Jackson Stiles, Road to Redemption

Jo
Richardson
Genre: 
Mystery

Jackson Stiles is a P.I. who will stop at nothing to solve a case. Emma is a reporter who sees it as her duty to report Jackson’s misdeeds whenever she sees fit, challenging him in more ways than one. When they’re both investigating the same case, they grow closer together. 

It’s tough to like Jackson, and since the majority of the book is spent in Jackson’s mind, that makes it a tough read – at first. At one point, the flow of the story seems to take over, though, and conquer the fact Jackson isn’t the world’s most amazing protagonist. 

The author spends a lot of time building up the relationship between Jackson and Emma, and that works well. They spend time working together, a trust is gained between them, and they grow closer together. Readers who love a slow build up in romance (rather than insta-love) will definitely enjoy that part. 

The book has some downsides: the bad language gets overwhelming after a while and the protagonist is quite unlikeable. But the book has some strong elements too: towards the end, the protagonist redeems himself and becomes a more likeable character, the story is entertaining, the murder mystery can keep the reader guessing for a while, and the romance and chemistry between the protagonists works really well. 

Majanka Verstraete