A review of Captain’s Choice by VK Powell

ONLINE SUMMARY: Newly promoted police captain Bennett Carlyle considers being project manager for the new district substation the way to prove her worth in the male-dominated upper ranks of the department. But when the first girl she loved returns as the architect with little understanding of the operational needs of a police station, Bennett’s career and her heart could face permanent damage.

Architect Kerstin Anthony believes the new police substation will be the springboard to her own firm and the necessary resources to care for her mother. When she confronts the girl she kissed in high school, now a tantalizing police officer with unrealistic expectations about the new facility, Kerstin’s path to success becomes littered with unexpected hurdles. Along with tight deadlines, budget restraints, and architectural challenges, she has to battle both past and present feelings for the woman she was torn away from years ago.

MY REVIEW: I read VK Powell’s To Protect and Serve a couple of years ago and have no idea why it took me so long to get to another of her books. In any case, I’ll simply say I highly recommend that one and add that Captain’s Choice was every bit as good but with an even larger cast of characters to root for and maybe fall in love with. Anyone who’s read my reviews knows that characters are as important to me as plot and Powell certainly delivers in that respect. In both respects.

A few other reviewers on amazon have complained that the relationship between Kerstin and Bennett is unrealistic but I disagree: Admittedly, at times, I’d like to grab Kerstin by the shoulders and shake her until her teeth start to fall out, but hers is a perfectly normal defense mechanism and could realistically be caused by her parents’ unexpected divorce and the way she was torn away from Bennett before their relationship could even really begin.

As for Bennett not leaving Kerstin due to the latter’s constantly mixed signals, as Willow said to Buffy early in season two of BtVS, “Love makes you do the wacky.” To me, however, Bennett’s patience isn’t “wacky” at all. Bennett doesn’t even say those famous “three little words” until 85% of the way through the novel, so she’s clearly not rushing into things. Besides, it’s not as if she’s been pining away for 17 years and “forsaking all others.” Her key phrase “Life taught me not to bypass what I want if I know it’s right” doesn’t sound at all like the immature person that particular reviewer calls her. She realizes starting over with Kerstin isn’t going to be easy, but it’s worth it to her to try because “it’s right” and I think I’d be disappointed in her if she didn’t.

I freely admit to being a romantic, though hardly the hopeless variety — I hope. Despite the sudden interruption to their budding relationship in their youth, and Kerstin’s hot-and-cold reaction to its possible resumption, I see these two as, to use the common cliché, “made for each other.” Even Kerstin realizes this; it’s why she’s terrified by the idea of her and Benett as a couple: it’s something beyond her control. Quite frankly, I loved both characters and Kerstin’s vulnerability and her aversion to emotional intimacy is, possibly, a battle she can’t win. That vulnerability makes her more attractive to the reader, not less.

In addition to the two principals, Captain’s Choice is filled with a large cast of supporting characters who add greatly to the reader’s enjoyment. The entire Carlyle family is loving and fiercely loyal to each other, including Bennett’s adopted sister Jazz. Moreover, they’re all fun to read about and they contribute considerably to the novel’s more light-hearted side. This helps balance the angst of Kerstin and Bennett’s fraught reunion. I also think Kerstin’s dinner chez Carlyle plays a big part in her ultimate decision in re Bennett even though she’s still terrified by the prospect, the same reaction, incidentally, she had when she first encounters Bennett in the opening scene.

As a rule, I’m not a huge fan of romance qua romance, preferring a mystery or sf element as a necessary concomitant. In Captain’s Choice, the various obstacles to the successful completion of the new precinct substation satisfied that need; though not a life-or-death issue as in those other genres, the impact of the project on Kerstin’s and Bennett’s careers lends it adequate weight to serve as that needed counterpoint to the romantic plot.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with Powell’s writing in To Protect and Serve, just as one would expect from a Bold Strokes Books release. However, the author’s hand seems somehow more assured in Captain’s Choice. Of course, at least part of that is the difference between a writer’s book one and her book eleven. Having read two of Powell’s books, I’d also say she needs very little editorial support in the mechanical aspects of writing, all those things that call attention to the words on the page and distract the reader from the actual story. The narrative flows smoothly, naturally, holding one’s interest from the get-go.

I particularly enjoyed the fact that, although Captain’s Choice is set in a police precinct, it’s not a police procedural or murder mystery. The focus on the day-to-day administrative facets of law enforcement is unique and refreshing. Powell’s many years experience in law enforcement make her equally adept at portraying the daily grind, if I may, as well as the more common crime solving.

I also liked the Greensboro setting, since most mysteries are set in major urban centers like New York, Chicago, or LA. This gives the tale a entirely different “feel” from the standard law-enforcement-oriented story. Greensboro may be the biggest city in the Piedmont Triad, but that’s a far cry from being one of the four or five largest cities in the US. In a sense, Greensboro is almost a character as well as the setting, much like Mickey Knight’s New Orleans.

