Heather’s Bookshelf: Girls, Crimes and the Ruling Body
Author: Barry R. Ziman
Released: 08/24/21
Genre: Adult Thriller
“He had wanted truth, and the truth was so horrible that now he only wanted beauty to come back into his life.”
“Girls, Crimes, and the Ruling Body” introduces Ryan McNeil, the chief of staff to a rising congressman in DC.
Ryan’s preoccupied with his job and his complicated relationship when he meets a young intern for a brief moment. The encounter seems casual and almost unimportant …until she disappears. Ryan feels compelled to reports his chance meeting to the authorities, but they dismiss him and his claims.
Several years later, another young woman is reported missing. Ryan’s curiosity about the first case is exposed after an unusual run-in that leads to the implosion of his marriage and possibly his career.
Will Ryan be able to prove his innocence? Will he discover the true connection between the missing women? Or will the culprits get away with their crimes?
Trigger Warning: murder, sexual situations, adult language, rape, sexual assault, adultery
Overall, I was a bit mixed on this one. The tale is told mostly through Ryan’s POV, but sporadically through others in order to reveal events central to story development. Ryan has relatable characteristics- he’s motivated and often insecure leading him to be unlikable with many of his choices which can be found as cowardly, self-serving and adulterous. Essentially every character in this story is unlikable- they are all so inscrutable and hateful. There’s also a couple of instances of characters having much-too-similar of names (Caroline & Cathy or Amber & Annie), which in itself is confusing. It’s hard to get behind a character or a story when you despise everyone within it. Add to that the terrible acts- mostly against women- and it wasn’t an easy read. The pacing tended to drag on in places and the reveal of the true villain wasn’t a surprise by the end. There was a bit of a twist in the events that occurred near the end, but even that added to the level of ick that built throughout the tale.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A thriller with reveals and a surprise at the end, hindered by unlikable characters and difficult pacing.
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