Anne Laughlin

I really, really wanted to like this book. I've read two others by the author and enjoyed them - particularly [b:Veritas|7571845|Veritas|Anne Laughlin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1263930540s/7571845.jpg|9919895] - but I just couldn't get into The Acquittal.

I couldn't buy into the kidnapping plot at all and the characters just didn't make me want to care much about them. The entire romantic/sexual plot aspects between Josie and Lauren felt wrong to me and really took away from my enjoyment of the book. There were also a few typos...

I will say that I thought the author did a really good job of making me feel it when Josie was experiencing her manic episodes.

I'd probably go 2.5 but I can't do that. I'll rate it a solid three over at Amazon since 2 here and 3 there both mean "It was OK" and that's how I felt about it.… (més)

Runaway is a solid page-turner of a mystery/thriller in the lesbian tradition, which means there is at least one blush-worthy sex scene. I enjoyed Laughin's writing and think she presented an original plot with a good balance between the thrilling action and the obligatory drama-filled budding lesbian relationship. (Personally, I wanted more thriller and less romance, but that's not the book she wrote.)

Runaway is primarily about Jan Roberts, a Chicago PI who escaped from her father's Idaho militia camp when she was 16. For the last twenty years Jan has been living her life under the new identity she created. Just as Jan and her partner take on a new case tracking down a runaway teen, the firm they work for is purchased by a British company. The new boss is a hot British women with MI6 in her background. Sparks fly between the new boss and Jan. The runaway teen ends up leading Jan back to the militia lifestyle she fled, first to Michigan and then to Idaho.

Laughlin has a great sense of humor, but doesn't overdo it. Here are two bits that made me laugh:

"Catherine appeared to be in her mid-forties, but her breasts appeared to be in their mid-twenties. Jan wondered if she'd have the opportunity to examine whether that was the result of good genes, good lingerie, or good plastic surgery."

And then this from when Maddy, the young runaway, is participating in a militia training exercise in Michigan before her group moves to Idaho:

"Maddy and Kristin were teamed up to learn about stealth movement and sensory awareness in the woods, which Maddy took to mean walking quietly with her headphones off."

I plan on reading more books from Laughlin and look forward to seeing where she takes her writing in the future.… (més)