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Title: My Third And Last of the series
Review: Having enjoyed Cara Black's debut novel, I proceeded to read the next two. Having read the third one, I can say with certainty that it will also be the last. What starts off as charming and interesting very quickly turns formulaic. It's as though the author has a specific plot outline that she follows for each book, and while her detailed depiction of Paris remains interesting/unique, everything else is the same old, same old. Each book begins with an unexpected event unrelated to the protagonist's real line of business, and against her best judgment, she takes on the challenge. This leads to twists and turns, with the 'regular' recurring characters hovering in the background, and then ends with a heavy-handed and unrealistic action scene where the protagonist emerges, injured but alive. Key protagonist Aimee's character remains undeveloped, as well as those around her. Too bad, it was off to a good start.
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