Close to Death

While it's definitely better than the last book I read in this series, I'm afraid I disliked that one so much, I'm having trouble figuring out how much of my rating is just a sense of relief. This book switches up the formula of how the events of each book in the series are told. While I appreciated not having Hawthorne be aggravating and Horowitz be anxious as the main character traits/actions, I do wish there had been a bit more with Hawthorne and Horowitz. Tricky to centre stage a murder from the past, there wasn't much in the way of suspense, and the solution felt more last minute Hail Mary than deviously twisty. I didn't feel the final reveal had the emotional weight I think it was supposed to. Not sure the introduction of Fenchurch International was a juicy enough distraction from the fact that the reader still doesn't know much about what is ostensibly one of the main characters. I really don't know how much longer I can be dragged along without getting actual answers about Hawthorne's tragic childhood/mysterious past.  Maybe I'll feel like reading the next in the series whenever it comes out, maybe not. 🤷🏼‍♂️
⚠️ Fatphobia, animal death, domestic abuse, SA, ableism, racism