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Every once in a while I need to read something mindless like this very lightweight crime thriller, the second in a series of books about Private Investigator Sloane Monroe.

I've said this before, and I'll probably say it again: authors of Kindle freebies need get their work professionally edited.

--"Grizzly" instead of "grisly"
--"Shuttered" and not "shuddered"
--Confusion between "pour" and "pore" (not just once, but several times)
--Blatant misuse of apostrophes and commas
--Implausible plot points (the protagonist enters a murder suspect's home, where the police have not searched and the front door just happens to be unlocked; the abrupt brush-off Sloane gives her live-in boyfriend, Nick)

These very severe weaknesses are redeemed by occasionally snappy dialogue between Sloane and her BFF, Maddie.

My sister says that every time I finish a Tana French book, I say that it wasn't as good as the others. (For the record, my favorite is still [b:The Likeness|1914973|The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad, #2)|Tana French|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348934952s/1914973.jpg|6504351].)

I liked the crime story line in Broken Harbor very much. The protagonist of this book, Detective Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy, warns early on that "everybody lies," and, of course, that set me on edge. Yes, there were lies, but there were layers to the lives of the victims, suspects, and witnesses that made for an engaging read. (Side note: I must like getting jerked around while reading. I also enjoyed [b:Gone Girl|8442457|Gone Girl|Gillian Flynn|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339602131s/8442457.jpg|13306276], another story full of lies.)

The evolution of Kennedy's relationship with his rookie partner, Richie Curran, was well done.

We also get a peek into Kennedy's private life -- his siblings and his past. I found this sideline to be distracting, but, as expected, there ends up being an overlap with the murder case he is investigating.

Wow, wow, wow. Read this book in one day - it's that good.

Great portrayal of characters' voices and a compelling storyline kept me going.

The voice of Little Bee, a refugee from Nigeria, is charming and compelling. The voice of her counterpoint, Sarah, is less so. This novel, told in chapters that alternate between Little Bee's and Sarah's points of view, tells how their lives intersect.

Maybe I liked Little Bee because she is "exotic," and therefore I don't really know what her life has been like; because of this foreignness, perhaps anything author Chris Cleave says seems right. On the other hand, Sarah, a young British magazine editor and mother, is someone I could know--and yet, she seems less "real." Yes, she's going through some personal traumas, but none so horrific as what Little Bee has experienced.

The novel started strong, but its power got diluted as events progressed. I almost put down this book after one of the refugees hangs herself early on. I almost quit again after we learn how Little Bee and Sarah (and Sarah's husband, Andrew) met in Nigeria. I decided to stick with it, just to see how Cleave depicted the triumph of the human spirit. I mean, honestly, after describing such tragedy, isn't such a triumph just about required? Well, the triumph was muted.

The voice of Little Bee, a refugee from Nigeria, is charming and compelling. The voice of her counterpoint, Sarah, is less so. This novel, told in chapters that alternate between Little Bee's and Sarah's points of view, tells how their lives intersect.

Maybe I liked Little Bee because she is "exotic," and therefore I don't really know what her life has been like; because of this foreignness, perhaps anything author Chris Cleave says seems right. On the other hand, Sarah, a young British magazine editor and mother, is someone I could know--and yet, she seems less "real." Yes, she's going through some personal traumas, but none so horrific as what Little Bee has experienced.

The novel started strong, but its power got diluted as events progressed. I almost put down this book after one of the refugees hangs herself early on. I almost quit again after we learn how Little Bee and Sarah (and Sarah's husband, Andrew) met in Nigeria. I decided to stick with it, just to see how Cleave depicted the triumph of the human spirit. I mean, honestly, after describing such tragedy, isn't such a triumph just about required? Well, the triumph was muted.

I didn't see the film, and after reading this book I don't need or want to.

What a sad story. What sad characters. Nicely written, yet emotionally distant.