Heather’s Bookshelf: A Very Private Woman
Author: Connor Whiteley
Released: 03/17/23
Genre: Adult Mystery
“‘It is because Mistress Fisher is a very private woman,’ Bettie smiled. She had dealt with very private people before, and they were actually a lot of fun to watch. Because they were so strange, eccentric and just weird.”
“A Very Private Woman” is a novella in the “Bettie English Private Eye Series”. However, this can be read as a standalone. This review was conducted as a standalone.
Bettie English, private eye, has a lot going on. She’s trying to run a successful PI business, but her family (including her sister Phryne) doesn’t believe she’s pursuing a worthwhile career. They think she should focus on her pregnancy, instead. But when a mysterious and prominent client proposes a job, she can’t help but be intrigued.
Bringing along her sister, Bettie finds the client to be Ms. Willow Fisher, a wealthy self-help guru with a huge following and an even bigger secret.
Meanwhile, her husband Police Detective Graham Adams, is investigating a drug deal when he’s hit on the head by the suspect. The object that hit him happens to be a rare stone, leading Graham to investigate at the local University and to a connection with Bettie’s investigation.
Will Bettie and Graham each be able to solve their cases without putting themselves or their families in danger?
Trigger Warning: reference to sexual situations, assault/violence
Overall, I was a little mixed about this tale. This story follows two POVs: Bettie English and Graham Adams. Each of the main characters have distinctive voices, motivations, and concerns. However, I didn’t really make a connection with either of them and found many of the ancillary characters to be one note (I especially wish Ms. Willow Fisher had been better developed as it would have especially made a difference with the ending.) The book moved along swiftly and the pacing felt consistent throughout. I don’t typically reference spelling or grammatical errors. However, the errors in this story are a little distracting when reading the tale and there were a couple of timeline errors as well. In this case, the errors are worth noting as it took away from the tension and mystery that should have been present when reading. In fact, by the end of the story, I had to go back and look to see if I had missed something with the reveal as I hadn’t pulled it fully together. I love a mystery story, especially one that the reader can figure out along the way. Unfortunately, while this story had an interesting premise, it did not work for me. Moving from a novella to a longer tale might have helped in both the character development and clarity of the plot.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A mystery novella with a promising premise and consistent pacing that doesn’t quite deliver a satisfying ending
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