Grant County and Will Trent In Review

 (<--- awesome picture of Karin, right?)

So, Grant County and Will Trent have come to a close for now. Well, Grant County is over for good I think. They'll all be Will Trent crossovers under the Will Trent name. 

That's what it looks like, at least.

I love them for the most part. 

I think my feelings about Lena are clear, so I'm not going to go belabor that. 

But lets not get too far ahead of ourselves. 

So, a lot happens over the course of these series. I think Slaughter's choices make for a really...surprising and interesting series. 

That doesn't mean I'm happy with all her choices. 

The Expats, Chris Pavone

I have no idea how to write this review. Normally, I don't think about the review while I'm reading the book. I did with this one. Sure I have opinions as I'm reading. I even discuss them while I'm reading, but I don't actively think "what am I going to say," while I'm reading. Here, I just wasn't sure what I would write about. Was I enjoying it? Did I hate it? Was it just one of those books I don't really enjoy till the end? That's happened before. I've been reading a book, thinking "this thing is terrible," until the last 10 pages. I can't not finish a book.

But I didn't hate this book. I can't say I liked it that much either. Ok, the premise here is a CIA agent, Kate, who quits her job and moves to Luxembourg with her family when her husband gets a job offer. Shortly after moving, she meets Julia and Bill Mclean. Shortly after that, she begins to believe the Mcleans are not who they claim to believe and that her husband, Dexter, is hiding something from her. Something big. She's right on all accounts. The Mcleans are undercover FBI agents working with Interpol to investigate Dexter for stealing 50 million Euros. And he's guilty.

Exciting right? Former spy, married to a thief, being investigated by the FBI. It's got all the makings of a suspenseful drama. But it's not. It's not a book I couldn't put down. In some cases I decided to play Sudoku on my phone instead of read. Unheard of!   

Headed for Trouble, Suzanne Brockmann

Another collection of short stories, like Twilight's Dawn, only for a romance series called Troubleshooters. Now, I've proposed my 60/40 rule before, and I stand by it. Brockmann is excellent at making sure the romance doesn't swallow the plot. She's actually the author that convinced me I didn't hate all romance.

The series starts with characters from a navy SEAL team, and ripples out into the FBI and a private security company called Troubleshooters. You don't really have to read this series in order, but there is some crossover - minor characters in one book are main characters in another and things that happen to them while they're minor effect their main story. Every now and then the plots, being suspense, get a little hard to believe but for the most part these are really good reads. The ones in the beginning have a little extra ooph, adding a flashback story line. Like WWII spies or gay soldiers. That's not to say the series gets boring. It keeps up, just without some nice historical side plots.

That's another thing: the characters are really diverse - by race, gender, sexual orientation, age, etc. It makes the whole thing more complex and real. And the characters never go completely away, so the ones you love are always floating around.

As I said, this is an anthology. I'm not going to go over everything, because, dude, there are a lot. There is a timeline in the beginning, so if you're already a fan of the series, you'll know where everything fits. If you're not, you won't be lost for much of it. There are a might be a reference or 2, but very limited. There are short stories, but there also interviews and conversations. Sounds kinda weird, right? They're entertaining, though. The interviews are between characters and Suz. The conversations are similar. All the characters are aware of their status in a book...and that Suz is the author.

Some of the stories can be found on ebook or at the end of other books, so there may be some repeats if you've read the series. If you're new, this may give you a little taste - various characters and situations. Another thing about this book is Shane's Last Stand at the end. It's a short story to go with Brockmann's new paranormal series, Fighting Destiny.

Definitely recommend this one for fans and for those thinking about becoming fans.

Headed for Trouble, Suzanne Brockmann