Stevie‘s review of Lost (Dobbs Hollow Book 2) by Laura K. Curtis
Romantic Suspense published by InterMix 30 May 14
Generally I like series in the various mystery-plus-romance subgenres. I like to see the growth of a relationship between the lead characters as they solve each mystery and move on to the next, not to mention the various other types of relationships that develop amongst the rest of their team – whether that team is official or informal. On the other hand, sequels and series only work for me if subsequent books take the elements I like from the first book and build on them, and where mystery-themed fiction is concerned that means that the initial team – or elements of it, since some of the series I like have a habit of killing off one or more team members – is the same team that investigates each mystery. So, given all that, I was rather surprised to find that Lost is a sequel to Twisted, which I reviewed back in March and which seemed to have wrapped up all its loose ends in a way that suggested the hero and heroine wouldn’t be working on any other cases together. Nonetheless, I gave this sequel a good chance at impressing me.
Sadly, one of the elements I liked in Twisted is missing altogether in Lost: we see nothing like the excerpts from Lucy’s books that introduced each chapter, even though I’m sure the heroine of that first book could have written a really good true crime story about the central plot of this one. We don’t see much, if anything, of Lucy either; she’s back in Dobbs Hollow, and all the action of this novel takes place elsewhere in spite of the series’ name.
I did like TJ – Tara Jane – in the first book, but the version we get of her in this one seems sadly watered down, as does the character of Jake – Lucy’s friend from the first book. Both of them have left their respective law enforcement agencies – something else that disappoints me about TJ’s change of character – and now they’re investigating a cult for purely personal reasons. Tara has joined to search for her missing friend, and Jake has joined to search for Tara, although his attraction to her seems to have developed ‘offscreen’ in the course of the previous book’s mystery.
Overall, I find the story quite slow to get going, and because the romance element is very much to the forefront, I never found the suspense elements convincingly suspenseful. There are also a few moments that jarred either because characters acted in ways likely to blow their cover, or because the cult failed to spot and deal with what seemed to be infringements of their rules. In particular, I find it slightly odd that a cult placing heavy emphasis on free love and the begetting of children (as community property) didn’t find and remove Tara’s IUD at any of the points she was hospitalised prior to the first sex scene. Not that an IUD equates to safe sex anyway, of course, which also bugs me.
After I read the first book in the series, I said I was prepared to give the author another chance. After this one, however, I’m not. Really not my idea of either a romance or a thriller, I’m afraid, even if the book is competently written in the main.
Grade: D
Summary:
Tara Jean Dobbs was a Texas police officer until her friend Lucy Caldwell almost died on her watch. She’s since left the force, left Dobbs Hollow, and vowed to never let a loved one down again. So when her best friend Andrea joins a seemingly harmless spiritual cult—only to disappear without a trace—Tara decides to find out what happened by becoming one of the Chosen herself.
Five months later, no one’s heard from Tara, and FBI Agent Jacob Nolan is going after her. Taking a false identity, Jacob finds it surprisingly easy to play the part of Tara’s boyfriend. But as they uncover the inner workings of the Chosen, they realize how much danger they’re in. Because Andrea isn’t the first follower to conveniently disappear—and they may be next.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
