A Beautiful Corpse: A Harper McClain Mystery

This second Harper McClain novel starts with a bang and doesn't let up. There's a lot going on in this one with some of it being new and some trickling over from the first book. Harper's determination shines through in spite of her less than stellar relationship with the police department, and her suspect this time doesn't do anything to repair that relationship. While we do get a satisfactory conclusion, there are still some unanswered questions to watch for in the next addition to the series. I would recommend reading the books in order to get Harper's backstory along with everything that led to her problems with the police department. All in all, this one is a solid addition to the series and the genre.

A Beautiful Corpse can be read alone if you have not picked up The Echo Killing. The incidents that occurred in the first installment are summarized in A Beautiful Corpse. Harper McClain is a dedicated crime reporter who was mentored by Chief Detective Robert Smith. It was a blow when she learned he killed someone. The police now consider her a traitor and Harper is cut off from sources inside the Savannah PD. Naomi Scott is murdered on River Street with no eyewitnesses. The police focus on the boyfriend despite Jerrod Scott’s objections. Harper pursues another lead which could have deadly consequences for her career if she is wrong. In addition, someone has broken into her apartment again despite the alarm system. Then Harper feels like someone is following her. Harper’s boyfriend, Luke Walker broke up with after the Scott case, but they are still attracted to each other (trust issues). It was interesting following a mystery from a reporter’s perspective. Harper is dedicated (dogged determination) to uncovering the truth. The writing is descriptive and extremely detailed (a little too much for my tastes). Her narratives allowed me to visualize Savannah. I did find the pace to be on the slow side. For this type of story, the pacing needed to be livelier. The mystery was appealing in the beginning. The guilty party was soon glaringly obvious which took away from the mysteries appeal (I wanted more intrigue, twists). I felt the ending was too long and drawn out. There is suspense in wondering who is following Harper and what is the person’s motive. However, we do not get any answers in A Beautiful Corpse. Harper has not made any progress into identifying her mother’s killer. This storyline plays out in the background and remains unresolved. A Beautiful Corpse does contain violence, intimate relations and foul language. A Beautiful Corpse has some interesting components, but it was missing something that would take it to the next level.