I am reviewing Revenge in 3 Parts and Tainted Times 2 by Valerie J Brooks together, because they are the first two books in the Angeline Porter series and I read them one after another recently. I will do my best to avoid spoilers, because you definitely want to read both.
Revenge in 3 Parts is about a former criminal attorney, Angeline Porter, with an unconventional approach to justice. Not everyone is going to agree with her choices, and I screamed “No, no, no, don’t do that!” in multiple places in the book, and of course she did those things anyway, but that’s what makes her a fascinating protagonist. Angeline is a bold character. She thinks on her feet, makes decisions too fast, and has to dig herself out of the mires of the consequences. She’ll shock you, befuddle you, and still make you root for her to prevail.
As the book opens she’s lost her sister to suicide and pursues revenge against her sister’s French lover, whom she holds responsible. This takes her to Paris to find him. Just when she thinks she’s won and she can relax, she learns about her sister’s hidden secrets. Sophie has stolen millions of dollars from Angeline’s husband’s company. In true psychologic thriller fashion, revelations gush out like water from a fire hose and Angeline reels to keep up. Her plans for revenge must shift at each new twist – because it’s Revenge in 3 Parts, of course. I was repeatedly stunned by the plot twists as the novel spun out, taking us from Paris, to Portland, Oregon, to Hawaii for the shocking finish.
On to book two, Tainted Times 2, At the outset, it was hard to imagine what else the author could do with Angeline in the second book. I needn’t have worried. Brooks keeps the noir style plot twists coming in a series of stunning revelations that dredge up Angeline’s family history all the way back to her late sister Sophie’s birth.
Additionally, new foes emerge from the shadows that want the millions still in play and Angeline has to stay a step ahead all the way through. This story is so not over, and even though Angeline staggers to an unsteady finish, book three is set up to deliver further punches.
You’ll be so off balance after Tainted Times 2, you’ll be curious how that goes. I know that I certainly am. Valerie Brooks is the recipient of an Elizabeth George Foundation grant and the Monticello Award for Fiction. Revenge in 3 Parts was a finalist for the 2019 Nancy Pearl Best Genre Book Award.
