Book 667: Firewall – Eugenia Lovett West

I’m not going to lie, when I read the first line of this one I got super nervous. The last time I read a book from a non-major publishing company that was set in Boston, I was VERY disappointed. So it was a good thing I was pleasantly surprised by this one—especially as it came from the same publicity company!*

Firewall is actually the third in the Emma Streat mystery series and I wouldn’t usually take on a book mid-series. However, West’s story of not getting published until she was in her 70s and then again in her 90s (Concord Monitor News) was intriguing and the blurb for this was just interesting enough to tempt me.

In general I found West’s writing to be readable and engaging, it didn’t hurt the longest chapter was at most 10 pages and the book was action packed from start to finish. Most of the characters were believable and it seems West stayed with what she knew, major cities in European countries, and kept the technical jargon/descriptions to a minimum. She nailed her Boston and New York descriptions so it definitely set me at ease, but there seemed to be some discrepancies around Emma’s place (perhaps answered in the earlier novels), but it wasn’t enough to completely turn me off.

The biggest critique I probably have is that there was too much action. Ultimately, she tied everything together, but a good portion of the action and even what I believe was supposed to be a major turning point for Emma, seemed wedged in because there wasn’t quite enough character development for one of the characters. I will say it caught me off guard, but the fact he was little more than a “redshirt” (Wikipedia link), it sort of pissed me off because it was supposed to show growth and depth in Emma and really I was just like WTF why bother introducing him?

There was one other scene that really did my head in. It was Chapter 57 and unless I missed something (which is totally possible), Emma got in the car of some total strangers that were allegedly gardaí in Ireland without any sort of password exchange/confirmation with those she was working for. If I would’ve been alone I definitely would’ve yelled out “What is wrong with you?”, but I wasn’t so I couldn’t. It just annoyed me because she’d been so paranoid and/or careful for the preceding 56 chapters and then just wantonly went off with these strangers and I was just frustrated at that point—maybe because the story was wrapping up? I don’t know, but UGH.

Recommendation: Some parts worked, and others didn’t. Overall, this was an engaging average read for a mystery/thriller. The dialogue was incredibly stilted at some points, but I’ve read a lot worse. The action was mostly believable and kept me engaged as I read. I don’t think I’ll seek out the other two novels in the series, but if you really like mysteries they’re probably worth keeping an eye out for them.

*I received a copy of Firewall from the publicist in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Opening Line: “A spring blizzard was cascading snow over Boston’s Public Garden.”

Closing Line: “You must pick up the pieces and go on your way with gratitude, kindness—and with joy.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)