To conclude, VK Powell’s Captain’s Choice is a very well-written novel with characters whom it’s easy to care about and even admire. And, as I often say, they’re people you wish you knew in real life. Like the characters, the plot is engaging and holds the reader’s interest throughout. I recommend the novel unreservedly and I’m certain it won’t be two years before I revisit Powell’s works.

A review of Standby Counsel: A Monica Spade Novel by Alexi Venice

ONLINE SUMMARY:  From Amazon Bestselling Author Alexi Venice, a full-length standalone legal thriller. 
Monica Spade insists she isn’t a trial lawyer, much less one who represents dangerous criminals. Despite her protests, Judge O’Brien orders Monica to serve as standby counsel for a young woman accused of repeatedly stabbing her boyfriend. 
 
Setting aside her abject fear, Monica drags herself to the jail to meet her new client, Stela Reiter. A demure Romanian, Stela looks more like a meek librarian than a person capable of overpowering and stabbing a young man to death. Unlike Monica’s other clients, Stela is coy and secretive during their interview.
 
Meanwhile, Monica’s girlfriend, Shelby St. Claire, is keeping secrets of her own, forcing Monica to question the foundation of their relationship. Curiosity being Monica’s trademark, she digs into the backgrounds of both women.
 
Monica uncovers sexual innuendo and layers of international intrigue, then deadly forces come after her, including a Ukrainian thug who will stop at nothing to get what he wants and two suspicious federal agents. Stuck between an unrelenting judge and a killer in a pink cardigan, Monica pursues the truth in court while fighting to keep Shelby and herself out of harm’s way.
 
Set in in the dead of winter in surprisingly progressive Apple Grove, Wisconsin, Standby Counsel will keep readers’ hearts racing. 

MY REVIEW: When I downloaded this one, I wasn’t aware it was a (so far) second book of a series; luckily, and I’d guess, by the author’s intent, it works perfectly well and is quite satisfactory as a stand-alone. How good is it? Well, as soon as I finished it, I immediately downloaded and read Conscious Bias, Alexi Venice’s first Monica Spade novel, and that’s something I almost never do. I prefer to put at least a couple of months between books in a series, but after reading Standby Counsel, I truly didn’t want to leave these characters. I takes a special book to make me break that two-to-three-months rule, and special is a word I’d apply to both these novels.

As I implied above, I loved the characters, both Monica and her lover, Shelby. When the story opens, things become strained between the couple and I had a moment’s trepidation wondering, in the case of Shelby, WTF is wrong with this woman? It’s real sense of animus on her part  I won’t reveal how the situation is resolved but I have to say it’s a terrific way to draw the reader into the story. It’s also an indication that Monica’s personal life is as important as the murder trial and, in fact, bookends the narrative.

While I like a compelling story as much as the next person, to me, the characters are an equally important part of my enjoyment and on occasion, even more important. The balance between the courtroom drama and the romantic plot is very satisfying and is also integral to the excellent pacing of the novel.

Monica is very easy to root for: she’s loyal, compassionate, unflinchingly honest, relentless in pursuit of her goals, both in the courtroom and in her personal relationships, not only with Shelby but also with colleagues and the pro se defendant she’s charged to assist. She’s also a good deal sexier than she realizes. A smidgen of  self-doubt relationship-wise, rather than weakening the character, merely adds to her complexity and her not inconsiderable charm. Shelby’s equally engaging and relatable, the fraught opening scene notwithstanding. Again, despite that odd first scene, the pair seem absolutely right for each other.

Secondary characters are well-defined and, so, make significant contributions to the novel’s complexity. Even those who make only brief appearances still stand out in the mind of the reader and, though not the principals, the prosecutor and, perhaps Monica’s law partners might be considered a second tier of major players, a level of intricacy not always present in genre fiction, a label I’m not especially fond of.

The only place I disagree with most other reviewers is concerning Stela Reiter, the Romanian woman on trial for the murder of her boyfriend and who has chosen to act as her own defense counsel. The trial judge has appointed Monica as Reiter’s “standby counsel” to explain legal issues. Those other reviwers reacted more positively to Stela’s character and were virtually united in hoping Stela would be acquitted. I, on the other hand, took an instant and intense dislike to her, not the reaction the author intended, perhaps, but still a valid one in my opinion, based on the characterization.

As to the mechanical aspects of the writing, all those things which can potentially lift us out of a story by calling attention to the words themselves, I have not even a quibble. In addition, the author’s obvious familiarity with matters legal and medical, and a wealth of detail create a truly believable narrative with that single exception noted above. Lastly, there’s just enough humor to counter the grittier moments of the story.

To conclude, Standby Counsel by Alexi Venice is a well-written, highly enjoyable legal thriller filled with engaging characters you might like to know in real life. In short, highly recommended!