I read books 1 and 2 of this series back to back. To me, the second is a bit better than the first. PI Roxane Weary is jumping to wrong conclusions less often and making fewer dumb decisions, probably because she’s drinking less and not running around in a drunken haze as she was in the first book. She still shuts herself off from friends and family but grows closer to them toward the end. I like the relationship she develops with Selby, taking her under her wing.

There are too many characters to follow. Marin, the woman who dies early in the story and leads Roxane down the path of solving her murder, is one of the worst of many bad guys. She’s into all sorts of thefts and scams.

The plot jumps around a lot, but overall I enjoyed the read.