Shawe Ruckus

Okay, I tried, I really did. But this story is like ADHD personified. It jumped around so much that I had a hard time figuring out what was going on. It is almost like it was written for film or theater, where you could keep things straight because of different acts and the ability to see the change in background, etc.

Very detailed, but too much pop culture, history, different languages, etc. mashed together made it hard to follow. Since this is book 2, maybe it would have made more sense if I had read the first book before this one. I honestly don't know.

I appreciate the dictionary and references at the end, although I am not use to seeing references in a "fun read" type book.

I recieved this as a free copy in return for a voluntary review.… (more)

All Body Bags and No Knickers by Shawe Ruckus is ultimately about an old crime that catches up to Chance Yang and his new wife Catherine as they take a very long honeymoon in China.
This is the third book in the series, and I am wondering if I had the background from the earlier books if some of the story would have made more sense. The book opens in England where there are mostly just various conversations happening at Chance’s bar. Most of the characters do not appear to have to work except for Catherine’s best friend, the nurse. And although the England part took up at least the first third, didn’t seem to serve any purpose other than pointing out that Chase and Cather are about to go to China.
Once they get to China, they visit various places and meet some family. There is an uninspired thread around Chance’s parentage, and the main mystery from the China portion centers on a bullying crime/accident from middle school. This does tie into a couple of current deaths, but it is a bit of a stretch.
What I did like is that the author clearly knows some customs, legends, and idioms from China, and it was interesting to see those. As well, the food sounded delicious. I also enjoyed the relationship growing between Chance and Catherine as they continued to learn more about each other.
Unfortunately, this was just not my favorite. Thank you to the author and Librarything for the eARC.… (more)