Member Reviews
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more in the series.
Invalid Evidence is a great mystery/romance with a unique setting. This book is well written and he great characters. I hope to read more from this author.
I enjoyed this instalment of the Jil and Jess series and the setting in a sea aquarium is a good choice and different from the usual lesfic settings. There is a lot of angst in this story especially with Jess and her husband and mother in law and I felt it took too much away from the action of the investigation. The writing is excellent and the characters well formed but I just couldn't warm to them somehow. The relationship is developing well from the previous books and maybe now they are where they are, I can get more of the investigation plot which is what I was hoping for. The death at the sea aquarium looks suspicious and Jil finds several people with possible motives and she herself is put in danger before she figures it all out.
Recommended if you're looking for an investigation in an unusual setting and some well written plotting. Better to have read the previous books to ensure you get the most out of this one, but it does stand alone.
I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I enjoyed both, the mystery and the characters' arc. This is the third book on the series and, if you want to really enjoy it, you should read them in order.
The characters are as attractive as always, the dialogues really good, the romance meaningful, and the plot truly well-done. You'll get clues along the story, which adds to the fun because you can try to solve the mystery alongside Jil.
There are a lot of personal issues going on, too: Jess' job and her illness, Padraig’s retirement and what could mean for Jil, and a third person (the one who hired her!) keeps hitting on Jil. And they have to deal with all these on their own,
So yes, you'll have a lot to keep you entertained while reading this book :P
After the death of an orca trainer, the owner of the sea aquarium suspects something fishy and hires private investigator Jill Kidd to investigate. Jill and her partner Jess take the opportunity to combine Jill's work trip with a much needed vacation. Unfortunately Jess has received unexpected bad news that forces her to immediately return home and combined with Jess's illness, she is forced to question her career.
There's enough character development to have an affinity with the main characters that it doesn't matter whether you've read the first 2 books in this series or not. Also the book stands on its own as either romance or murder mystery but if you happen to be a fan of both genres like myself then thats a double bonus.
Enjoyed the storyline and the characters. A good read.
This is book number 3 in Stevie Mikayne’s ‘Jil Kidd’ series. While you may find it all right as is it’s much wiser to read all three novels starting with ‘Uncatholic Conduct’ and ‘Illicit Affairs’ in order to really get a feel for these books. In this one Jil’s boss Padraig informs Jil he has decided to call it quits but needs her to go to the island of St. Eméline to investigate the death of a Orca trainer believed to have been caused by one of killer whales. Not helping is the fact that Jil doesn’t know just what Padraig’s retirement means for her and the fact that her girlfriend Jessica’s job as a high school principal may be coming to an end due to an illness she’s dealing with. Oh and to top this all off the person who hired her to investigate the death keeps coming on to her. Not helping at all. Of the three books I have to say this one is my favorite. Now I’m looking forward to hopefully reading book number four if Ms Mikayne decides to keep this series going. Very nice read.
ARC via NetGalley
Invalid Evidence lets us catch up with some old friends, Jil Kidd and Jessica Blake. This is a welcome addition to their story which I have enjoyed so far, but it works as a stand-alone story too. More than anything this is a mystery with romance, attraction and temptation playing a supporting, but important, role. Jess is a complex character who still struggles with Catholic guilt, Jil has her own issues to work through too. This book is well-written, it flows well, and is easy to read. Four-and-a-half stars and recommended.
This book was like having two complete stories in one. The main story is a great mystery that had my heart racing several times, it is so exciting. Jil, one of the main characters is a PI working a case of did a killer whale kill one of its handlers. Jil and her life partner Jess fly off to an island to work on the case. However when they land Jess is called home because her husband is dying. Jess flies back home to deal with the situation. She has several challenges of her own being a school principal on leave due to rheumatoid arthritis and needs to decide if she can continue to work, plus dealing with her husbands pending death, her guilt about it, and her growing health concerns. This secondary story line is very interesting and complex.
Meanwhile back on the island, Jil is worried about Jess and her concerns about solving the mystery of the whale handler death. Both stories have unexpected twists complicating both story lines.
This book is well written with topics brought up that makes you think of what would you do. Give this book a try it is a terrific story.
This was an unusual and interesting combination of events. It involved intrigue, mystery, action, orcas, dolphins, drugs, gambling, grieving and dealing with a long awaited death. As I said...unusual combination. But it works. There is a bit of romance and a bit of sex but mostly just a strong supportive relationship. One of the main characters is going through a very emotional time dealing with guilt, career changes and death. The other main character is investigating a murder. Unfortunately they are separated and dealing with it separately. The mystery is predictable with some good action events. In the end the mystery is solved and career ventures are on the rise, with what I assume is a future sequel. My only negative is sometimes I had difficulty following who was speaking in the dialog.
