The Raven by Mike Nappa | Re:View

Nothing beats a sarcastic character. Really. Maybe I'm partial or maybe it's just Mike Nappa's writing style in regards to The Raven (the character, not the book in this case), but I love what he did in this second Coffee & Hill mystery/suspense series. 

I had a vague memory of reading the first part of this book at the end of Annabell Lee (book 1 in this series) and was excited to start this book. If life hadn't gotten in the way I think I would have finished it more quickly, but as it was, I finally turned to the end last night and found myself excited book 3 already!

I found The Raven's character by far my absolute favorite. Yes, the snark (as mentioned above) was a big factor but I think there was something honest and real about him that jumped off the page to me. He was almost supernaturally calm as a character (to me at least) but it didn't feel fake. It was more "this is how he really feels". As the book progresses we begin to see a lot more of his backstory but I'll just leave it at the fact that I really enjoyed his character.

Ah, *sigh*, things I want to say about Trudi and Sam. But they are things I won't say for fear of spoiling anything. What I will say is I'm liking the progression of the books and hoping that what I'm hoping happens isn't just hoping, but reality. (Yes, much hope). I enjoy their character's though and I will give a shout out to Mike (and/or his editor too) for his portrayal of Trudi's female mind. There were times when I found myself nodding and thinking - yes! as a woman, I have felt/thought this exact way. I'm impressed by his intuition with regards to the immensely complex feminine mind.

From Instagram: @createexploreread

Lastly, let's talk (and not talk) about the plot. It was well done, mostly fast-paced, and intriguing. Mike uses a very interesting technique where some chapters (all divided into POV's based on character) are backtracking after other chapters. I have mixed feelings on this. It created an interesting reality where you left off at one spot and then read from before that spot to "catch up" to present time. It also meant a lot of "this happened then this did etc." because a lot of it was in retrospect. It was well written and has a certain element of style to it as much as it aided in creating suspense in the story BUT it also took some suspense out because you already knew what was happening and then just got to see it from a different POV. Are you confused yet? Yeah...

All in all, I really enjoyed this book--more than Annabell Lee actually--and am confident in recommending it. I would call it more mystery than suspense/thriller though there are elements of action to it. I think the covers of this series make them seem darker than they are (not that I don't like the covers because I definitely do). So you don't have to feel the kind of "creepy tension" you do with other, more suspenseful books. There are moments of it, but it's milder (in my opinion).

My Rating: 4*
Purchase: The Raven 

Book Description
(from Amazon)

"A thrill ride into the stark territory between grace and the letter of the law."--Tosca Lee, New York Times bestselling author

As part of his regular street performance, a deception specialist who goes by the name The Raven picks his audience's pockets while they watch. It's harmless fun--until he decides to keep the spare wallet a city councilman doesn't seem to miss, hoping for a few extra bucks. When he finds not money but compromising photos of the councilman and his "personal assistants," The Raven hatches a plan to blackmail the man. However, he quickly finds himself in over his head with the Ukrainian Mafia and mired in a life-threatening plot code-named, "Nevermore."

Private investigators Trudi Coffey and Samuel Hill must scramble to sort out the clues--and their complicated feelings for each other--to rescue The Raven and save hundreds of lives from a wildcard bent on revenge.

_______________

I received this book for free but was under no obligation to post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own.