Review: Return Ticket by Michelle Diener
- La Crimson Femme
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Is there anything Ms. Diener cannot write? When it comes to historical romance, urban fantasy, space opera, or straight up mystery, Ms. Diener captivates me. Her writing style pulls me in from the very first page and keeps me riveted. The second book in this Traffic Warden series is a page turner. I recommend reading the first book in the series before reading this one. Diving into this book, the quick references to the previous book helps me immediately recall the events in the last book. In this book, Gabriella finds herself in more trouble and tripping over dead bodies.
Truth be told, I have never thought much about the hardships meter maids aka traffic wardens experience on their job. This is why I love reading - learning new things about jobs that I know little about and seeing a different perspective. Gabriella is a traffic warden out of necessity. It is not her calling. She needs the job to pay for her main goal, to find her father. And boy does this book continue that story arc! Gabriella experiences a few extreme responses to her job. The angry drivers who violate parking laws have some creative and sometimes dangerous ways to prevent receiving a fine. Some even stalk traffic wardens! Gabriella should receive an occupational hazard pay.
During one of her routine days, she finds a dead body and proceeds to become involved in another murder mystery. Fortunately for her, she turns this over to her beau, Detective Sergeant James. James is a stand up police man who experiences troubles of his own at work. As much as Gabriella wants to leave this murder mystery behind, it keeps popping up in her jurisdiction and she is pulled in.
I thoroughly enjoy the plot and subplots in this story. They weave in and out seamlessly and keep my attention. Whilst a new serial killer is identified, Gabriella is able to learn about her missing father. This is a big reveal and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book. I expect drama, anger, and bitter tantrums. On the plus side, the budding relationship between Gabriella and James makes it to the next level. The courting dance between these two is adorable. I appreciate how it is presented based on the 60s time period of the story.
Return Ticket is an excellent follow up to the first book, Ticket Out. This mystery/suspense story is recommended to readers who enjoy following the detective process along with glimpse into every day life of law enforcement officers.
* I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Comentarios