Served Him Right

Ana and her friends are enjoying brunch to celebrate an “Ex-orcism” of her horrible boyfriend, Paul. The brunch is to purge Paul from their contacts and social media accounts. They are interrupted by a detective delivering news that Paul has been found dead. Ana has been known to have a temper and she leads the lengthy list of suspects.

If you love a witchy supernatural theme, domestic drama filled with sisterhood and feminine rage trying to solve a murder, this is the book for you. Filled with unlikable characters, multiple POVs, which at times can be hard to remember who is who. I was drawn in immediately, but then it took a slow turn, bogged down with too many characters, storylines and an overflow of information on the different show more plants grown for medicinal purposes. The ending was fast paced and came together nicely with quite a few twists leading to a satisfying ending.

Thanks to NetGalley, HTP Hive, HTP Books and Park Row Books for this ARC. This is my honest opinion. show less

When I started to read this advanced copy of SERVED HIM RIGHT, I had high hopes that Lisa Unger would not again resort to the supernatural to solve the dilemmas she creates. So I'm pleased to tell you that she does not do that in this book.

Paul is a no-good womanizer and rapist. When he is found murdered, the big mystery of SERVED HIM RIGHT is who, of the many possibilities, did it. The police find that he was poisoned so are looking in particular at the group of women in the area who specialize in herbs and creating herbal recipes to both cure and kill.

In addition to Paul's murder, police are also dealing with a couple of other mysteries: a woman's life threatening illness after she attends a brunch hosted by one of the herbalists and show more another woman's disappearance after she began dating Paul.

In a few instances, Unger gives too much credit to herbal remedies. For example, Iggy (leave it to Unger to name one of her characters Iggy), the woman who got sick after the brunch, is now dying in the hospital. Doctors cannot cure her. But guess who can. Right, an herbalist who adds an herbal recipe to Iggy's IV line. She awakens from her coma and immediately leaves the hospital with her husband. That stretches believability.

SERVED HIM RIGHT stresses throughout the qualities of herbs. But the qualities of women are also stressed. I could have done without the minilecture on women's rights to abortion, but, all in all, Unger makes good points. She also does not depend on the magic of herbs but, rather, the actual science involved in using herbs for both good and ill. show less

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“Served Him Right” is rocking that gothic mood and takes its sweet time getting started.

Thanks to the author and HTP Books/Park Row for this #GiftedARC via NetGalley.

There are so many characters, I almost wanted a seating chart just to keep up. But once I got my bearings, I was hooked on the atmosphere.

We get a bunch of different perspectives, which keeps things interesting. Not every character is a scene-stealer, but the women are running the show.

The witchy vibe is what kept me glued. No broomsticks or cauldrons. Just a little supernatural buzz that gives the whole story a lift. The pace is definitely slower, so settle in and enjoy the simmer.

It isn’t my favorite Unger book. She’s given us way wilder twists show more before. But this one has its own thing going on, and that gothic-witchy mix makes it stand out.

#ServedHimRight show less

Served Him Right by Lisa Unger is a recommended revenge thriller following two sisters and their group of friends along with a plethora of medicinal plants discussions.

After a gripping opening the focus switches to sisters Ana and Vera. The two are very close and were raised by their late Aunt Agnes, who also taught them about herbal remedies. Vera is hosting an ex-orcism brunch for Ana's breakup with Paul. Invited are a group of her close friends, including Iggy, Esme, and Payton. During the brunch the police detective Timothy Bandeau knocks at the door informing the group that the body of Ana's ex, Paul has been found buried in a shallow grave by a walking trail. Ana is an obvious suspect. The brunch quickly ends, but soon after this show more Iggy becomes violently ill and must be hospitalized.

The quality of the writing is good, as expected, but after a strong start most of the novel is slow-paced. Adding to the slow-pace is a plot that starts out strong, moving quickly, and then it slows down to a slog through the majority of the novel. Switching between multiple points of view and timelines did not help hold my interest, especially when many of the chapters seemed like filler with little plot development. It does pick up toward the end with some twists and a satisfying conclusion. It might help to hold your interest if you are highly interested in natural remedies, herbal cures, using poisonous plants, and mysterious groups of women healers.

Admittedly, none of these characters are likable or appealing in any way so it was a struggle to even want to know what happens to them. Iggy had promise as a likable character but she is hospitalized and near death for most of the novel. Paul was an evil man and deserved his fate so the question is who extracted revenge for his nefarious deeds. There are many past secrets/actions brought to light along the way.

Served Him Right will be best appreciated by those who enjoy novels focusing on unlikable characters extracting revenge and lots of medicinal plants discussions. Unger is a favorite author and normally all her books are highly rated, however this novel is just average and doesn't represent her best work. Thanks to Park Row Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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I enjoy reading Lisa Unger’s mystery novels and was looking forward to this one also. When Ana invites her sister and friends to a brunch to celebrate her breakup with her boyfriend Paul, they found out Paul was murdered and one of her friends gets ill and hospitalized. Who killed Paul and who poisoned her friend? That is the mystery. Also, Ana, Vera and her friends are all wiccans and called their group the Cove. Not what I expected from this story, but there was enough suspense to keep me reading and a entertaining climax to make it worth it.

This is a fun read even with dead bodies turning up. Ana Blacksmith has brought her closest friends and her sister, Vera, fir a brunch to celebrate her recent breakup from her boyfriend, Paul. When shocking news comes that Paul is dead, everyone looks at Ana, the angry ex with a bad reputation. Suspicions only grow when Ana's best friend falls deathly ill after the brunch.

I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars, but settled on 3.
I usually enjoy Unger's novels, but this one fell short for me.
Paul takes advantage of women. So, when he is found dead, Ana, his most recent girlfriend, becomes the prime suspect. She isn't the only one who wanted him dead, though, due to Paul's past actions.
Ana, her sister, Vera, and several friends all attend brunch at Ana's suggestion. After brunch, one of Ana's friends becomes ill and is hospitalized.
I think the book would have been better without the family mystery and the Wiccan references. It could have stood on its own without those plot devices.