Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Skyscape
Pages: 300
Format: Egalley
Source: Provided for review for blog tour
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In sunny southern California, Ruby Rose is known for her killer looks and her killer SAT scores. But ever since her dad, an LAPD SWAT sergeant, died six months ago, she’s also got a few killer secrets.Killing Ruby Rose is a lightweight thriller that's a lot of fun. What else can you expect from a teenage girl with a penchant for expensive shoes and carrying a concealed gun?
To cope with her father’s death, Ruby has been trying to stay focused on school (the top spot in her class is on the line) and spending time with friends (her Jimmy Choos and Mahnolo Blahniks are nothing if not loyal), but after months of therapy and more than a few months of pathetic parenting by her mom, District Attorney Jane Rose, Ruby decides to pick up where her dad left off and starts going after the bad guys herself.
But when Ruby ends up killing a murderer in defense of another, she discovers that she’s gone from being the huntress to the hunted. There’s a sick mastermind at play, and he has Ruby in his sights. Ruby must discover who’s using her to implement twisted justice before she ends up changing Valentino red for prison orange.
With a gun named Smith, a talent for martial arts, and a boyfriend with eyes to die for, Ruby is ready to face the worst. And if a girl’s forced to kill, won’t the guilt sit more easily in a pair of Prada peep-toe pumps?
Ruby Rose is a spunky and fun narrator, so long as you like her habit of giving inanimate objects names. She has an interesting position of being the child of a SWAT commander and a district attorney, someone ingrained with the letter of the law but also with the ability to protect herself and awareness of the reality of crime. Yes, she's a silly, impulsive teenager (often) but there's an interesting foundation to her thought processes, and she has the abilities to deal with problems in ways other teenagers wouldn't.
I love the idea that Ruby is her own kind of vigilante, searching out criminals who have slipped through the system's cracks, gathering evidence and hoping to bring them to justice. It's a naive idea on her part, but endearing and understandable because of her family. It's a nice turn of events that someone takes advantage of her "extracurricular" activities to service their own agenda while challenging Ruby herself.
Keeping the reading experience fun does require some suspension of belief and an awareness of the implausibility of a lot of what's going on, but that's really what makes it fun to begin with, anyways. But if you keep that in mind, the story is fast-paced, with a lot of twists and turns, some that are expected but others that will surprise you. It's a complicated back story, and one that makes you want to slap some people because it could've been prevented easily (but isn't that the way it works in real life?) But all through I found myself intrigued and kept reading, wanting to know who this puppet master was and what they wanted with Ruby.
Killing Ruby Rose is a fun and fast thriller that kept me reading. While I would've liked a bit more resolution at the ending (it's the first in a series, but...), it's nonetheless enjoyable, with a touch of sweet romance, family drama, tested friendship, and lots of shoes.
About the author:
Jessie Humphries was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV. She received a BA from San Diego State University, where she cultivated her love of the beach, then lived in France, where she cultivated her weakness for shoes, and finally earned a law degree from UNLV, where she cultivated her interest in justice. After practicing law for several years she began writing, and, appropriately, her debut novel Killing Ruby Rose is a thriller about vigilante justice set in sunny southern California with a shoe-obsessed protagonist. Jessie currently writes and practices law in Las Vegas, where she lives with her husband and children.
And now I've got something a little bit different, and hopefully fun! I've put together a playlist with music that I think either fits the Killing Ruby Rose reading experience/ideas or reflects a character's mindset. (It's very reflective of my tastes, since those are the songs I know best, so hopefully you'll like what I like!) :) There's a bit of romance, some revenge, and some fighting words--all with a bit of grit. And obviously, "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'"!
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