1Q

This book was written four years after the last one and published in the year the TV Series started.Does this book have a different feel to the earlier books in the series?

There hasn't been as much backstory as the others. I checked and this is the first of the TV series stories so maybe the book was written to fit that format. You can't have a lot of characters or backstory if you only have an hour to get it all told. The DVD's are an hour and a half so there is more backstory in them.

I've never watched the dvds but I felt like I learned more about Vera in this one. Her thoughts while swimming and going to the steam room were very interesting.

Also we learned somethings about Vera's childhood, mom's death and father. Maybe showing the TV viewers more of her background.

I felt this book had a much lighter and less dark feel, especially than the first one. I also felt there was much more humour in it. I laughed out loud on a number of occasions during this first section. I like the improvements!

Yes, a different feel. Vera is coming across as more vulnerable - never got the feeling before that her loneliness bothered her.
Also some cracks showing in Joe's feelings towards Vera - things there may not be as hunky dory as we'd been led to believe in former books: we'd never seen things from his perspective before.

>6 Sergeirocks: I like these changes.

>6 Sergeirocks: I always thought that Joe was on a tightrope between his job and his home life. He seems to really admire Vera but he's under his wife's thumb. Trying to please two women...something will eventually have to give or the man will go crazy.

>8 Carol420: Sounds as if things may be coming to a head. Carol as a wife of a policeman perhaps you need to give his wife a call.

>9 Andrew-theQM: >8 Carol420:
That's true! Carol could definitely identify with what she is going through.

>9 Andrew-theQM: >10 EadieB: Oh I do identify but I knew when I married him that this was going to be my life. I worried more about if he was going to come home at all...not if he was going to come home to feed the kids or put them to bed. It was what he wanted and he loved it...still keeps in touch with some of the people he worked with. I don't think my job had the same "worry factor" for him. I told him early on that I had a better chance of being run down by a 6 year old than being eaten by a lion.

>11 Carol420: Hey those six year olds are lethal! :)

>12 Andrew-theQM: They certainly have no fear of man nor beast:)

>12 Andrew-theQM: >13 Carol420:
Glad your husband isn't on the streets today will all the gunning down of police. Terrible times out there now!

6 year olds have lots of energy and that is dangerous and powerful.

>14 eadieburke: If only we could keep that energy level, think what we could achieve.

>15 Andrew-theQM:
I can only imagine. Great things would be happening - I might even get my books all read without falling asleep!

>14 eadieburke: I never thought I would see a day when there was so much hatred and disrespect among the people...not only here but all over the world. One of the officers that was shot in Baton Rouge worked with out grandson when he first joined the Sheriff's Dept. They had just had a new baby girl. I am so glad that my hubby is out of it and all but two of his friends are retired also.

>15 Andrew-theQM: My grand kids make me tired just watching them. More cheesecake please. it should give us some energy. We'll all be so high on sugar we won't be able to sit still long enough to read let alone sleep:)

>17 Carol420:
Yes but when we come down from the sugar, we will hit hard!

>18 EadieB: We'll just have to keep the levels up. You said you had banana pudding also???

>19 Carol420:
You can have some banana pudding but first eat your bacon butte that I just made you. I thought it was funny that Vera had an old bacon sandwich in the bottom of her bag. That's another reason to like her! She likes bacon too!

>20 eadieburke: I wondered how long it had been there.

Was it since the previous day's breakfast?

>22 Andrew-theQM:
I've found old stale stuff in my bag older than that! lol

Vera needs to explain to Joe's wife that his is not a 9 - 5 job! Especially when they're working a murder case.

>24 Sergeirocks: Why would Vera need to explain that? It's Joe's marriage. Joe needs to explain that to his wife and draw some limits with Vera where he can.

As to the question, I did think that this book had a different feel to it right from the start. Most of the changes are good but the writing style doesn't seem as descriptive as before.

Hi senseytional, welcome. Which books have you read in the series.

>25 Lynsey2: A good observation, Lynsey, I don't think this one is as descriptive as the early ones.

>24 Sergeirocks: Looking back, I didn't mean to sound quite so combative with my question to you, Sergie. My main thought was if one of my husband's female partners came to talk to me about the nature of my husband's job and how demanding it is, well that would not go over very well with me. I tend to be a pretty direct person so if my husband had a problem with my not supporting him I would want to hear it from him.

>29 Lynsey2: That's fine Lynsey, I didn't take umbrage, : )

I considered a reply but couldn't come up with the right words... The gist would have been: I think Sarah wears the trousers in that relationship, and maybe Joe tries to tell her but she doesn't listen. I thought Vera would have more force to get the message across and not care if Sarah thought she was interfering. Vera is one forthright lady!

>30 Sergeirocks: That she is! One of the reasons I like her.