Waking the Dead

Fieldnotes:
McKenzie Bridge, Oregon, Contemporary (p. 2009)

7 Sets of Skeletal Remains

1 Forensic Anthropologist (formerly Runway Model)
1 Outdoor Outfitter (formerly Army Ranger)
Too Much Pointless Bickering, that detracts from
Maybe 3 Scenes where the Protagonists seem to Like One Another

So Much Trauma that No One Seems to have Dealt with Appropriately
1 Meddling Mother
Countless Antiquated and Infuriating Misogynist Internal Monologues Masquerading as "Rugged and Manly"
1 Great Set-down that is Sadly Never Repeated

Surprise! Biographical Paintings
Dermestid Beetles
1 Readily Apparent Plot Twist (Mildly Obscured by the Weight of Reader Expectations and Stilted Language Choices)
1 Shoot-Out
Chekhov's Ice Caves

The Short Version:
This one is going to show more end up in the Not-for-Me pile. The mystery aspects I enjoyed (although I would have liked for there to be slightly more insights from the actual forensic anthropology that is Cait's expertise) -

Cait Fleming is competent and largely unflustered by those (read: everyone in town) who think she must be an idiot because of her teen runway model career. She is an unabashed science nerd and doesn't shy away from thorough investigation. Nor does she have the "overconfidence" outdoor outfitter Zach Sharper accuses her of - which is based on no actual evidence or actions/words of hers and more based on the fact that he doesn't want to guide her because of his preconceived notions and sullen adolescent resentment at being roped into doing so by the sheriff.

That is essentially typical of their interactions. Cait is doing her job while he stands around snarling about how angry he is that he can't go hermit in the woods. He's constantly mad about her doing her job - especially angry about the audacity of her asking for elimination prints when he found the remains initially... He's also constantly mentally accusing her of using her looks to "manipulate" men into answering her questions - but a) there is no evidence of that on page and b) their preconceptions are their own doing. All of this is firmly "his issue" and not one he ever bothers to examine or dismantle. Other than his abs, I'm not sure what he has going for him.

Their constant bickering really detracts from the "romance" side of things as it isn't fun / masking sexual tension - it's pretty much just ugly.

The big twist was pretty apparent to me. I had "Sweetie" pegged pretty early on and guessed the other culprit relatively late in the book, but the "why" wasn't really explored at all which is the part I tend to be most interested in. show less

I liked this book more than I thought I would from the "preview page" on the inside. I thought the female lead was someone most women could relate too even if she was a former model. I liked her brains and her guts as well as her independence. The male lead had issues that were understandable given his background and so I could forgive his sometimes stupid comments and actions. I did have it figured out before the big reveal at the end but not until very late in the book so it definitely kept me interested and guessing.

Good suspense and plot. Development of the romance not entirely convincing, the couple didn't seem to really get close and get to know each other.
Overall, I can't wait to read the rest of this series.