A Dirty Shame

J.J. Graves Mystery, Book 2

By: Liliana Hart

Narrated by: Laura Faye Smith

Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

J.J. Graves is back in Bloody Mary, but she's a long way from feeling at home. Between her physical scars from being the target of a murderer and the emotional scars left by her parents, she doesn't know who she can trust. But death doesn't stop for anyone.

The first murder is grisly. The second even more so. And though things are shaky between them, she and her best friend, Jack, have no choice but to join forces and find the killer. Because the life of someone they love dearly hangs in the balance.

©2012 Liliana Hart (P)2013 Liliana Hart

Good murder mystery; very crude language.

Laura Faye Smith's narration is superb. The mystery concerns the cruel murder of a preacher in rural Virginia. The language is very crude and the sex scenes very explicitly described.

not well written

struggled to finish it and keep my interest. was hoping the second one would be better

wish author paid more attention to detail

so the only problem I have with this book and I know it's weird but in book one jack was described as "a solid 180 lbs of pure muscle" . book 2 (this one) she describes him as being 6'5". OK only 3 months had passed so if you see a 6-5 180lb man please give him a sandwich because he would only be skin and bones not the way she described. the 2mam characters haf the se voice so it was hard to follow who said what. i switche back to read a lot so i could follow story. but the end shocker was awesome!

Terrific second book in the series!!

I like this series. I really really do. It has many faults and flaws, but manages to be charming and fun to read. I am always eager for the next book.

JJ Graves is a really intriguing woman. She has to work hard to over come her PTDS in this book. I like that she wasn't just fine after her near death experience, it gave her a greater sense of reality. She has more depth in this book and warms up on the emotional front as well. She is still engaging and dynamic. I love her playful relationship with Jack. They make a great couple and I really hope they stay together. Having been friends since diapers makes for a real connection between the characters. I felt the love more in this book than the last.

The romance is kicked up in this book. That bedroom door opens up more than a crack!! Still not a full on smexy erotic read, but more detailed than a squeaky clean romance. They are very playful in and out of the bedroom. My favorite type of relationship!

The mystery this time has underlying Aryan Nation themes. It is more on a solvable level, there are loads of holes and missing info still, but I was able to determine real suspects. I really enjoyed the twists and turns in the read. It was a stead pace for the action and details were doled out in a timely manner.

The narration is all from JJ's POV, which makes things limited when it comes to understanding other's thoughts and motivations. You don't know what the supporting characters think until they speak their thoughts.

I think there is inconsistency in the way JJ views her relationship with the towns people and what happens. In both this book and the last the people seem to treat her more as a beloved orphan they need to look out for. With the exception of a few people, the townsfolk rally around her and are meddling in the ways of ones who love not hate. I am not sure how she gets the impression they do not like her, I get the exact opposite from comments ad actions.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Laura Faye Smith, who is rapidly becoming a favorite. She does a great job of adding snark and sass to her tone that fits the characters. She does a brilliant job with the rapid fire narration and dialogue. I love a quick read and she delivers speed without losing any quality. Great voices that are distinct and consistent, very important when the dialogue ping pongs and you need to follow who is speaking.

Overall, this is a really intriguing series. The characters and banter go a long way in making the read enjoyable. Even with the issues that come up in the story line, I can't stop listening! The flaws are so easy to overlook because the book is very charming and charismatic. I am definitely addicted and need my next fix! Holy cliffhanger at the end of this one!! Way to drop a bomb!

Amazing Read!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The perfect mix of mystery, action, crime, and romance!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Every single word had me at the edge of my seat!

What about Laura Faye Smith’s performance did you like?

Absolutely brilliant!!!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh, yes it was. But it was great to listen to it in the car to and from work.

Any additional comments?

This is how romance, crime, mystery stories should be written!

As a straight female, I truly appreciate the vivid sexy worded visual of the male character.

In this genre, so much attention is placed on how physically perfect the female face, breasts, skin color, hair, & butt is that the men are essentially forgotten.

I just prefare a little equal opportunity in that department, and Ms. Hart definitely answered my wants and needs in regards to that. Hey, I'm a woman who prefare sexy men, not my fault. LOL

Ms. Hart truly is an amazing story teller and I'm so glade I came across this series! I believe I mentioned before in another review for one of her books how this series made me fall in love with FM romance again!

So, thank you Ms. Hart!!!

Mystery with a dash of romance

I like this one better than the first as the characters are truly into their firm groove. Each of the characters act in situations as they should and it makes for some fun times as Doc is just so head strong. I do like the realism that she is recovering from a trauma and her healing process will take time. I like the relationship as she is a character I feel deserves happiness. The only negative is that come the end it felt rushed. Big event and then what felt like a sharp cut off. I felt there could have been more come the end to even out the feel of the story line. And just a warning - there is a cliff hanger. Next book comes out in October and I'm hooked enough that I'll be purchasing it.
A separate note - the reader for me doesn't nail male voices so at times where there is a discussion between two males it's a little hard to identify who is supposed to be speaking. Overall though she's good.

Enjoyable!!

It was a pleasure to listen to and a different story line which kept my interest. I'm looking forward to her next book.

A little more romance than I like in my mysteries

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I think the main character is a bit cliche: strong but vulnerable, and unaware that the handsome, rich, successful guy is in love with her... I'm too cynical.

Has A Dirty Shame turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not of this genre, but I'm not a huge fan of the writer. My mother would love it though - she likes romance.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I really like the narrator's voice, and liked the characters where she didn't try to sound male. She does different characters really well, but tried to make the male lead too masculine - it was distracting. All the other characters were brilliant.

Any additional comments?

I felt like the action in the story wound itself up really quickly - one minute they're closing in - the next it was over. The author could easily have strung out the story a bit longer and cut back on the sex. But I also have no interest in '50 Shades of Grey' - so it is entirely likely that this is just not my style, but will appeal to alot of other people - if you like a bit of romance in your mystery, then you'll probably love this!

Great Story BUT!

If you could sum up A Dirty Shame in three words, what would they be?

Great story BUT!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was very good and held my interest throughout the book. My only lack of interest was the repetitcious, "fem fatale," of J.J. It was more than clear that she had PTSD from her past experiences, but the constant episodes dragged a bit. I, also, found the sexual drama a bit tiring, but then that may be my age. LOL Possibly I might find that more appealing a few decades ago. The humor throughout the book was very entertaining. I found myself laughing out loud at the sarcasm quite often. It lent a lot to the relationship that existed between J.J. and Jack.

What does Laura Faye Smith bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Laura has a very lively reading voice, which gave important emotion to the various scenes. I enjoyed listening to her.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Wouldn't I be happy if that were possible. I found myself sneaking my earphones out and listening when I shouldn't be. (Shhhhh!)

Any additional comments?

I am sorry I did not read the first book in the series earlier, but am going to do that now.

Good Book

Enjoyed the narration; not as good as the first book, but still a pretty enjoyable “read”. I am planning to read the next one now due to the cliffhanger.