So this one finally killed the series for us.
The story has the same blood/gore/action/brutality/scheming
as all the other books in the series. In the last instalment, Shelby’s parents,
living in California were murdered. Shelby needs answers and while she knows
Cain has nothing to do with the killings personally, she also just knows that the murders are somehow
related to Cain. She is devastated. Cain has already managed to demolish Shelby’s
relationship with Muriel. Now her parents have been killed. She wants to talk
to Cain and keeps visiting her only to be made to sit for hours, totally
ignored. This is just cruel and nasty. And Cain’s self-important nastiness just
keeps growing exponentially through the series. Shelby has returned to New
Orleans from California with policewoman, Fiona, in tow.
Fiona has been brought up by her single mom, Judice, an
accountant. Fiona doesn’t know that her mom actually handles books for the underworld
and Judice has never let that touch her daughter. Cain suspects that there is
some link between Judice and her family and commands her presence for a
meeting. During the conversation, Judice confesses that she used to date Cain’s
father and Fiona is actually a Casey progeny. This actually makes Fiona Cain’s
older sister. In response to this, Emma (who is increasingly taking Cain
characteristics) slaps Judice. Slaps her
for telling the truth.
Cain has this larger-than-life image of her father and a sap
encased view of her parents’ relationship. The whole attachment and loyalty to ‘family’
is spouted by Cain throughout the series, but it is clear that to her family only means herself, her long-time
partner, Emma and their two children. Anyhow, Judice is a helpless woman in
front of a mobster. She was betrayed by a man (who just happened to be the
mobster’s father). After the betrayal, she uprooted herself from her life and
her family moving to the other side of the country and bringing up her daughter
with love. She stayed away from the Casey’s and that is all she is asking to do
again. And mobster and wife slap her and threaten her.
The sheer awfulness of who the central characters have
turned into is appalling. So we throw down our marginal OCD-ness about
finishing a series that we start. We cannot handle this any more and really,
the time spent in reading this trash is time lost out of our lives. So no more.
Totally not for us and something we'd definitely not recommend -- in fact, the opposite.
