[Book Review] Weave a Murderous Web by Anne Rothmans-Hicks & Ken Hicks

Weave a Murderous Web by Anne Rothmans-Hicks & Ken Hicks is a wonderful crime thriller that will keep you guessing right up until the very end!

I really enjoyed this book and definitely look forward to reading another in the Jane Larson series.

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way. 

My Thoughts on Weave a Murderous Web by Anne Rothmans-Hicks & Ken Hicks

I really liked that we dive right into the story and see Jane at her desk in her office. It is clear that the story is about to get a little crazy from there. But then in chapter two, the narrator literally says, “Before going any further, maybe I should explain the unusual route I had taken to my current post at…” and then the story slows down so the reader can learn more about her both as a character and how she grew her career. I loved this method because the action of the first chapter totally hooked me, but I was feeling a little weird not really knowing the character yet. This slow bit really helped give background and depth to the main character before jumping back into the original action.

I enjoyed the writing style! It was so easy to read, and the storyline flowed wonderfully. I really liked that the end of each chapter gives you a glimpse into what will happen next. Though this made it nearly impossible to put the book down after promising myself that I’d just read one more chapter then go to bed…

I also really loved the sense of humor that the authors put into their writing. There were so many passages that made me chuckle right out loud (see my favorite passages below for examples!).

The web in the title was so perfect as each characters storyline was so interwoven with the others! I absolutely loved that I couldn’t see any of the connections coming until it was spelled out for me, and then it was all SO obvious! Of course I had my theories and such all along, but none were strong enough to make me feel like I had really figured everything out. Which is exactly what I love most about crime mysteries!

Beware, the (slight) negative: 
The main character was incredibly egotistical, superficial, and shallow. As a persona, it all made total sense and the authors captured the character wonderfully. I didn’t particularly like her, but she was an unlikable character that I could still be interested in. However, all of her negative comments about how “fat” or gross Bernie was versus how stunning the “fit” characters were was oh so tiring. I was very happy to see the negative comments decrease as the story went on because at one point I was about ready to scream if there had been one more fat comment.

My Favorite Passages from Weave a Murderous Web

The sound of a whale breaching the surface erupted from the phone.

Francine winced. You might think this resulted from a superstitious aversion to speaking ill of the dead. You would be wrong. Francine had an aversion to speaking ill of both the living and the dead.

The involvement of that bastion of male rectitude in this run-of-the-mill case raised Carmen’s eyebrows. That isn’t easy to do because they’re painted directly on her skin and recent plastic surgery made her face as tight as a watermelon.

Although he was in his early fifties, he still wore his hair in the prep school style of his youth. Thus, when he spoke with emotion, it tended to fall down over his eyes, necessitating a flip of his head every few seconds to clear his vision. If truly riled, as he was now, he resembled a seal trying to balance an imaginary ball on his nose.

I have a thing about heights. I hate them. For people like me, a flight of stairs is not just one step after the other. It is a place that seems to bend and sway below my feet, ignoring the laws of physics that hold our universe together. My sense of balance fails me. I am certain that at any moment I will stand too straight and fall backwards to my death or to grave injury. Now, here in front of me was one of the steepest and narrowest staircases I had ever had the privilege of ascending.

My own voice was nearly lost in the cavernous space, where the twenty-foot ceilings and wooden paneling absorbed words like a very dry sponge.

Her slight sneer told us she didn’t allow sugar-filled crap like that into her body. I took an extra big bite.

The sudden crack of knuckles on wood reverberated in the empty office and reminded me in an unwelcome way of how isolated this spot was from the ebb and flow of daily business.

Suddenly, the traffic eased at 64th Street and the driver took off like a spirit released from a dead body.

Fatigue was like a heavy cloak hung around my shoulders, and yet a certain restless energy possessed me, making sleep impossible.

My Final Thoughts on Weave a Murderous Web

I really enjoyed this book! I would highly recommend it for someone looking for a quick crime mystery with a slightly unlikable main character. 🙂

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Thanks for reading!
What is your favorite crime mystery?