review: revenge served cold by jackie fullerton

When her law professor is killed in a hit and run, everyone knows Anne Marshall is going to get involved even though she’s repeatedly warned not to get involved in what could be a dangerous situation (and of course, it does become dangerous for Anne). Anne just can’t seem to resist investigating, especially because the ghost of her father (who she regularly communicates with) urges her on. Anne focuses in on the professor’s former friend, who more importantly also happens to be the ex-boyfriend of the professor’s wife—the wife who has been made to look guilty. As it turns out, there’s another suspect to look at—a college friend who harbors a grudge.

While the plot of Revenge Served Cold is great and kept me guessing as to which of the two suspects would turn out to be the killer, the dialogue and description of the action leave a lot to be desired. People simply don’t talk as awkwardly or formally as they do in this book. Here’s an example:
Sadie walked over with two bowls of soapy water, gestured for Kathy to submerge her hands in the water, then sat down. “Don’t we look pleased with ourself? What has you in such a good mood?”
“I’m going back to teaching, Sadie. I have an interview tomorrow. I am so excited.”
“You’re positively radiant. I am really happy for you.”
All of the characters talked like that, so I couldn’t chalk it up to one character’s strange speech pattern or the formality of a relationship. It really was disappointing that the writing distracted so much from what was an interesting story.
2/5
Review copy provided by The Cadence Group.