Tombstone Courage

The overall story is interesting, but the pace is too slow.

I picked up this series because I thoroughly enjoyed the JP Beaumont series and completely exhausted Audible's offerings in this category. So I really wanted to like this series, but this second book in the series is pacing even more slowly than the first. I'm 3 hours into the book and we still don't have a murder yet...

I find that the narration overall is fine, except for the voice of the daughter, which is grating on a level of fingernail-against-chalkboard. Every single line that the narrator delivers from the daughter comes out as a whine. It makes me wish the lead character would talk with her daughter about her attitude.

In the second book of the series, Joanna Brady has won her election, and now has to face her unwelcoming colleagues. She is overwhelmed with her responsibilities, as well as the stress of being a new widow and working single mom. Sounds like real life to me. I like the fact that Joanna realizes that there is a lot she doesn't know, and is willing to admit it, and try to learn from others. But she also doesn't let others push her around!

This second book in the Joanna Brady series is good and well worth the read. There were some bits of the mystery that didn't hold water, but we got the know the characters better. As a United Methodist pastor, I really appreciate the inclusion of a fictional colleague in the cast. The title of the story is sort of added at the last minute, but that seems to be the style these days.