest of readers. One example is “I had no idea that I was about to lose American Fidelity as a client…and that the paper mill would soon become a lot more than your average, garden-variety environmental despoiler."

While all the characters were thoroughly and realistically portrayed, I especially liked Mark (Jack’s police detective roommate), Harmony (Jack’s devoted and skillful attorney girlfriend), and Betsy (Jack’s canine greeter, heroine, and dog extraordinaire). Readers will love this cast of Mark devotees.

As I was only able to find one error in the entire book, I believe it to be exceptionally well edited. Therefore, I am pleased to award Only The Good by Rosemary Reeve a perfect score of 4 out of 4 stars. Additionally, I could find nothing to dislike about this novel (other than I never wanted it to end!). Fans of the mystery and thriller genres will devour this novel. Those who prefer nonfiction may wish to choose a different book.

While the story did include numerous curse words (including h**l, d**n, s**t, f**k), they did not detract from my enjoyment of this engaging novel. However, due to the profanity, I do not recommend this book for a younger audience. Readers sensitive to violence and sexual scenes will be thrilled to learn that both of these elements were omitted from this story. I enthusiastically recommend this novel and look forward to reading the next installment in this captivating series, Dead Weight.

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Only the Good
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Discovering that your father has another family is a difficult situation for any character to go through. Add to that the strange circumstances around his father's death. I love books with a good mystery behind them and this one seems to be full of them! Thank you for your review!

Wow! I don't think Jack is having a good day. His father's mill (and his father) goes up in flames, he inherits, and he becomes a suspect in the arson and murder. Fabulous. I thought my life was bad. It does sound intriguing. Thanks so much!

Letora wrote: ↑12 Jul 2019, 08:54 Discovering that your father has another family is a difficult situation for any character to go through. Add to that the strange circumstances around his father's death. I love books with a good mystery behind them and this one seems to be full of them! Thank you for your review!

Yes, Letora, there is so much going on that you will never be bored with this story! Thank you so much for your kind words and for stopping in.

kandscreeley wrote: ↑12 Jul 2019, 09:37 Wow! I don't think Jack is having a good day. His father's mill (and his father) goes up in flames, he inherits, and he becomes a suspect in the arson and murder. Fabulous. I thought my life was bad. It does sound intriguing. Thanks so much!

I'm trying to stop laughing long enough to type a response. Maybe you need to write a book on your life, kandscreeley. Thank you so much for your comments and for stopping by- it's always a pleasure!

Jack is definitely facing a complicated set of problems! There is certainly a lot to keep you interested in this book and it’s good to know that it was well-written, fast-paced, and able to keep you on your toes. I also appreciate knowing that it can stand alone even though it is the third book in the series. Great review!

I have not read the earlier installments, but this one certainly grabbed my attention and held it through until the end. The way the author is able to put so much of the challenges of the story right out front was a very clever tactic and makes for good reading. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I have read a couple of reviews from this series, and all of the books sound very interesting. Given your great review, I might have to check this series out!

Everyone has some family issue or another, but Jack's family matters seem to be on a whole different dimension! Jokes aside, it sounds like an exciting thriller, and it's good to know the reader doesn't need to be familiar with previous books in the series. Thanks for the review!

I love to read books in a series but I prefer that they are stand alone like this. Thank you for the insightful review!

I couldn't stop reading your review! The author has put quite a bit on Jack's plate. This sounds exciting, and the descriptions of the Mark devotees adds spice to the adventure. Thanks for this compelling recommendation!

This sounds very interesting! I like the plot, and that it is able to stand alone even though it is from a series. Thanks for this great review!

This sounds like a really good book. I was concerned that I needed to read the series previous to this book until you clarified it can stand alone. Thank you for that review.

Everydayadventure15 wrote: ↑12 Jul 2019, 20:49 Jack is definitely facing a complicated set of problems! There is certainly a lot to keep you interested in this book and it’s good to know that it was well-written, fast-paced, and able to keep you on your toes. I also appreciate knowing that it can stand alone even though it is the third book in the series. Great review!

I did not envy Jack's life at all. And the book was excellent. Thank you, everydayadventure15, for reading the review and for your insightful comments!

travelwithinez123 wrote: ↑12 Jul 2019, 21:19 I have not read the earlier installments, but this one certainly grabbed my attention and held it through until the end. The way the author is able to put so much of the challenges of the story right out front was a very clever tactic and makes for good reading. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Yes, I look forward to reading additional works from this author also. Thank you, travelwithinez123, for your clever insights.