Overall good story.
I enjoyed reading this third instalment in the ‘Jil Kidd’ series, but not quite as much as I had hoped I would. Padraig, Jil’s boss, informs her that she has an investigation to do into the killing of a whale trainer on an island north of Curacao. Jil and Jessica decide to take the opportunity to use the investigation as a working island getaway. Then Jess gets the phone call that her husband, who has been unconscious for five years, has taken a turn for the worse.
Jess’ point of view is a lot more prevalent than it was in the previous two books and I really appreciated that. I was getting a little irritated with her until I got a much greater insight into her past and how it affected her present which gave a much deeper understanding of her decisions. I didn’t understand how Jil was so calm about everything that Jess was dealing with until I realised that Jil understood Jess but it wasn’t always expressed on page.
I love Jil and Jess as characters but I don’t like it when characters are physically separate for most of the story. I was much happier when they were together. The investigation that Jil undertook didn’t engage me in the way the investigations of the first two novels did and that’s because there was no connection to the characters. In the first book, ‘UnCatholic Conduct’, Jil is investigating the school Jess is principal of. In the second, ‘Illicit Artifacts’ the story is around Jil’s foster mother. In this one, I really only cared about the orca, Tsunami, and even then she could have had a bigger role. I had no investment in the victim or the aquarium employees.
In spite of my response to this instalment, I will happily read more in this series because of my like for Jil and Jess. Even if I had known before how I would feel about this novel, I would have read it anyway because of the depth it gives to Jess.
Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
Okay, I am going to preface this by saying that I haven't read the previous books in the series and I know it contributed to my feelings about the book. It is a decent mystery that does a really good job at building the character arch of Jess. When the book basically starts off as a work-cation, with Jil getting a job at an aquarium that's located on an island in the Caribbean. Jess comes along, with the hopes that the relaxation will help her with her arthritis. But, things don't go as planned, and Jess must go back to Canada to deal with some unfinished business.
For me the beginning of the book was spent mostly trying to figure out what the heck was happening, and why the characters acted the way they did. There were some context clues, but clearly the book relies on its readers to have read the rest of the series to get what's going on. But once everything gets smoothed into their perspective plots, it was a lot easier to follow.
The mystery is good, and I was proud that I figured out some of what was going on before the reveal, and also happy that the mystery was multi-layered so it felt like it would work in the socio-political climate of the island. The author had fun dropping in clues here and there for the readers to pick up on if they wanted to solve the case with Jil. The secondary plot was thorough and well done as well. It gave the book an emotional weight to it that, surprisingly, didn't have much to do with the main story. It was great that Jess seemed to find herself again, and could do some things that she choose to do.
Besides the general fish out of water feel I got from the first part of the book, I do have a complaint about Jill and another character. The character is fine, but damn, their subplot kind of made me angry at times. Like Jil seemed to miss Jess, but not as much as I thought, given how much Jil was thinking about this other character. It just felt tacked on as a will - they- they better - friggin not.
Overall though, fans of the series will enjoy this, as it looks to wrap up some long standing plot points and gave some closure to stuff that may have started in the first book. But, if you're like me, and haven't read the first two books, proceed with caution!
is the third book in the ongoing saga of private investigator, Jillienne Kidd and school principal, Jessica Blake. Each book deals with a fresh mystery so is stand-alone in that sense, but the relationship is progressing, so if you want to follow the romance you may want to read the two previous books before starting this one.
Jil is assigned a case in St. Eméline to investigate the death of an Orca trainer purportedly killed by a whale. Jil and Jess decide to make it a vacation too. However, the day they land, Jess receives a call from the doctor who is in-charge of her comatose husband asking her to sign papers to pull out life support. Jess flies back the next day.
The book then narrates the stories of Jil and Jess as they grapple with the challenges that they are facing. The Orca killing has more layers than expected and Jil has a murderous desperado on her back. Jess struggles with emotional baggage of her marriage, an antagonistic mother-in-law, decision on whether to continue her job or leave it and her personal health issues.
In the midst of all this, the author weaves in Jil’ and Jess’ deepening relationship with great finesse. In fact, their relationship is so well written, that even if you haven’t read the previous two book, it will make you want to read them, just to get to know the two girls better.
