Gregory Ashe (1)

This book was brutal to my feelings in the best possible way. I have 38 highlights, and this doesn't even count the multiple pages I have tabbed because the exchange was too long for highlights.

"Animals are better than people," Tean shouted after Hannah.
"You're a wildlife vet,"Hannah shouted back. "You know that's not true!">

And yet, I am speechless. Just WOW. This was good.

“You are a real treat.”
“If it’s any consolation, I’m statistically likely to die choking on popcorn in my show more apartment, and it’ll probably take days before anyone finds the body.”
“You know what?” Esme said. “It is.” Tean is extremely on my wavelength.

There's this 'everyday' scene that made me want to weep. There's this exchange that had me laughing and crying and wondering "is this the best ever?" But I can't review it.

One of the things I'm really liking Ashe for is his sense of place. I haven't read any of his books yet where I just feel plopped into anywhere, anytime, USA. The seasons are vivid. The place is pulsing. And how often do I feel like an author nails a place? Almost never, but Salt Lake City & Utah are done really well based on my visit.

The world was in motion: the clumps of rabbit brush and saltbrush, winterfat and sage, flickered in the headlights like the pieces of stop motion film; the shadows of rolled bales ballooned and then shrank in mowed fields of blue grama and buffalo grass; a few stalks of rye in a trampled field
trembled as they passed; a jackrabbit broke from a clump of dead weeds; the stars wheeled overhead. And Tean, too, caught up in that movement, pieces of him flowing on a current he was tired of fighting.

This book is just incredibly effective, rewarding, and the writing is wonderful. Caz mentioned that this series felt his strongest to date, and I have to say I would support that statement wholeheartedly, but I've only read the one series thusfar. Still, this is really ridiculously good. show less

Sorry, guys. I’d had this grand plan of writing a proper review for this series once I finish book 4, but now that I’m done, I find that I don’t really have anything constructive to say, other than: Gregory Ashe cracked the code.

There are books out there that are gripping, edge-of-your-seat thrillers, but suffer from a lack of credible, three-dimensional characters; there are amazingly introspective, character-oriented stories that lose points because of poor pacing or draggy plot show more lines.

But what do you say about a book — series — that has none of these weaknesses? That’s so well-rounded that as you read it, even if you don’t like certain developments, you find yourself marvelling at the author’s imagination and skill every couple of minutes? That sucks you in so thoroughly that you literally can’t put it down, and it’s only when your back’s starting to hurt and your bladder is screaming bloody murder that you realize you haven’t moved from your more or less comfortable slouch for hours?

Genius.

I really, really want to binge the H&S series now, but as there’s a finite number of GA’s books that I haven’t read yet, I think a break is in order. show less

Whaaaat the heck, I read over half this novel just today because I couldn't STOP. Shaw and North are two of the most often-charmingly but holy carp terribly f*cked-up heroes I've ever met, and now I must go buy the next book so CW: domestic abuse, CW: flashback/PTSD and they're PIs so CW danger of all sorts. But if you're okay with those then RECOMMENDED *zooms off to buy another book*

First Dates: 5* 5/31/21
Oh oh.

Caz suggested I go here if I needed a change after the first H&S series, but I mistakenly thought I was supposed to go elsewhere for sequence.

"Please tell me you did not talk to Derek about the cosmic joke of existence or go on a rant about how humanity’s only genuine form of communication is howling into the abyss.”"

Anyway, it turns out, this is the next in suggested reading order per Ashe (I did skip the first two, because I was worried about the spoilers) show more and this is just little like peeks into their lives-no interaction, they don't know each other. It feels like an exercise in characterization, and an incredibly successful one

Hannah looped her arm through his. “You know what you need, Dr. Leon?”
“What, Dr. Prince?”
“You need to find a good guy.”

Anyway, I was laughing and I'm really looking forward to getting into this series and a little concerned I'm about to binge yet another series.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Jem said.
Sammi rolled her eyes.
"Or most of the stuff I would do. Don't do that either."

30 pages and it's incredibly effective.

"You know what you need?”
Tonight, the weed was making Jem dizzy, and he let his head fall back. The stars spun overhead. “A date with mom and dad and their baby boy apparently."
"You need to find a nice guy."

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This group of shorts is an absolute masterclass. show less