Naked Truths by Karen Botha
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was OK and it was an enjoyable read. It could have been so much better though.
The ideas behind the plot were good and, like any good crime thriller, there were a few possible suspects. However, the conclusion was implausible and the police were nowhere near to having a viable case to take to the CPS. Even if they’d got to court with it, the defence lawyers would have ripped the evidence to shreds.
I can’t say too much more without giving any many spoilers. I’ve take the trouble to give the author plenty of valuable feedback though. I hope that she takes it in the spirit that is intended. She is very imaginative and creative and I am sure that she will produce many great crime thrillers in the future.
I also agree with some other reviewers that there are far too many grammatical and punctuation errors. I have noticed that there is an update available on Amazon for Kindle readers which may have eliminated these irritating errors.
What works very well is the way that the narrative alternates between the points of view of the three main protagonists.
Firstly, there is Lucy, a masseuse who is never shocked by the revelations of her clients in the privacy of her therapy room as they submit to the beneficial pressures of her knuckles and sharp elbows.
Then there is Giles, one of Lucy’s clients who has been seeking somebody like her to fill the gap left after his wife, Steph, died in suspicious circumstances from a heart condition. Steph had been a firefighter and a woman of action and spontaneity. To Giles, Lucy seems to be the perfect replacement.
Finally, there is Paula, Lucy’s best friend and a former police officer who turns her detective skills to trapping fly-tippers for the local council. Paula knows that Giles was the prime suspect in his wife’s death but she is afraid that revealing his past to Lucy will endanger their friendship.
I was also impressed by the brilliant writing of the sex scenes. They are very hot, authentic and certainly had my pulse racing and my temperature rising. The book could have benefited from a few more such scenes without negatively impacting the main storyline. They were relevant and I am sure that other readers would enjoy such interludes as much as I did.
I look forward to this author’s future offerings. With better proof-reading and a good police procedural advisor, she shows great promise.
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