Absolute Liability (Southern Fraud Thriller 1) [Kindle Edition]

I love Jennifer Becton's work, so when I heard she had a mystery out, I bought it immediately for my holiday reading. Mysteries are hit or miss with me--more often than not, the supposedly quirky heroine is only annoying or daft. Cozy mysteries leave me wanting a little more edge, and thrillers keep me up at night. The plot is either way too predictable or the ending is such a surprise that it doesn't make sense looking back. Despite all this, I trusted Becton to navigate the perilous waters to deliver a worthy tale. She did not disappoint.

Julia Jackson's story grabbed me from the opening paragraph. Julia is an insurance fraud investigator who ran out for a cup of coffee. On the way back to the office, she learns she's been abducted. The mystery then focuses on who wanted to abduct Julia, with a suspect list pulled from her current cases. Her employer, the Georgia Department of Insurance, assigns her a partner to finish those pending investigations.

I have to agree with a previous reviewer. Mark Vincent is hot. He's a reserve Naval enlisted man whose specialty is personal defense. Since it doesn't take a genius to see that Julia was obviously the intended target of the abduction, Mark's presence makes sense. The two of them work well together, and there's also a fair amount of chemistry.

Or maybe it was just hot in there--after all, Absolute Liability is set in the South during summer. Becton's setting details were as exquisite as they were subtle. I could feel the heat without being told it was hot. I actually wanted my own glass of sweet tea to cool myself down.

So how did Absolute Liability stack up against my list of typical complaints?

1) Julia was a fantastic heroine. The story is told in first person, which allows the reader to learn things about her that she doesn't actually share with anyone. Her background and her dysfunctional family go a long way to establishing who she is, so it was important to learn that upfront. Beyond that, she's clever without being a know-it-all, funny without being slapstick, and flawed without being annoying.

2) I wouldn't classify this as a cozy, but it also wasn't a heart-racing thriller. There was definitely an undercurrent of danger--our heroine was the target from the first page. Somehow though Becton managed to convey that element of suspense without making me double check my locks before I went to bed.

3) The solution to this case was twofold. I figured out one half on my own, but the second was an absolute shock. After I thought about it for a moment, it made perfect sense. It also solidified my hunch regarding the other half... which did turn out to be correct. That's the perfect blend of logical solution and suspenseful whodunit.

Absolute Liability was the best mystery I've read in ages. I'm so glad it's the first of a series.

I often buy books thinking they will be really good, but somehow I don't get around to reading them soon and they add to my pile of To Be Read books. Absolute Liability sounded interesting and I was intrigued by the contrast between Becton's previous book, Charlotte Collins, a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

The story is fast paced and the reader is plunged into the lead character's life quickly, but naturally. Julia is someone from a dysfunctional family caused by her sister's rape in high school, and Julia is determined to find her sister's attacker, a determination which led her to the police academy and into a brief job as a policewoman. Lay-offs changed her course, but she now works as a fraud investigator for an insurance company, a job which still uses some of her police skills, but does not risk her life or require her to carry a gun...or at least that is what she thought.

Becton's characters are finely drawn and reasonable (there is nothing that irritates me more than a woman who decides to go investigate a biker bar...alone...when a person of reasonable intellect would take someone with them, or, better yet, call the police with her idea or clue. I detest having to tell stupid characters to "Don't go in the abandoned house! DON'T GO INTO THE ABANDONED HOUSE!!!!") Becton manages a brisk and believable read that is well paced and if her characters are not totally fleshed out it is because this is the first book of a six book series and I am sure we will get to know the characters at a leisurely pace as the series progresses.

Read this book on the front porch with a tall glass of sweet iced tea and enjoy, then try to curb your impatience for the next one! Oh, but you may not want to read this at bedtime, as I did. I was up until 1 am finishing it!

I love a good mystery. I was spoiled on Agatha Christie and Anne Perry on account of my mother when I was growing up. I was introduced to author Jennifer Becton when I read her debut novel Charlotte Collins: A Continuation of Pride and Prejudice so it was with mild surprise that her next published book was a thriller, but hey if Georgette Heyer can write Regencies and then mysteries then so can Jennifer Becton.

Absolute Liability: A Southern Fraud Thriller is the first in what will be a six part series from author Jennifer Becton. I loved every minute of this book. It is a great weekend or beach read and I didn't have a clue who the killer was until practically the end. I found this book to be in the vein of Gemma Halliday another mystery writer who I adore.

The heroine, if you will, of Absolute Liability is Julia Jackson and she investigates insurance fraud. Julia is extremely likable. She can handle herself and yet she still has her vulnerabilities. In the course of her investigations she is abducted---or rather someone abducted what they thought was Julia----which brings out a sense of responsibility and justice in her. So the hunt to unfold the mystery begins. Who really wants Julia Jackson gone?

Throw in Tripp, an ex-high school sweetheart who is just a friend and a cop and a hunky and extremely mysterious Special Agent, named Mark Vincent, sent down especially from Atlanta to partner with Julia and the south just got a bit hotter. I really just want to talk about Mark Vincent. I think I drooled just a little when he was introduced. Mark Vincent was intriguing because he's so mysterious and we don't know much about him. I do hope he turns up again. Yum!

The mystery of the abduction is solved by the end, but there are some unanswered questions in the book in regards to an incident with which happened in the past. There are also some more opportunities to explore Julia's family dysfunctions. This is to set up the rest of the series. Miss Becton has a great series on her hands. She wove a fantastic mystery/thriller and I look forward to book two in the series.

Final Recommendation: If you love a mystery where you are guessing till the end who did it.

FTC Disclaimer: ARC ebook provided by author