Franko follows up the Roy Cruise Series with a pleasurably mean Texas thriller of love, revenge, and the law. Johnny and Mary Miracle are a young couple of means who have fallen out of love. Well, that’s not completely true—Johnny is actually in love, just not with Mary, his wife. Once he learns Mary’s darkest secrets, he plans to divorce her right away, and he has the leverage to make it hurt her–and profitable for himself. With nothing less than a vineyard and a Monet to lose, Mary must take action. Raising a glass to toast “motivated women,” she hatches a plot of her own. She knows plenty of Johnny’s secrets, too, and she’s willing to kill to keep her lifestyle. From the grabber of a first page, she’s committed to just what the title promises: she will see Johnny die.No thriller worth its salt is that simple, of course, and it turns out that Mary isn’t the only one who has beef with Johnny. Franko wrings suspense from the questions of who will get to him first and who might get hurt in search of revenge, employing non-chronological storytelling from a variety of viewpoints to build to twists, turns, and revelations that will sweep up readers of dark suspense and leave them eager to guess at how the pieces could possibly tie together in the end. Getting into the minds of these witty characters throughout is a poison-laced pleasure.
Love, lust, betrayal, and the complexities of securing a fortune keep the pot boiling. Fans can expect the brisk, purposeful pace that Franko has demonstrated in previous books, a plot whose surprises can’t be gamed out, incisive attention to the legalities of it all, and a host of vibrant characters whose schemes, secrets, and chatter (“Gotta die of somethun’,” the sheriff declares after being warned that his glazed donuts aren’t good for his health) keep the pages turning.
Takeaway: Captivating marital thriller of love, lust, revenge, and murder.
Comparable Titles: James Chandler’s Sam Johnstone series; Alice Feeney’s Rock Paper Scissors.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
