“Devious” by Lisa JacksonI’m back with another book review, and this time I’m reviewing “Devious” by Lisa Jackson! I’ve read her work before, so I’m glad to pick up another one of her books again and review it. Here’s a quick summary so we know what it’s about:
“When New Orleans detective Reuben Montoya is called to investigate the murder of a nun, he’s shocked to recognize the victim. Sister Camille was his high school girlfriend. And she’s just been found on the altar of St. Marguerite’s cathedral…viciously garroted.
Before devoting herself to god, Camille had a knack for making bad choices. She joined the convent after falling for her sister Valerie’s soon-to-be ex-husband. But as Val—a former Texas cop—digs into Camille’s murder, she realizes how little she really knew about her sister and their shared past.
As more women of the church are found brutally slaughtered, no one is beyond suspicion—not even Friar Francis O’Toole. And no one is safe—least of all Valerie. Because this killer knows all, forgives nothing, and will not rest until Valerie becomes the next to pay for her sins.”
Character Development: 4 out of 5 stars
I thought all of the characters were overall engaging and fun to read. I wish that the true culprit’s reveal didn’t feel too sudden, but I actually enjoyed the twist involved with revealing them. The religious references can feel heavy-handed at times, but, considering the setting and who most of the characters featured in this book are, it shouldn’t be a huge surprise.
I enjoyed reading the character’s complicated relationships with each other, though I cared little for the romance between Valerie and her almost-ex-husband. The story was engaging enough as is without that plotline and I wish they just dropped it rather than rekindling the romance instead. I do think some of the religious figures (such as a few of the nuns) could’ve gotten more character development. The same goes for the true culprit as well.
Plot Development: 4 out of 5 stars
Considering that the crime takes place at a convent and a nun is murdered, there are a lot of religious references mentioned throughout the book. However, it actually gave some great clues and twists about the history of the convent, as well as several other characters’ backgrounds.
However, I did enjoy the twist that there were actually two killers running around this whole time – one of them an ongoing serial killer, and the other virtually being a copycat (though who it was, I won’t say here to avoid overly major spoilers). I thought it was clever and it helped act as a red herring for who I initially assumed the killer was versus who it actually was all along.
Overall, I’m rating this 4 out of 5 stars!
I think this is one of Jackson’s stronger works, especially compared to the last book of hers that I read and reviewed.
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