Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris
(Book 2 in the Lily Bard Mystery series)
Strange happenings in the small town of Shakespeare, and Lily Bard seems to be stuck in the centre of them all. Similar basic theme to the first Lily Bard mystery and I assume it's the same for all 5 books in this series. This time there is a distinct racial edge to the drama.
I find Harris' style of dealing with race very odd. In this series, she has a tendency to be incredibly vague, only implying what she needs you to know, but for certain characters, she has a very specific description or judgement by the main character based on race. For a novel that seems to have its mystery based on racial tension, it seems she could have been much more explicit in her character descriptions.
I'm still struggling with my engagement with these characters. I just don't care as much about the main character or her back story, and she seems to flit from person to person, in dating and in friendship, with no explanation whatsoever. It's hard to get to know the character when we don't get to know her surroundings or the reason for her choices.
Only 3 more novels to the series - I hope I'm able to get a handle on the characters by the end. That's the thing I generally like the most about Harris' work. Her characters are quirky and engaging. This series may be the exception - which may explain why I hadn't heard about it sooner.
(#24-2022)
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