Love in the Time of Serial Killers

Despite the retro book cover and intriguing title, Love in the Time of Serial Killers is pretty standard romance/chick lit. I appreciated the insights into the appeal of true crime stories (not a genre I've ever wanted to explore), and the dynamics between the heroine and her not-quite-estranged brother are spot on. But the romance falls completely flat. The heroine is quite awful to the handsome, shy hero, at first because she thinks he's a serial killer (for no apparent reason), and then because she's one of those tough women scarred by life who can never allow themselves to love anyone. I don't put up with this behavior from male characters, so female ones don't get a pass either.