#ATBR2020 Review: Don't Look Down by Hilary Davidson @jessmapreviews
Don't Look Down
by Hilary Davidson
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for these copies!
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publish Date: February 11, 2020
Hardcover
368 Pages
Series: Shadows of New York #2
Genres: Mystery, Police Procedural
Jo Greaver is a model of success. Young and ambitious, she’s built a thriving beauty business from nothing. But she has secrets she’ll do anything to keep buried. When her blackmailer offers to meet, Jo expects to pay him off—but gets a bullet instead. Bleeding and in shock, Jo flees with no one to turn to.
When NYPD detective Sheryn Sterling and her partner, Rafael Mendoza, find Andray Baxter murdered in his own home—shot through the heart—everything points to Jo as the killer. Her blood is at the scene, and so are disturbing photos of her taken as a young teen. But Sheryn has doubts. Was the kindhearted Andray really a criminal? Why did he repeatedly report finding spyware in his apartment? Was there something shady about Jo’s sister dying a year earlier?
Something’s not right, and it’s up to Sheryn to piece together the sinister puzzle, no matter the cost.
My Review:
What I liked: engaging story that runs at a moderate speed.
What I didn't like: not fully believable in the procedural aspect of it comparatively to other procedurals I've read. Repetitiveness. Somewhat forced dialogue with the underlay of "lesson" that seemed unnecessary in how it was portrayed.
Overall, a decent and fun read but towards the end I wasn't as engaged as I was in the beginning. Don't think I'll be continuing the series.
For those who don't read a ton of procedurals and want an interesting mystery, this will be entertaining.
★★☆
Jessica's Review:
I'll keep this short - I dont like when I have to give a less than favorable review. Based on other reviews I am definitely in the minority for this. So I think it could be more so "it's not you its me" with this book. DON'T LOOK DOWN is the second book in the Shadows of New York series, but it read just fine as a standalone (as I hadn't read the first book).
I found myself in and out of the story as far as my interest. If you don't frequent the police procedural genre then I think this will be perfect for you. For those that read a lot of these books, this might feel a little repetitive at times. Suspend some belief for this one and I didn't feel too connected to the characters.
Again, I really think it that this didn't mesh well with me as a reader. The writing was solid and I think Davidson put together a good mystery with some cat and mouse to it. The pacing is what got me and this one took longer than anticipated to get through.
2.5 stars
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