This is quite an interesting read. We give it a 3.5, rounded down to 3.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ok this is the first book by this author that I have read. I did not know this was the third book of this series.
I like the storyline and how the author was knowledgeable about marine wildlife.
I like Jill and Jess romance and this was a great mystery thriller and I'm going to have to get first two books because I want to see how they met and fell in love and everything about Jess family.
4.25 Stars. I really enjoyed this one. This is the third book in the Jil Kidd series and I think it was my favorite. I was totally wrapped up in the story and I could not put the book down. I absolutely recommend these to mystery/romance fans. While each book deals with a separate mystery to solve, I would recommend starting at book one UnCatholic Conduct. The romance/relationship of the two main characters really grows and changes so you would miss that by not starting at the beginning.
When a killer whale is suspected of killing her trainer, Jil is asked to find out if it was a horrible accident or murder. I’m going to leave it at that so I won’t spoil anything. I will just say I loved this mystery. The dolphins and other marine wildlife were great for the setting of this book. And not only was the mystery exciting and entertaining, but Jess also played an important role in this book. Like in book 2, we are also in Jess’ headspace. Finally, a big storyline that was left open about Jess comes to a head in this book. Her storyline completely grabbed me. That is something that is great about these books. They are not just about mysteries. They are about life, relationships and drama; it makes these books so damn readable.
While a lot of loose ends where finally tied up in this book, I hope there will be a book 4. I’m not ready to say goodbye to Jil and Jess. These books are too good for mystery fans to pass up.
A romance and a mystery all rolled into one! Set mostly in the Caribbean at a failing marine park and juxtaposed against urban Canada, both of our protagonists solve their own mysteries while forcefully separated - I appreciated that the orca and dolphins got their happy endings too!
I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my review.
This is the first book by this author that I have read. I did not realise at the time of requesting it that it was book 3 of a series. It just means that I will have to go read book 1&2 and then re-read this book. It can be read as a stand-a-lone but I feel like if I had read the previous two in the serious I would have had a better understanding of the character backgrounds etc.
This author put in solid research for this book with her representation of Marine Wildlife. The story line flowed well for me and I loved the characters of Jess & Jil. Secondary caharcters are also a good bunch . There is a little bit of everything from love, embezzlement, murder – to relationship issues and broken dreams. This book has it all. Would recommend giving it a read (with or without reading the others in the series).
I love mystery/thriller books. This third book from Stevie Mikayne didn't disappoint. I don't know if this could be considered as the third in a series (I think it is), but it sure helped to read her other two books for character history. This books can absolutely be a stand alone read, though. I enjoyed the way this author gives what feels like accurate representation to marine wildlife. I also appreciated how the author handled the reconciliation of Jess's previous family obligations. I'm intentionally being vague to avoid spoilers. If you read the earlier books you may have an idea what I mean. I think this author did a great job of representing a woman with a mostly invisible disability and the shame and embarrassment that goes along with acknowledging the change in life it causes and learning to ask for help. I would LOVE to see more books with these characters, but I'll read anything this author writes next. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
'ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for a honest review'
**'Details make a story human and the more human a story can be,the better..What lasts in the reader's mind is not the phrase but the effect the phrase created...'
Great series..4.5stars!
'INVALID EVIDENCE' heralds the return and pairing of Jil & Jess along with a few recurring and supportive characters in this compelling and also well written series. When an inexplicable murder at a sea aquarium plunge the tranquil Caribbean island of St.Emeline into chaos,Padraig implores Jil to help investigating the case where she also must crack open her methods of being a thorough PI in trying to both solve and reveal who the killer is. Jil is very skeptical about how this murder happened with even her research of the provided information which then raises more questions about the culpability of a few suspicious employees including the owner. Determined to clear the names of those unsuspecting workers plus said owner,she did put her investigative mind to work but was still confronted by a selective few. This 3rd installment I believe is unquestionably Ms.Mikayne's best effort to date. Her dialogue and unhurried,spare narrative style is a perfect match for everyone of her characters,particularly the very much complicated Jess -- who still continues to wrestle with past & present family issues plus she had these episodes where she just stares and had wandering thoughts into the abyss of her unwavering soul.
If Stevie Mikayne's first two books in this series had such good storytelling and time-jumping thrill ride of suspense and mystery then this her 'INVALID EVIDENCE' is more of a genre-redefining thriller about murder,embezzlement,Love,reckoning,relationship issues and some broken dreams etc... Highly recommend to everyone!