trigger warning
<spoiler> trauma, being in the American foster system, kidnapping, homophobia, misogyny </spoiler>

After her stunt as CIA operative, Vera Kelly is between everything: On one hand, she just wants to live a normal life, on the other she's no longer content with the job opportunities for women, as they won't allow her a living wage. Oh, and she's lesbian in a time full of homophobia backed by law.
So, she decides to open her own private investigator bureau.

Despite liking Vera more and more as a person because the choices she makes, the whole nevel felt ... distanced. Probably because Vera is prone to withdraw again and again and again, but I was myself feeling detached, too, which made it hard to get a connection going.
Ultimately, I just didn't care.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

Another subtle and convincing work in the Vera Kelly series that rises to an emotional ending.

Vera is one of a kind, and I was happy to be back in her company. She's so clever but winds up caught up in a real mess with dangerous people. Vera doesn't have the backing of the CIA to rely on here but still finds a way to survive a very tense encounter in San Cristobal and to survive risking her heart too.

Once again, the descriptions of place are wonderful from a going to seed mansion in San Cristobal to the tourist towns of upstate New York.

Vera's tenacity is once again to be admired, she's a little more jaded than in book one, but not as jaded as she'd like to think.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn´t finish this book, as the edition of the ebook for the review was so bad you could hardly read it - whole sentences written without a space between the words. I came till about a quarter in the hope it would get better, but gave up then.
Only small thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Gritty, humourous and fun. Knecht packs a punch with the newest installment in the Vera Kelly series. I can certainly see students enjoying this novel.