Book Review: Beautiful Death by Fiona McIntosh (Jack Hawksworth #2)
I rated the first book in this series (Bye Bye Baby) as average, a 3 out of 5. But I decided, considering as there’s only two books in the series, to give Beautiful Death a go. Well, truthfully, I wish I hadn’t bothered.
I’ll start with Jack, our ‘hero’ (in inverted commas). What a prat. Seriously, I can’t think of a book hero who is more unlikeable than Jack at the moment. He wasn’t great in book one, but he reaches new lows in this outing. I just wanted to slap him and his pretty face silly. Yes, I know he has a pretty face because McIntosh reminds us that he is movie star handsome EVERY FIVE MINUTES. As such, every female character wants him, even randoms like flight attendants. (Oh, and in one ‘memorable’ scene a potential witness decides she will only offer up a testimony if he’s as attractive in the flesh as she’s been led to believe by the other detectives. W.T.Actual.)
I was about to say his lovelife was complicated but I’m not sure that’s the correct description It’s more like he just lets his little policeman lead him around and to hell with the consequences. In the beginning of the book we meet the new love of his life, Lily. Soon, however, poor Lily (who is also the female diversity card character) must be killed by a serial killer to give Jack (the handsome white hero) some depth (don’t get me started on this rant). Jack’s grief lasts approximately 1.20729385 seconds because he begins to get all tingly around the psychiatrist he’s been forced to see due to his relationship with the serial killer from book one. Yeah, okay, more stupid than complicated.
Of course it’s not only Jack who is fickle. His fellow detective, Kate, is also on the hunt for any man with a pulse. Jack, of course, is the OH SO HANDSOME love of her life and she’s set to wallow in her unrequited love alone forever. But wait… There is the attractive surgeon who might be available for dinner. Or Jack’s policeman mate, Geoff, who tells her she’s a twit to her face on their first meeting, but nevermind he’s not bad looking….
And don’t go thinking that putting a ring on it changes anything when it comes to Jack and Kate’s relationships with the opposite sex. Lily was engaged, the surgeon is engaged, the shrink is married, Geoff was about to spend a week or so away with another woman and Kate’s bed is barely cold after calling off her engagement.
Besides the inappropriateness due to cheating aspect, there’s also the huge lack of professionalism portrayed by the characters. Yes, Jack, the lead detective on the case was in a sexual relationship with one of the victims. I think I could write a thesis on the inappropriateness of this but McIntosh probably did it for me. Characters thinking or talking about how Jack shouldn’t be leading up the team takes up half the book, I swear. And yet no one ever follows through and removes him from the case. Obviously he’s just so vital to the case and so clever and so nice and so charming and, oh, did McIntosh mention he’s so handsome and I CAN’T EVEN.
If this wasn’t far-fetched enough, there’s also the inappropriate relationship that Jack starts with his shrink. Forget being treated in her offices, they’ll be meeting for his sessions at cafes and pubs and her house… I guess Jack is just so gosh-darn handsome, the doc just can’t help herself.
While Jack is walking around brooding about sex with Lily and potential sex with the doc and never having sex with Kate and the great sex he had with his girlfriend from book one, his underlings figure out 80% of the mystery plot. The other 20% is resolved by Jack and Kate stumbling over the truth without ever carrying out any real police work/detecting. For the reader, everything is pretty obvious within the first few chapters (or so it seemed — I certainly don’t remember a moment in the book I didn’t know who would be kidnapped next, who would be the killer, and who would be the red herring).
I’m trying to think of one positive out of this book and I’m really struggling. The characters are obviously annoying as hell, the plot was stupid, and the big twist at the end was just annoyingly stupid (and, typically, had something to do with Jack and sex). The descriptive passages were nothing special and the dialogue rambling and repetitive. I wouldn’t have continued with this series even if McIntosh hadn’t given it up. It doesn’t make me want to rush out and buy one of her historical offerings, that’s for sure.
1 ½ to 2. More deathly boring than beautiful.
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