Title: The Poet by Lisa Renee Jones
Samantha Jazz Series Book One
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: C
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones brings a fresh, modern take to the thriller genre that will keep you guessing until the very end.
“The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth.” -Jean Cocteau
Some call him friend or boss.
Some call him husband or dad.
Some call him son, even a favorite son.
But the only title that matters to him is the one the media has given him: The Poet.
A name he earned from the written words he leaves behind after he kills that are as dark and mysterious as the reason he chooses his victims.
One word, two, three, a story in a poem, a secret that only Detective Samantha Jazz can solve. Because he’s writing this story for her.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
Review:
The first installment in the Samantha Jazz series, The Poet by Lisa Renee Jones is an intriguing mystery.
Detective Samantha Jazz inherits a murder investigation from another detective who is transferring to another city. She and her partner Ethan Langford easily pick up the investigation into Michael Summer’s murder. Her expertise with poetry is a large part of the reason she is assigned to the case. The victim was found with a piece of paper with poetry verses in the victim’s mouth. As Samantha tries to understand the killer’s message, the killer strikes again. With this victim hitting closer to home, Samantha realizes the murderer has been following her.
Samantha is brash, independent and impatient. She relies more on her gut than facts and she is easily annoyed when anyone challenges her suppositions. During the investigation, Samantha turns to her former boyfriend, FBI Agent Wade Miller for assistance. Once she zeroes in on a suspect, Samantha defies her boss on more than one occasion while searching for evidence.
The Poet is an interesting mystery but the pacing is slow. Samantha’s abrasive personality and go it alone attitude make it difficult to like her. The investigation stalls out as she gets tunnel vision during the investigation. With unexpected twists and startling turns, Lisa Renee Jones brings this police procedural to a surprising conclusion.
