Cat59TX
Posted August 24, 2012
Snappy dialogue, great suspense/mystery, a little romance with
oh-so-sexy Nash combined with Chloe's funny irreverence...it's a great
read! The author sucked me in from the very beginning; she made me care
about the characters and I didn't want to put it down. Run with Chloe
from crooked cops, bought judges, devious oil men, a smarmy ex, gasping
and laughing by turns along the way!
Black Oil, Red Blood written by Diane Castle is a mystery-suspense with a bit of romance. I read this as part of a R2R with Basically Books! with Goodreads. A special thank you to the mods as well as the author for allowing me to participate.
Short Synopsis:
Chloe Taylor has left a successful law firm and her smooth talking, rich lawyer, cheating ex-fiancé in the big city, and moved to the small town of Kettle, TX to practice law against Big Oil industry's PetroPlex, who is suspected of cutting corners and putting their workers in danger, specifically her client, Gracie's husband who has passed away from cancer. After her key witness turns up dead, Chloe is spun into a world of deceit, secrets, payoffs and murder. She has to find the answers and a new key witness before her career ends. Teaming up with her paralegal, Miles and the hottest detective in town, Nash, she and her cute little doggie, Lucy, set out to find the answers before the answers get her and the rest of them killed.
Review:
This was a well done story. It was fast paced, thrilling, and there were many funny parts in this book (Mile's haaaaaaaiiiiirrrrr!). The message of the story was one we should all pay attention to. I was educated in the ways of the Big Oil industry and I will never look at the topic of clean air the same way again! This novel was a light-hearted read written in such a ways as to be educational while also being serious yet comical. I really enjoyed it.
I loved all the characters. Chloe was a terrific heroin. Although I thought she was a bit scatter-brained to be a hot shot lawyer, her personality was endearing and fun, her morals non-corrupt and her take no prisoners attitude, refreshing! I loved her paralegal, Miles. His interaction with Chloe left me laughing and broke the tension of what was happening throughout the book. Nash was hot and I loved his tough exterior with a kind heart. And then there's Lucy! I fell in love with that little dog! She was awesome!
Wish List:
Though I really loved the message of this story and the story was well done, there were a few areas of the story that left me scratching my head. Things that just seemed to "happen" to conveniently and way to easily that were obvious plot bunnies to carry the story forward. I also thought the romance between Nash and Chloe could have been more intense and slower paced. They both had interesting pasts that would have allowed more of a push-pull to turn their romance into something remarkable but it fell a little short for me. I was left wanting.
All in all, I really liked this story because is had a good message that we should all take interest in.
Chloe Taylor is a small-town lawyer who is in the middle of a lawsuit with Big Oil. When her expert witness turns up dead a day before the trial, Chloe begins to realize there may be more to the case than she originally thought. Enlisting the help of detective Nash and her paralegal, Miles, to help her with the case, Chloe quickly realizes that is in over her head.
The first thing that drew me into this book right away was the author's writing style. It is neat and clean, and the story flows smoothly. The second thing that drew me in was the characters. I loved Chloe's sarcastically funny personality, which made it really fun to be in her head. I also enjoyed Nash (the strong and silent type, *swoon*) and Chloe's reactions to him and Miles…Oh, how I love Miles!
Though this book was about a serious topic, the author did such a great job at making it fun to read. There was, of course, a lot of legal information in the story, but the author did an excellent job of making it understandable to the average person. I also liked that we got some inside information on the case in the form of other key player's points of view once in a while. It made the plot that much more interesting.
This book was an edge-of-your-seat type of read, and it had everything you could want from a great mystery/thriller, including greed, corruption, murder, conspiracy, coverups, and of course the sexy good-guy detective and a heroine who fights for justice, all sprinkled with wit and humor.
Anonymous
Posted May 5, 2012
Black Oil, Red Blood was such a great read. I was given a free ebook copy to read and review. This story was full of action, mystery and romance. Lawyer Chloe Taylor was so much fun through the the whole book, weather she was in a refinery explosion, a gun shoot out or jogging across town in a cowboy hat, cut off shorts and high heels. I loved this book and now am a fan of Diane Castle.
Anonymous
Posted April 10, 2012
Black Oil, Red Blood- Diane Castle’s new murder thriller - is a fun romp with a serious side. The author, you find at the end, is a lawyer who assists plaintiffs with wrongful death and personal injury cases against Big Oil giants such as ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, BP, and ConocoPhillips, as is the main character in the story - Chloe Talyor, so at least part of what Chloe says about Big Oil must hint of some truth, even though the author’s disclaimer says no. I wonder. It makes for a good story nonetheless.
The story takes place in a small town somewhere in Texas, a small town that seems only to be there because of the large oil refinery that most of the towns folk work at. Chloe is representing a woman whose husband worked at this refinery and died of cancer. But Chloe gets a little too close to what is going on at the refinery and what is going on in town, and she is in danger. Luckily, there is a handsome knight in shining armor in the form of a police detective that is new to town, and he gets pulled into the whole mess. You can somewhat guess that the girl ends up getting the guy in the end, but the stuff in between takes you places you really didn’t expect. It’s a fun read that is perfect for your summer reading list.
druidgirl
Posted March 28, 2012
I know if I had a wrongful death suit against "Big Oil" that virtually owns the city and politicians in my town, I would want Chloe Taylor as my lawyer. She doesn't always play fair or with in the law but neither do the oil companies. This story is an honest look into greed, mystery and murder,but does have some romance. This is about what everyone knows "Big Oil" is doing to this country and its residents.
Diane Castle has written a wonderfully honest book.
Anonymous
Posted March 2, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted March 3, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
Chloe had a successful career until circumstances forced her to move to the bass-ackwards town of Kettle, Texas (human population: 4,000; gun ...