Lot's Return to Sodom
Lot's Return to Sodom picks up a few months after Liv's last mystery, and drops the reader right back into the fray. Liv is slowly recovering from her brush with the De Milo killer. Everyone around her treats her like a frail being, and for a woman like Liv that's the most maddening thing of all. Soon enough though there is another mystery that just begs to be solved. A young woman has been murdered. Her brother is a suspect. Who better to uncover the answers than the feisty Liv herself?
I completely adore Liv Bergen. She is one of my all time favorite female characters. Feisty, loving, tenacious, and not even the least bit of a shrinking violet. Liv is amazing! So of course I was excited to jump right back into her life! Happily, despite her previous dance with death, this was the same woman that I remembered from before. As soon as she finds out that her brother is in trouble, she sets off to find out just what is going on. Never mind the consequences. This is family!
I have to say once again how much I really enjoy the way that Sandra Brannan writes the settings in her book. Liv is a small town girl. Raised to do hard work, and take pride in her surroundings. Her honest and heartfelt descriptions of the people and places around her really work well to immerse the reader in the story. I've never been to the Sturgis bike rally. Still, I could probably tell you a fair bit about the people who might hang out there, just based on what Liv sees. Locations, family and friends come to life in vivid color and it makes this a much more intriguing read.
There were a few minor things that made Lot's Return to Sodom a slightly different second installment. Small things that lowered my rating a bit. The first thing that struck me was the slower forward motion of this book. Liv's family and friends get a lot of face time, which makes sense since we are just being introduced to them, but also more difficult to follow some times. The other thing was simply the fact that this wasn't as gruesome of a murder. A little more clean cut if you will. Chalk it up to my love of the macabre, but there it is.
No matter what though, I still thoroughly enjoyed Lot's Return to Sodom and can't wait to read the next book! I will always love Liv. I will always be a fan of the way she puts herself out there for the people she loves. Above all, I will always be a fan of Sandra Brannan, her wonderful creator! If you haven't started this series yet, get going! The mystery is waiting.