Review: The Monet Murders

The Monet Murders by Josh Lanyon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#PopsugarReadingChallenge2019
Prompt - Two books that share the same title (1)

My 13th Josh Lanyon book did not disappoint. As usual, I was engaged from the start and encountered characters that I grew to like over the course of the story.

Back with Special Agent Jason West of the Art Crime Team division of the FBI, we start at a dedication ceremony for his grandfather when his phone rings and it's BAU Unit Chief Sam Kennedy, informing Jason that he's about to called to a crime scene.

From there, your standard mystery ensues, and it was great. I didn't figure it out, which is always a point for me, and it was great to see Jason on his turf. The previous book was more about what Sam is used to dealing with and Jason was a fish out of water. Here, he's master of his domain and that extra boost of confidence was essential to his character development because he spent a fair portion (80% of it, really) feeling like a fish out of water in his non-existent relationship with the world-weary Sam.

What I like the most about JL's writing is that she gets to the heart of her characters and explores that in almost minute detail. I'd said in the first book review that Jason is different from Elliott who is different from Adrien, and their respective LI issues differ from what Jason has with Sam. I appreciate that. A lot. Who wants to read the same characters all of the time? I appreciate that while Jason is young (Adrien) and an FBI agent (Elliott-formerly), he is confident and strong willed in a way that neither of them were. His relationship problems with Sam aren't because Sam hates himself for being gay (Jake) or infringes upon his independence outside of the bedroom (Tucker). Their problems are unique to them and how they, hopefully, overcome them will be the same.

It was nice learning about Sam and what makes him tick. His reasons for joining the FBI and becoming the dogged investigator are revealed in the course of the story and I'm very interested to see how they deal with it in their relationship.

We're also treated to a glimpse into Jason's personal life with his family and how that shaped him. After that ending, I'm really looking forward to where this goes.

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