Thursday, May 3, 2012

Silent Witness by Lindsay McKenna

FBI criminal profiler Ellen Tanner transferred out of Washington, D.C., to escape the grief of losing a husband. But her new partner, San Diego navy JAG lieutenant Jim Cochran, is a challenge she never expected.

The last thing Cochran wants or needs in his world of order and duty is a woman. After a nasty divorce, he's convinced he's through with relationships. Then along comes Ellen. He knows opposites attract ... just not how much.

Now a female Top Gun instructor has been murdered and the media is having a field day. Their instincts tell them there's more to this case than meets the eye --- but how do you unravel a deadly conspiracy in an institution where honor and silence go hand in hand?



Type: Contemporary Romance, Military
Heat: 1 out of 5
Rating: 3 out of 5

Hm. This was my first time reading Lindsay McKenna and I ended with some mixed feelings about it. There were parts I enjoyed and found fascinating and then others that leaned towards the 'eh'. The writing was fairly easy to follow though a guide in the back for some of the military terms and events would have been very handy (Google helped me out a lot on this one). I was a bit too young when some of the events referenced actually happened so didn't know enough about them but if you know a bit about the Military it probably won't bother you. 



I really enjoyed the investigation part of the story as Jim and Ellen looked into the death of instructor Susan Kane. There wasn't nearly as much action as I expected. It was actually pretty tame in that area but I found myself still interested and enjoying the revelations as they were uncovered. Kept wanting to turn the page to see exactly what had led up to Kane's death. The villains were just despicable and slimy individuals. I was so ready for them to get what was coming to them. I was surprised by how things ended up being handled and McKenna did a great job getting Jim and Ellen's frustration and sadness across to the reader. Was feeling it right along with them. It was also interesting (and horrifying) to get a peek into the life and struggles women have faced in the military. Since McKenna served I'm assuming it's fairly accurate. 

The part I found rather 'eh' was the romance between Jim and Ellen. Personally, I didn't feel all that much of a spark or any heat between them. I did like them as a team though. I think I would have rather had their relationship be just friendship/work related and have had the romantic element left out. With the majority of the book focused on the investigation there wasn't enough time with just the two of them to make it believable. It was so slow going with just a kiss here and there up until the very end and then suddenly there's a full blown relationship that felt very out of character for the two. 


I think that if you go into Silent Witness looking at it as a military mystery you'll enjoy it a lot more than if you're expecting a romance in a military setting. Looking at it that way it's a nicely done story and one I think is worth reading. I'll be giving McKenna another try sometime soon. 

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