The Body in the Big Apple (Hardcover)

And what have we got? Well, not a sumptous feast and not even a pouffy souffle. What is served to us is "The Body in the Big Apple" (ok, the food analogy doesn't work here). It's a pitiful offering: not much of a novel, not much of an entertainment, not even a particuarly good presentation. I found myself dozing off during the last ten pages--I had figured out whodunit and why, and I really didn't much care one way or the other. Even the apple recipes at the end of the book were gimmicky and not very exciting.

This book is not a good investment of your money or your time.

I was disappointed to find that Faith was the same shallow, self-centered snob she always comes across as...only it was ten times more annoying without the usual cast of characters (particularly Pix) and the small-town New England setting to even things out. And it was even worse with the book being set in New York City, and Faith's intermingling with the "upper crust." The rich society cliches and constant use of expensive brand names and designers was way overdone. The author seemed to put so much emphasis on Faith up on a pedestal (she'd always been the dumper rather than the dumpee, there were plenty of men who'd drop everything for a call from her) that after awhile she stopped seeming real and stopped being likeable.

I also found the story not up to par from this author, whose work I usually enjoy greatly. Certain branches of the storyline were never resolved. Did Todd ever manage to track her down? Why did Harvey tell his mother to make her leave? Did she ever hear from Richard again? What was the connection between Lucy and Adrian? Why did Phelps want to borrow money from Hope? And, being that this was a prequel, I seriously doubt we'll ever go back 20 years again to find out. Since the author included a present-day epilogue, it seemed that some of those minor loose ends could and should have been wrapped up for those who read the series regularly.

The main plot wasn't too bad, but by the end of the book I'd already figured out whodunnit, which doesn't usually happen in this series. We were never told how Faith figured it out and what made her realize who it was, so I was left wondering where her conclusions came from...certainly not the same place as mine (one paragraph that seemed out of place and unnecessary, and made it obvious the author was trying to work in justification for her conclusion).

I'll look forward to the next adventure of Faith, and the knowledge that as trifling as I find her at times, Tom, the kids, and especially Pix, will be back to make for a very enjoyable read.