Official Review: Dead Weight by Rosemary Reeve

[joshfee77]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dead Weight" by Rosemary Reeve.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Dead Weight: A Jack Hart Mystery is a crime thriller by Rosemary Reeve, the fourth book of the Jack Hart series. Jack, an insurance attorney for American Fidelity, must decide whether Carolyn Anne Mayer, 36, died by accident, suicide, or murder after falling from her tenth-floor apartment balcony. American Fidelity will not pay out her life insurance if she killed herself. However, Jack has his doubts, due to the fact that formerly obese Carrie Mayer lost fifty pounds in the sixth months leading up to her death. As a court reporter, Cheryl, tells Jack: "A woman doesn't kill herself when she's losing weight." Working with his business partner and fiancée, Harmony Piper, Jack begins to interview the people involved in Carrie's life to find the truth. But there is more to this story than meets the eye...

Dead Weight launched straight into the main plot without unnecessary distractions. Reeve's writing and editing were excellent, making the book easy and enjoyable to read; a real page-turner. Told from Jack Hart's point of view, the story featured strong character development throughout. Jack's cynicism upon interviewing a dry-eyed witness seemed the product of long experience: "True, some people just can't cry, even when distraught. But those people generally don't delay every answer while they daub their stiff, black lashes with stiff, white lace." The author explored character traits deftly, always in the natural flow of the story, with no long detours to distract from the main plot and subplots. Nothing felt forced or false about Reeve's character-building, making for a thoroughly enjoyable read with great interest in the lives of the people portrayed.

The relationship between Jack and Harmony was complex and intriguing. Though engaged for six months, they had not yet spent even one night together, due to a harrowing event in Harmony's youth. Jack's patience and love for Harmony, though tested at times, was an admirable and endearing trait. When combined with a legal subplot involving Harmony and her father, Higuro, these elements really brought the characters to life. After reading Dead Weight, I am keen to read the other books in this series; I imagine they, too, would be just as cleverly constructed and intriguing. Like Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series, the characters were interesting, their lives rich with small details woven seamlessly into the main story.

Reeve's descriptive writing often showed real flair; for example: "The stiff wind elongated the explosions into parabolas of flame, streaking light across the sky; the raindrops refracted the light into multicolored billows of mist." The dialogue was smooth and realistic, flowing nicely and sounding authentic to the characters. With plenty of plot twists and subplots, Reeve kept me intrigued as I puzzled through the mystery with Jack, discovering and investigating evidence as he did. The ending explained everything with elegance, tying up all the loose ends, leaving no doubt about what really happened to Carrie Mayer and the other people involved.

I found only four minor errors in this book: three extra words left in unnecessarily, plus one pair of missing quotation marks in the dialogue. Other than that, the editing was exceptional, and I'm pleased to award Dead Weight the 4 out of 4 stars it deserves. It was an intelligent, layered, and beautifully plotted mystery which revealed itself gradually, piece by piece, right up to its satisfying ending. I would recommend it to all fans of crime and mystery, especially those who love a complex and challenging puzzle. With an author who clearly knows her craft, this is one book that will really make you think.

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Dead Weight
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[MsH2k]

I love Patricia Cornwell’s work. That sealed this book for me. I’m adding it to my list. Thanks for a great review.

[Rachel Lea]

I love a well-constructed crime thriller and this book sounds like it would be an engaging read. Thanks for your in-depth review!

[KDJ]

Thank you for your review. This book sounds great. The plot sounds unique to me, and I don't think I have read a novel similar to this. Your review makes me want to read Dead Weight. I think I would enjoy reading this one as everybody knows you don't kill yourself if your losing weight. Thank you for your recommendation.

[Helene_2008]

I definitely love crime and mystery. Your review definitely inspires me to read this series!

[kdstrack]

I know this is a thriller, but I couldn't help but see the clever connection between the main character losing weight and the title! Your description of the characters and the dialogues are encouraging. This one looks good (not so much gore!) Thanks for the recommendation!

[rumik]

I love a good crime mystery so I'll definitely check this out. Thanks for the review!

[joshfee77]

I love Patricia Cornwell’s work. That sealed this book for me. I’m adding it to my list. Thanks for a great review.

Excellent! This is a really intelligent mystery which reveals itself slowly, piece by piece. If you like mysteries, you'll love it.

[joshfee77]

I love a well-constructed crime thriller and this book sounds like it would be an engaging read. Thanks for your in-depth review!

This is as well-constructed as any crime thriller I've ever read...and I've read plenty. Thanks!

[joshfee77]

Thank you for your review. This book sounds great. The plot sounds unique to me, and I don't think I have read a novel similar to this. Your review makes me want to read Dead Weight. I think I would enjoy reading this one as everybody knows you don't kill yourself if your losing weight. Thank you for your recommendation.

An intriguing mystery, beautifully constructed, with plenty of twists, great characters, and interesting subplots. What more could you ask for? Thanks!

[joshfee77]

I definitely love crime and mystery. Your review definitely inspires me to read this series!

Thanks! After reading this book, I hope to get the chance to read others in this series, too. Just excellent quality writing and plotting.

[joshfee77]

I know this is a thriller, but I couldn't help but see the clever connection between the main character losing weight and the title! Your description of the characters and the dialogues are encouraging. This one looks good (not so much gore!) Thanks for the recommendation!

Yeah, a brilliant mystery that does pretty much everything right. And a clever title to boot! Thanks for commenting.

[joshfee77]

I love a good crime mystery so I'll definitely check this out. Thanks for the review!

Thanks! I've read tons of crime and this is definitely up there with the best of them. Just fantastic.