ABL Review At-A-Glance
- Title: The Great Jewel Robbery
- My Rating: 4.25
- Genre: Mystery, Women’s Fiction
- Author: Elizabeth McKenna
- Format: Paperback ARC*
- Publication Date: May 28, 2019
Synopsis
Mystery with a splash of romance…
Chicago Tribune reporters Emma and Grace have been best friends since college despite coming from different worlds. When Grace is assigned to cover an annual charity ball and auction being held at a lakeside mansion and her boyfriend bails on her, she brings Emma as her plus one. The night is going smoothly until Emma finds the host’s brother unconscious in the study. Though at first it is thought he was tipsy and stumbled, it soon becomes clear more is afoot, as the wall safe is empty and a three-million-dollar diamond necklace is missing. With visions of becoming ace investigative journalists, Emma and Grace set out to solve the mystery, much to the chagrin of the handsome local detective.
My Thoughts…
What I loved most about the Great Jewel Robbery was the main character. Emma is a very down to earth woman in a fantastical setting and she isn’t afraid for people to know that. She has no airs about her and doesn’t seem preoccupied with status. That’s not to say that she doesn’t have insecurities, because then it wouldn’t be an honest portrayal of any person. Instead, she’s very aware of and seems to acknowledge her faults in a very endearing, yet self-accepting way. She’s also a very good friend with quite the throwing arm.
I also loved how quick this book is. The setting is described nicely, and the drama unfolds in a predictable but interesting way. The mystery was very good, because I wasn’t sure who did it until right before the big reveal. Which is really difficult, because I love to guess the end of mystery novels and movies.
The humor was also a big highlight for me. I found myself laughing out loud during some scenes after picturing the action. Emma’s descriptions of people and events were comical giving the story a light-hearted feel despite the nefarious circumstances. Emma’s inner-monologue also provided a lot of laughs, especially when she described guys and food.
What’s Missing
If a book falls short of a 5 star rating, I try to figure out why instead of leaving it to the whim of my feelings. Sometimes, I am successful with this, sometimes I am not, but I will always try.
Here, the only fault I could really find was the feeling. I like to compare one book with books within the same genre, and within the mystery genre, there’s some truly stiff competition. Ultimately, though it came close, I couldn’t give The Great Jewel Robbery 5 stars because the story wasn’t quite as complicated as I normally prefer. There weren’t any huge twists or surprise revelations, which can be good but also left a little to be desired.
Conclusion
The Great Jewel Robbery is charming, funny, and real with a touch of fantasy. Anyone who enjoys a mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously will love this book.
* Special thanks to Elizabeth McKenna, Pump Up Your Book, and Celtic Dreams for providing a copy of The Great Jewel Robbery in exchange for an honest review.
[…] ABL REVIEW […]