OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Open Season" by Maryann Miller.]

Open Season by Maryann Miller is a book in the crime thriller genre. It is the first book in the Seasons Mystery series.

Sarah Kingsley and Angel Johnson, homicide detectives with the Dallas PD, are assigned a high-profile case involving a serial killer who is targeting mall employees. Angel Johnson has recently been promoted to the post of a homicide detective, but she wonders if there is some other reason behind her promotion rather than her capability. The reason for her worry is that her partner, Sarah, a white officer, is being investigated for the use of deadly force in which a black male was killed. Angel and Sarah, both rightly assume that Angel is partnered with Sarah because she is black and it would be good for the department’s image. Both women resent the decision and find it difficult to maintain a healthy working relationship. Will the two of them overcome their differences and solve the case before it’s too late?

The author’s writing style is gritty and fairly engaging. From the first few pages itself, it is evident that this is an emotionally charged story. The pairing of two female officers is already hard to come by in detective novels, and in addition to that, the author has thrown in racial differences and tension for good measure, making this an out-of-the-box tale. It is clear that the story of the two women here, take precedence over the plot of the crime. The book is styled as a police procedural and it is interesting enough to keep the readers sufficiently engaged, but there is nothing exceptional about the mystery element here. The story is written in third person, mainly from Sarah’s viewpoint.

Coming to the characterization part, the author has sketched two lead characters that are clearly walking on a tightrope, trying to overcome personal tragedies and solve a heinous crime at the same time. Sarah has to deal with a many-headed monster in her mind. She is hardly able to grieve properly for the loss of her partner (who also dies in that incident), when she is pounded with the allegations of being prejudiced against the black community and has to prove her innocence before a Review Board that is determined to take action against her. The author has portrayed Sarah’s emotional struggle, to get past the fact that she had to actually kill a teenager (though it was inevitable), quite well. Angel’s mistrust of the white community, encouraged by her father, and her objectiveness in treating suspects equally has also been dealt with fairly well by the author. Both the women see each other as the manifestation of the injustice meted out to them. While Sarah sees this partnership as a constant reminder that she is under the scanner for racial prejudice, Angel is struggling with the idea that she is being used as a poster girl for racial tolerance.

The author successfully handles the delicate and deeply entrenched issue of racial prejudice, which can work both ways, to narrate a highly engaging story of two women trying to save the day. I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. It will appeal to readers of crime thrillers who are looking for something different.

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Open Season
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Nice review. It seems like a really intense story.

Thanks! Yeah, its quite an intense novel.

Nice review! This seems to be a really character-intense novel. It sounds really unique, too, what with two female officers begin partnered and the focus on racial prejudices.

Thanks

Wow, what a touchy subject for a book. It sounds very interesting. Nice job on the review!!

Thanks

Wonderfully written and insightful review! This sounds like an interesting take on the odd couple trope. I am adding this to my to-read list.

Thanks!
I hope you enjoy it

I think I would like this one! Nice Review!

Thanks

Nice review! It definitely sounds interesting and like a book that I'd like to read. I appreciate the female-female partnership because the male-female partnership in crime novels is very common, almost stale to me.

Really great review. Not sure I would enjoy this read though.

Thanks both of you

Thanks so much for the wonderful review, and I apologize for being so late with the thanks. Life issues have interfered with so much in the past 6 months I was not able to keep up with everything on the Internet. Things are smoothing out now, so I am playing catch-up. So glad I caught up with this review. I am honored to read your kind words about the story and the characters.