They say the road
to hell is paved in good intentions, and Rose Gardner can’t shake
the notion she’s headed there in a handbasket. She feels
responsible for the death of a woman she tried—and failed—to save
with her visions, and though she intends to do the “right” thing
and tell James Malcolm she can’t possibly accept his offer of a
relationship, she hasn’t yet mustered the strength. Worst of all,
her sister is terminally ill, and there isn’t a thing she can do to
save her.
When a new case
falls into Rose’s lap, she eagerly shifts her attention to someone
else’s problems—except it’s Henryetta, and every person, and
problem, is somehow connected. The case will bring her back into
contact with James, whom she still hasn’t answered, and force her
to confront her past in other unexpected ways.
Meanwhile, Rose
and Neely Kate find themselves playing host to an unlikely house
guest. Helping the stranger may require them to become more entangled
with the crime world, something Rose knows she should avoid. She and
Neely Kate have the very best of intentions, but are those intentions
ushering them down a path they can’t easily leave?
My Rating: *****
Hell in a
Handbasket is an enjoyable addition to the Rose Gardner series.
The characters are entertaining and engaging, and the mystery was an
interesting one that tied into the multiple plot points throughout
the novel.
That being said,
having read the previous Rose Gardner series, I feel like Denise
Grover Swank is starting to retread ground when it comes to some of
the relationships. I won't say much as to avoid spoilers for both
series, but there is a character that I really liked in the last
series, and I'm not a fan of how he's being portrayed now.
The character made
mistakes by Rose, but it's hard for me to completely disagree with
his motives. The town of Henryetta is corrupt and the criminal
underground is really running things. Naturally, you would want to
see that corruption stopped. That being said, I feel like the series
is going to portray that as the wrong thing to do, since Rose is part
of the crime world now and so is her current love interest. And it's
hard for me to view it that way having seen both the bad and the
“good” parts of the crime world of Henryetta in both series.
Maybe Denise Grover
Swank will surprise me and not go the way it appears she's going to
go with the story as of this novel. I really hope that will be the
case.
Regardless, I do
plan on reading the next book of the series when it comes out.
