It was just average until the end. And now I have to read the next one.
Cash is a Sacramento dealer of prescription drugs. Not the bad stuff. Because if there are such things as ‘good drug dealers’ then she would be in that category. She has an awesome partner, Nate, that helps push the merchandise. Cash meets Laurel at a party and begins to develop scary feelings. But she is sure that her chosen profession will be a deal breaker.
First, I have to say that I grew up near Sacramento. Then lived there later in life for several years. If the movie ‘Lady Bird’ was a love letter to Sacramento, then ‘Cash Braddock’ is the wedding. As Bartlett referenced numerous places and streets, it felt like going home. The fab 40s. Midtown. 50. Apple Hill. Second Saturday. Crocker. Faces. The Depot. Etc. So I really enjoyed the setting aspect of this book.
As for the story… It was just OK for 85% of the book. It felt like everything was happening so sequentially that I was just living Cash’s life with her. From waking up and drinking coffee, to checking up with the next door neighbors, to getting a hair cut, to doing business with Nate. It all felt a little bit diary-esque without a lot happening to keep interest.
There were a couple of interesting things that happened in that drug world of theirs in regards to competing business. Just not enough to elevate the book into anything spectacular… until the last 15% of the book. I was shocked, for one thing. I had speculated something may be off, but I hadn’t guessed exactly what. Then everything that happens with warehouses and counties and jails and trucks in the end had me gripped. And now I HAVE to continue the series to see how everything plays out.
I don’t know if I would recommend it. I think that will depend on how the rest of the series goes. This may be a case of having to slog through the development of characters to get to the good stuff? I hope so!