Brutality - Ingrid Thoft

Somehow this one slipped by. My review of Ingrid Thoft's Brutality first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. I'm posting it (late--sorry) today with their permission. Hope you enjoy!

First line: "Liz Barone had come to the conclusion that if her illness didn't kill her, the medical and legal bills just might."

Spitfire private investigator Fina Ludlow returns for Ingrid Thoft's third hard-boiled crime novel, Brutality. Instead of receiving a case from her family's legal practice, Fina brings this one to them. But what she pedals as a potential payout may turn into a major disaster.

Bereft mother Bobbi Barone hires Fina to find who assaulted her adult daughter, Liz, leaving her for dead. The pool of suspects is large: Liz is pursuing a lawsuit against her college alma mater, plus there's no secret she and her boss do not get along.

As Fina scratches the surface of Liz's life, even more creepy crawlies emerge as potential assailants, leaving Fina with a full can of worms to investigate. Somewhere in that mix is a deadly snake, and when Fina pokes too close, she finds herself--and her family--in danger as well.

Brutality's plot contains excesses that slow the story's pace, but Thoft still keeps the suspense high and her readers engaged. This is in large part due to her fantastically quirky protagonist. Seeing more layers of Fina's complexity peeled away in each novel is as entertaining as figuring out who done it. Thoft continues to play up Fina's humorously oddball characteristics, like coveting a vending machine in Costco as "the answer to all my prayers." She also flushes out more of her PI's passionate side through Fina's relationships with her family and friends.

Mixing the traditional PI novel with her own secret ingredient--Fina Ludlow--Thoft once again creates an explosively fun read for any crime fan.

Brutality is available in hardcover from Putnam (9780399171185) and as an unabridged audio (9781490683713), narrated by Rebecca Soler, from Recorded Books.

   

   

2013 Favorite Debuts

I went back and forth on how to do this one. Should I just include debuts that came out this year or all debut novels I read? I decided on the latter since my other lists have included books published prior to 2013. This year I read 21 debuts (a new high, topping 18 in 2010). Of those there was only 1 I didn't finish, so they were all very good debuts. These are the ones that were favorites of that group. I'll definitely be watching closely for more from these folks.


Country Hardball by Steve Weddle - I've just finished this one, so you'll get the review soon. It's very unusual for a collection of short stories to appear on my end of the year favorites lists...primarily because I don't read many. But this one is exceptional. The interconnection of the stories telling an overall story of a Southern small town is engaging, lyrical and authentic. Great, great book!

The Qualities of Wood by Mary Vensel White - This one technically debuted last year as an ebook; it will have its print debut next year, so I read it sandwiched in the middle. Another authentic look at a small town full of colorfully dimensional characters. The writing is beautiful and the atmosphere is rich. Hope there's lots more to come from White.

The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne - The depth of this plot is suspenseful and beautiful. The dual storylines are handled deftly and the characters are stunningly memorable. For me the little added bonus on this one is seeing the workings of the British legal system. Ballantyne integrates them without weighing down the story but still providing a birds-eye view.

Loyalty by Ingrid Thoft - The introduction of Fina Ludlow to the crime fiction world is a highlight of my 2013. She's a great female character vying in a male-dominated world. Thoft balances the humor with her situation's gravity and creates a great all-around PI. I'm looking forward to Fina's future feats!

Dead Harvest by Chris Holm - This debut was actually last year also, so I was a little slow in my introduction to this great trilogy. And really any thing that can pull me out of my traditional crime fiction realm has to be pretty spectacular. The meticulous care Holm took in creating this "Collector" world made for an amazing story and an all-around fun reading experience.

Shadow of the Corps by James DuPont - I know you've all experienced the "I can't put this book down" read. Shadow of the Corps is one of those for me. And then at the end, I didn't want to put it down. The plot twists, the psychological element, and fascinating characters all add up to one outstanding debut.

It's always fun to discover new authors, isn't it? These are my favorite debuts of 2013, but I actually read 65 authors who were new to me just this year. While adding so many new authors to the mix makes it challenging to keep up with everyone, it's fabulous to know that there's plenty of good stuff out there to keep me in good books for a very, very long time. What new authors did you discover this year?

Tomorrow I'll wrap up 2013 with my overall favorites list. Hope you'll stop back and share your favorite reads this year!

Happy Reading! 

Loyalty - Ingrid Thoft

First line: "This was her punishment."

Ingrid Thoft has come on to the crime fiction scene in grand style with Loyalty. She introduces, Fina Ludlow, a fiesty new P.I. who battles to prove herself in a testosterone-rich environment. Her father and brothers are all lawyers in the family law practice. Fina is the company's in-house investigator. Typically her work revolves around the cases her family takes on, but when she's called in to investigate the disappearance of her sister-in-law, the stakes become much more personal.

As she follows the clues of the case, Fina finds herself in the hospital, an interrogation room and an ugly skeleton closet. Her "loyalty" will be tested like never before, and loyalty to one will ultimately mean disloyalty to another. Coming out of this case unscathed doesn't seem possible.

The only thing I don't like about Fina Ludlow is her ability to eat junk all the time and not need to work out 12 hours a day. She has charisma and flare. She may be a disappointment to her mother, but Fina is comfortable in her own skin; she doesn't need her mother's approval. Witty, smart and spirited, this is a character I'm going to look forward to seeing again.

Thoft has created a compelling plot around her dynamic P.I., weaving various elements in and out to keep the readers on their toes and turning pages.

As a debut, Loyalty isn't without some minor hiccups. The editing could have been a bit stronger, tightening up the narrative with things like the repeated focus on what characters were wearing in each scene or blocks of text describing the layout of a room. The dialogue is strong throughout the book but every once in awhile an awkward line pulls the reader out of the flow of the conversation. The fact that the dialogue is so good overall makes those awkward lines that much more blatant. But as a baseline measurement, Loyalty is going to give Thoft a high bar to maintain.

Loyalty is the beginning of what I anticipate will be a strong series in the crime fiction world. It will vie for a place on my favorite debut's list this year and I'm looking forward to more from Ingrid Thoft!

Loyalty is available in hardcover (ISBN: 978-0399162121) from Putnam. Loyalty is also available as a Penguin Audio unabridged audiobook download, narrated by Rebecca Soler.