The Courtship Gift: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful, but flawed
Review: I agree with Booklover10 about the main character, Anna. I found her passivity not credible. After all, this is supposed to be a highly educated scientist. I simply couldn't believe she could be so out of touch and disinterested in her husband's activities. I also found her decisions late in the book were good for the plot, but did not ring true emotionally. (Can't say more without giving anything away.)

Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful, macabre novel about a sociopath.
Review: Julie Parson's first book, "Mary, Mary," was outstanding. Her second novel, "The Courtship Gift," is not as good as her first. Parsons has a kinship with Ruth Rendell; she focuses on people who have been abused as children and who then turn their anger outward to harm others later in life. Michael Mullen had a mother who was a drunken prostitute. After her death, he was raised by his grandmother, and he learned that you take what you want out of life, no matter whom you hurt. Michael proceeds to become a big-time drug dealer and when he wants money or a woman, he simply kills whoever gets in his way. The heroine is Anna Neale, whose husband is Michael's latest victim. Her character is a weakness in the book. She is a brilliant entomologist (an expert on insects), but she is unbelievably naive and gullible when it comes to men. Anna has no idea that her husband, David, had a host of unsavory "extracurricular activities" before his untimely demise. Michael effortlessly draws Anna into his spider web, and it takes Anna a long time to realize that Michael is not the nice guy that he appears to be on the surface. Anna's naivete is unbelievable, although it a convenient plot device. Michael is so completely evil that he becomes a caricature. However, Parsons has a way with dialogue and suspense, and the book flows smoothly until its violent end. "The Courtship Gift" is a dark book about some very dysfunctional people.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific!
Review: Well-plotted, flawlessly executed, well-written. Best mystery I have read in years. Set in Ireland but no cardboard Irish characters. Subtle and rewarding. On a par with her other terrific book, "Mary, Mary". Thanks amazon for recommending this.