User blog:7GSTF/Crimes of passion review

Crimes of passion review
I must confess, I didn’t think PB had it in them to create such a book anymore. The days when their storytelling, craft, characterization, story arcs, endings etc. were at their zenith was a long, long time ago. It is no secret that their absolute peak was 2017-18, a time when their weakest book was probably Lovehacks, which is still an excellent, hilarious read. Their best mystery books were written either in this period or even before - namely Most Wanted (their best mystery to date - Crimes of Passion may dethrone it), Heist : Monaco, It Lives series, Veil of Secrets and the like. Clearly, the writing quality had dropped off since then.

However, this book was a magnificent return to form. After an excellent book in Wake the Dead, they follow it up with an arguably better effort in Crimes of Passion. A disclaimer. This book is relatively recent, but according to me, it already stands as one of PB’s top 20 books ever. The story is key here. It is well paced, has good plot points, and good characters.

The story - A very good effort from PB. It is told in 17 chapters, and features tight action. The story is yet to be completed, and the fact that PB has announced that there is going to be a book 2 has ensured that there will be a complete arc to everyone’s characters and individual stories.

Immediately, the book springs into action - a reversal of the slow buildup in Laws of Attraction. Clearly, they were trying a different idea here - and it works. The fact that the murders begin in chapter one sets an excellent tone for the rest of the series to follow. The writers are telling you right away - that this book is going to be a thrilling ride. The idea of a cult isn’t new (another assault on paganism by the way - if we are being honest - portraying Gaulish gods as bloodthirsty - by showing their followers as such), but it is a practical method of showing the murderers’ motivations (spoilers). The plot has imperfect gray characters sprinkled throughout. This is an excellent step up, as it makes them very very relatable - and the story believable too. There are hardly any moments of extraordinary heroism. The backstories are believable, as they are very grounded. The MC’s father’s death affecting him is quite believable, as is the princess/prince’s tragic love story - especially the part where they are framed for the murder of their fiancé.

Every single one of the characters are imperfect, including the MC. With the case of the villains, they have their own tragic, twisted backstory which explains their bloodthirstiness, but doesn’t excuse it. The heroes are very flawed themselves - MC being unable to let go of the past, while LI being unable to admit their innocence even when it stares them directly in the face. The gray characters lend plenty of legitimacy for any story. The story becomes more realistic almost immediately. Now, I love fantasy myself, but for writing a good detective story, the world needs to make sense, especially if based in reality. Here, it mostly does make sense (except for the fictional country of Drakovia), and that is a good thing. PB does crime stories well - Most Wanted, The Heist : Monaco and this story are excellent examples of this. It is just a shame that there are so few of them. The stories are well worth the reads, and even have replay value too. The characters are a good mix of every kind. The hacker has an interesting background of his own, as does the boss and MC’s uncle. Everyone has their own past, and an interesting relationship with it. Most of it is firmly in the gray, which makes the story shine all the more. The dialogue which reveals the backstories is remarkable for the natural way in which it is written. More importantly, the backstories are revealed at an appropriate time, and everything is done in its own time - (how many of you got that reference, eh?). However, this doesn’t make the book feel slow. Not in the least. The action is well paced, and keeps the reader interested throughout. Especially satisfying is the usage of several locations in a single city - New York. Instead of an inter continental adventure, with high flying cops and spies and robbers and the like, we get a far more grounded and gritty mystery, which uses the city it is set in, to a good effect. This is something which was lacking in stories like The Royal Romance which became a jet setting trip around the world shortly into its lifetime, and it was clear that the writers were jumping the shark many many times over. Clearly, they have learned their lessons from the disasters of last year. They are much more efficient with their details this time, and show rather than tell, to great effect.

The art style is superb for a mystery, with light and shade interacting nicely. The usage of new character models for the LIs is a welcome move, and one which was overdue. It is a good thing that they introduced the new models for this book, which is a veritable masterpiece.

The sequel - It is quite extraordinary that PB is giving this book a sequel, considering their track record of supporting terrible books rather than good ones (see also - Untameable, Nanny Affair, The Royal Romance, ). Here is an excellent decision to give this book a well deserved sequel.

The Romance

Quite possibly one of the best ever romances. This is a book which doesn’t belong to the romance genre. Yet, it does it well. Every gesture, every line is almost purposeful in nature. It is deliberate, yet it never feels forced. The glances, the looks, etc, are a refined version of what was written in LOA, but even better in this book. It is just astonishing to see the level of refinement here, and the fact that the love scenes are not shoehorned in at every chance they get adds more value to the book, and elevates it to a true masterpiece. The love between the two leads is natural, it feels warm and even fun. There are plenty of jabs and barbs, but there are plenty of genuine heartfelt moments too. The love story isn’t a boring one, and there is development to be seen at every step of this journey that the two leads take. PB’s best love story in a single book, by far - nothing feels abrupt or out of place. Supremely well paced love story. A true slow burner, it takes things at its own pace, but rewards you at the same time. Aislinn might’ve been a lovable LI, but Trystan is not only lovable, she/he is also sensual and sexy at the same time. I have to admit I love both of them very much. I love realistic, mature, LIs. Aislinn is sexy, don’t get me wrong, but Trystan is even more so. This is more of a personal choice than anything else. I love the fact that she doesn’t take anything lying down (even what the MC says or does) - she feels like a character, not a spectator. A wonderful LI.

The Detective work

Requires some actual thought, and the final solution to the puzzle isn’t obvious, a very good thing. This suspect remains unknown for a long time, and the ending pays off in a big way due to this. Good job on this PB. I have to commend them for enabling a number of options where one has to think hard for the solution, similar to the Endless Summer puzzles (but not as hard however).

Conclusion and rating

A masterpiece. It may not be completely perfect, but most books aren’t. This approaches quite close to perfection however, and is good enough to completely remove its one flaw  in my opinion - a single LI. How does it do it? - Why, with a compelling narrative and excellent characterization to name a few good things. All around brilliance from PB. I have no hesitation in calling this book one of their best ever mysteries, and one could make an argument that it is their best. To my mind, the It Lives series comes close, and MW is still up there, but this book comfortably beats out Veil of Secrets and Heist : Monaco (those two books are excellent too, this book is just that good! Those two books get ratings of 8 each from me - I will cover them in a later blog if necessary).

So, the rating - 9.5/10. This book is one of PB’s top ten books hands down. Solid in every single way, with little to complain about. Extraordinary effort from the team. A book that deserves a read. Congratulations PB! While Wake the Dead was a return to form, this was a vintage performance from you guys. Keep it up!