carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life

I am a long time fan of Lisa Scottoline so it pains me to say that this book missed the mark for me. I haven't read all of Ms. Scottoline's novels but I have read quite a few over the years and this one is my least favorite of the bunch by a lot. I just found the entire plot of this book to be utterly ridiculous. I really tried to just go with it but throughout the book there was a little voice in the back of my head telling me that nobody would do these things. I had a hard time getting into this book because it was so unbelievable.

Christine and her husband, Marcus, have been through a lot in their quest for a child. After learning that Marcus is infertile, they decide to use a sperm donor and for Christine to become pregnant. Everything is going great until Christine sees a new story about the arrest of a serial killer who happens to look exactly like their donor. Their life is suddenly in turmoil and they feel like they need to know if this killer is really their donor. Would the traits to become a murderer be inherited? Did he have a mental illness that wasn't disclosed? They are full of questions.

Marcus wants to use the courts to find answers to their questions while Christine decides to use a more hands on approach. The pair do not see eye to eye on how to handle this situation at all and their marriage may be in jeopardy. Christine continues with her actions despite their disagreement. Before you know it, she is investigating murders, visiting jails, and doing a lot of hands on research.

I didn't connect with any of the characters in this book except Griff, the grumpy lawyer that didn't have too big of a role in the story. Marcus was a jerk for most of the book. I get that he had issues to deal with because of his infertility and everything but he needed to be over that before Christine became pregnant. Christine's connection with the donor was just odd. One moment, I would think that I understood Christine and then she would do something off the wall and I would realize that I didn't get her at all.

I was also less than impressed by the mystery in the story. I have a hard time believing that Christine would be able to figure out anything that the police and FBI couldn't. She was reckless in her quest for the truth. When the answer to the mystery was revealed, it just needed to come out of nowhere and was rather unsatisfying. Everything seemed to work out a little too easily in the end after all the issues in the story.

I was disappointed in this book. It had some good moments but overall, it wasn't up to the level of story that I have come to expect from Lisa Scottoline. I am still a huge fan of this author and plan to continue reading her work.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Initial Thoughts
Not my favorite Scottoline book. The plot seemed overly ridiculous to me but what do I know.