|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
One look at the title, and you know PAW ENFORCEMENT isn't going to be a gritty police procedural. And if you are familiar with Diane Kelly's award-winning romance novels and humor pieces, you won't be surprised that there's plenty of both in this first book in her newest series.
Set in Fort Worth, Texas, the novel tells of Megan Luz, a young police officer with ambitions of becoming a detective. But from the opening paragraph where we see her Tasering her partner's groin, we know that her road to promotion is going to be a rocky one. Assigned to an anger management class and a new partner - this one a dog named Brigit - Megan deals with driving her daily beat, putting up with a testosterone-fueled "good ol' boy" system, and falling for a good-looking member of the bomb squad who has a dog named Blast. Incidentally, Megan also gets caught up in the search for a bombing suspect after Brigit discovers a bomb in a mall trash can, and the pair keep injuries to a minimum through quick thinking and frantic evacuation.
While most of the story is told from Megan's perspective, Kelly intersperses chapters from the bomber's and Brigit's perspectives as well, trying to give some depth to a thin plot by putting extra emphasis on characters and setting (anyone familiar with Fort Worth will instantly recognize the majority of the places Megan visits). This works to some degree, because Megan is an interesting, mostly likable character, but much of the "depth" of the other characters - including Megan's love interest Seth - arises from stock situations. And while some of the puns that run throughout the novel might bring a smile, some seem rather forced, and the overall emphasis on chiseled physiques and heat-inducing encounters between Megan and Seth rather than any real mystery seems to indicate that Kelly has simply set one of her romances in a police environment. That's not to say it's poorly done. If you're looking for novels that feature romance more than mystery, this new series could be for you.
§ Meredith Frazier, a writer with a background in English literature, lives in Dallas, Texas
Reviewed by Meredith Frazier, July 2014
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
|
