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Book Review of The Other Woman (Jane Ryland, Bk 1)

The Other Woman (Jane Ryland, Bk 1)
robinmy avatar reviewed on + 2059 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


When TV Reporter Jane Ryland refuses to name her source, she loses her job. Detective Jake Brogan recommends her for a job at a newspaper where she is asked to get an interview from the wife of Senate hopeful Owen Lassiter. Mrs. Lassiter has dropped out of the public eye and everyone is asking why. A phone call form Mrs. Lassiter tells Jane that she believes her husband is having an affair with another woman. Meanwhile Jake Brogen is investigating a series of dead young women whose bodies are found under Boston city bridges. People are asking if there is a serial killer in Boston. Soon another body is found which ties Jake's case with Jane's story about the Lassiter campaign.

This book was nominated for several mystery awards and I can't figure out why. The story is confusing. Characters pop in and out of the story and the point of view is constantly switching. I had no idea what these characters were up to for over half of the story. The writing is choppy and sometimes hard to read.

A couple of things drove me absolutely nuts. Jane is constantly ignoring her phone or unable to answer it because she is in the middle of an interview. I swear this happened at least twenty times. I just wanted to shout "answer the *#@&$# phone". The other thing that drove me crazy was Jane and Jake's relationship. When the story starts they have already dated and decided to be friends since a relationship between a reporter and a cop would be prohibited. So I had to read about one character constantly wondering what the other was up to and wishing they could be together. I thought the whole situation was just dumb. My rating: 2 Stars.