Book #23

Killer Soul Mate by Ken Hicks and Anne Rothman-Hicks

Jane Larson is back, and trouble abounds on New York’s Upper East Side! 

A new client, Jasmine, hires Jane to undo the terms of a matrimonial agreement with her ex-husband, the owner of a prosperous hedge fund who does not like to lose. At the same time, Jane’s landlord is working to evict her from the storefront law office where her mother had practiced for many years, and Jane is forced to fight to save her mother’s legacy. However, it seems there is no way she can win. 

All too soon, the bodies begin to pile up and Jane has to figure out who is responsible before she becomes one of the victims. Meanwhile, a guy named Gary is trying to worm his way into her life, and, even though she thinks he is much too young for he, she starts to fall for him. The problem is that he has a habit of showing up where the murders occur. Can she trust him? 

I do love a Jane Larson mystery. Ken Hicks asked me to read Weave a Murderous Web back in 2018, and I really loved getting to know Jane and being propelled along in her hectic lawyer lifestyle, particularly when she becomes embroiled in some seemingly unsolvable crimes. 

Although, admittedly, I don’t have the best memory, I don’t remember being quite as absorbed in Weave a Murderous Web as I was in Killer Soul Mate - I can only assume the author power couple are getting better and better.

Killer Soul Mate absorbed every moment of my time, so it’s a damn good job the world’s in lockdown. The plot is so wonderfully engaging, with many plot threads happening at once, just to finally come together in the end. The characters are beautifully crafted, intriguing, and set up to make you entirely desperate to hear more.

The setting of gritty New York really appeals to the plot. The mazes of streets, the crazy traffic, a dodgy character on every corner; both author’s knowledge of the city rendered their words utterly and completely perfect.

There was no predictability here. I usually like to think of myself as a bit of an amateur detective when reading mystery novels, but there was nothing here I could guess at. The twists shocked me, and I was consumed by the tiny clues and hints peppered throughout the pages.

I hadn’t realised there were a few more Jane Larson stories I hadn’t discovered yet, so those will be my next port of call when I’m looking for a captivating mystery novel.