User blog:7GSTF/Veil of Secrets Review

Ah, yes. With the current COP 2 being divisive or above average at best in terms of storyline, a recent post on the fandom website regarding the underrated-ness of Veil of Secrets brought up so many memories for me. COP 2 has been all over the place so far. Some of the scenes, especially those that involve the case being solved are quite good. The romantic scenes are awkward honestly. It is a book that has a lot of pieces here and there but doesn’t put them together convincingly enough. Veil of Secrets does not suffer from the same shortcomings. This book is a novelty - It feels and reads like a stand alone book, and the story feels complete by the end. This is also a book that doesn’t focus much on romantic relationships. Much like MW, this book doesn’t consider the LIs and their relationship with the MC to be of high importance. More time is devoted to the idea of developing interpersonal relationships beyond the romantic. The result being that the group dynamic in this narrative is well thought out and well executed. Nobody in the group feels like a sore thumb. They all fit in remarkably well, despite their varying backgrounds.

This book is also an example of PB writing in an extremely nuanced manner and doing it well. Consider this, the identity of a person - their race in this case is important to a degree, but it is not the overwhelming factor in building their character. Also, here is a case wherein there is a depiction of a poor white guy - Flynn, and a rich black guy - Grant, and the fact that they are the races that they are is only one aspect of their characters. It is not the be all and end all, as we can see in recent books. (GG is a good example, where the behaviour of the black women is so stereotypical it is nauseating after a point of time).

Here, PB focuses much more on the class differences rather than the racial differences, and it pays off big time. Grant and Flynn find common ground despite their many differences, as do Naomi and Flynn. This is also one of the very few times that a Native American character is portrayed in Choices. The only other Native American I can think of is Shannon from Wake the Dead. The non focus on race is refreshing, since the characters relate with each other despite the fact that they come from very different backgrounds. Flynn finds common ground with the oppressed of the society, even though he might be very different from them. He is a character with a great deal of depth and he truly makes the story what it is.

Naomi is intelligent, caring, and responsible. She is the counterpoint to Flynn’s roguish character. While willing to bend the law, she never breaks it, unlike Flynn. She is also a perfect representation of what the police should be - fighters for justice. She is an excellent contrast to the corrupt head of police - Walsh, and the villain - Duffie. She has depth, but not as an LI. She is a well written character who has her own viewpoint on the events which occur, and is unafraid to express them.

Grant isn’t as interesting as the other two, but he holds his own as a character and his complicated relationship with his sister, particularly after he finds out about her affair with Tanner, despite his engagement with Kate is an interesting plot point. It is also interesting to see PB use nuance. The black characters in this book were rich, while the white ones like Flynn were poor. They did not simply adhere to the stereotypes that are commonly used when it comes to the various races of the United States. It represents a completely different time period for PB. While VOS was published in 2018, only 5 years ago, the change in their political stances, ideology and behaviour has been drastic to say the least. VOS is remarkable for the fact that the book does not portray itself as a supporter of any ideology in an overwhelming manner. The police have good and bad parts, and there is no overwhelmingly negative portrayal of anything or anyone.

The villain Duffy is well written. The backstory makes sense and the setup is right from the very beginning. He doesn’t appear out of nowhere, and a close analysis will show that he is indeed the murderer. That doesn’t mean he is a character worthy of sympathy, although his tragic past is used by him to justify his deeds. His complex relationship with his past, wherein he seeks to liquidate it altogether is an interesting one to read, and it certainly does hold the readers’ interest. His plot for revenge is twisted and insane, and yet, it makes sense from a story point of view.

The other characters aren’t NPCs and they aren’t simply space fillers either. They are kept precisely to ensure that the story moves forward in a certain fashion. They serve a purpose and do not waste the readers’ time. The true villains of the story - Kate’s in-laws are also well written, with a well disguised back story and solid characterisation.

Although this book has a romance, it works well without it as well. The book has shades of MW, where inter-character relationships (of the romantic kind) are of little importance. The main focuses are the characters’ motivations, behavioural patterns, backgrounds, etc. The novel wastes little time on the romantic aspect, which is a very good thing. The story is moved rapidly forward, and little time is wasted. This is also a book where a sequel doesn’t feel necessary. The ending isn’t rushed, and a good resolution is reached to all of the loose ends. This book also represents a different face of PB, one that was eager to publish good stories and take time while doing so, rather than the money grabbing present version, which is all about making the quickest buck possible. But enough about that!

This book isn’t perfect. The story isn’t either. However, it fulfils its purpose. It doesn’t try to be something that it isn’t, nor does it try to do something which it isn’t supposed to do. The book is a detective mystery story, and it executes its plot well, without indulging in smut or any other rubbish as PB is prone to do these days. This in itself is a refreshing change of pace for the company.

This book is underrated - it is not as good as MW, for certain, but it is certainly as good as Heist: Monaco for instance. Great characters, good plot, logical clues, great backstories, etc. make for a great reading experience. If you haven’t given this a read yet, please do! It is well worth your time. Your diamonds aren’t wasted here either. The diamond choices are well worth it. A solid book, with plenty of good stuff in it, and one that takes the reader back to the golden age of PB.

Yours,

7GSTF.