NetGalley Review: Buried in my Past by Eva MacKenzie

This was the first review I did of a book that I didn't really enjoy.  I can't say it was a bad book, but it is a book that could maybe...use some work?  I do feel badly pointing out its flaws, since all these alleged problems are rampant in many books by white dudes who shall remain nameless (rhymes with "hatterson"), yet they churn 'em out by the dozen and cash the checks, so why not this author?  However, this book could be a 5 star book, or even book series, with work.  Granted, I have written zero books, so take this critique for what it is worth.   I would still say read it if you like the crime/thriller/romance mash-up, books don't all have to be high literature (whatever that is) to be a good time.

First off, this book does some things very well.  The tale blends a little of many popular genres including, crime, romance, mystery and thriller.  The premise is strong and creates an air of suspense and curiosity that make it hard to stop reading.  The stories of all the characters are well intertwined and come together nicely to solve the puzzle that is Jamie’s memories.  The mystery gets wrapped up nicely with all the character arcs resolved and the major questions answered.

While I didn’t inherently dislike the book, I felt like there were a lot of places that it could have used more work.  The characters themselves are not overly developed and present as archetypes with not much else to go on. While it is refreshing to see the male-identifying characters failing the “lamp test,” several characters didn't do much to further the story. The characters also create many side plots that do come together at the end, but either seem unnecessary or like they would have benefited from some more development.  The neatness of the end works, and isn't a surprise (a good crime novel gives you all the info you need), but cut short a few subplots that could have been further examined, or even turned into books in a series.  

For a debut novel this book attempts to tackle a lot of layers, and mostly succeeds.  It was a bold first book and I would like to see more from this author.