Amounting to Nothing

...As always with Karis Walsh’s books the characters are well drawn and the inter-relationships well developed. The friendships grow as the books unfold, and these are people we can genuinely care about and want to succeed. Ms Walsh has a subtle and enjoyable way of developing her characters and portraying their interactions, with an excellent narrative balance and a writing style that makes the plot flow.

There isn’t a huge amount of tension, and the crime is solved quite easily, but the crime is a vehicle for the romance, and I always enjoy Karis’ gentle and sweet stories. Well written and edited, this is an easy read, but definitely a great way to send the evening in front of the fire.

Reviewed by Velvet Lounger

Karis Walsh is known for quality books. Her characters are likable and well developed, her stories have interesting/realistic dialogue. She is one of my go-to authors for an easy, enjoyable read.

Billie Mitchell is one of the mounted patrol officers for the Tacoma Police Department. As a former soldier, Billie suffers from PTSD from her time in the Middle East. She uses her past to help others as an in-house counselor of sorts. She is readily available for the department to help victims who have experienced trauma and grief. This skill leads her to Merissa Karr.

Merissa has just witnessed a murder. Driving around a less than desirable inner city neighborhood, Merissa and her boss, David were scouting locations for their newest housing development. As Merissa leaned down to pick up a dropped piece of paper, David was shot and killed. Why would a successful architect be murdered for no apparent reason? Billie becomes Merissa's contact with the TPD, trying to find bits of information that may help uncover the killer's identity.

This is a mix of mystery and romance. Each part is done with enough balance for the other. As the mystery is uncovered piece by piece, you have the two main characters moving closer together to solve the crime. Their interactions with each other a cute and slowly draw you into the story and hold your attention. The book was slower than expected for a murder mystery, but I found myself enjoying it's less than frantic pace. The story and the romance build slowly and cautiously. Overall, I really liked this one.

Reviewed by Tiffany Johnston

Karis Walsh delivers!

Great book!

The author does an amazing job with sweet & funny dialogue between Billie & Merissa. I felt their connection at the start of the book. I also appreciate how the author took on the sensitive subject of PTSD. Walsh crafts Billie beautifully to lead her from emotionally defensive & closed off, to opening up and allowing Merissa to witness her vulnerable side. It's heart warming.

Merissa is well written as well. Merissa is strong, yet also emotionally available to Billie. I enjoyed the intimacy between Merissa and Billie. It was nicely paced.

The book also touches on the ethical dilemma of restoring old parts of cities. It gives insight into questions I never thought about in redevelopment.

Again Karis Walsh delivers a beautiful romance & thriller!

Mounted police officer Billie Mitchell has come back from the memories of war to a place of peace: a job she loves, partners she trusts, and a new home in Tacoma’s rough and neglected Hilltop Area. But when a businessman is murdered and one of her neighbors becomes a suspect, her calm shatters yet again.

Heiress Merissa Karr has earned her own fortune working in urban renewal. After she witnesses her boss’s murder, she becomes the next likely target, and for once, money can’t buy her out of trouble. She needs to rely on Billie and other Hilltop residents—people who amount to nothing in her social circles—for her very survival.

On pristine polo fields and run-down city blocks, two worlds collide. Can hearts and minds open wide enough for acceptance and friendship to expand into love?

Reviewed by Emma Anderson

I love Karis Walsh. I have read all of her books and I am planning to add this to a growing number of re-reads.

The main characters meet after Marissa witnesses her boss's death and Billie is tasked with helping her and later protecting her. These characters come from different worlds and I am very glad that their differing social statuses didn't play a major role. What I liked was how they were both able to help one another come to grips with painful pasts and be there to support one another. Thanks Karis for another great read!!

Reviewed by Jenna Faller

A clash of cultures and society meet up in this book through the two main characters (as in, there are two main Point of Views). Billie Mitchell is a former soldier who suffers from PTSD from her time in the military and her experience watching her best friend explode. Merissa Karr...is currently super rich, grew up rich, and wishes to make Tacoma into something of a more ‘gentrified’ city.

The story starts, though, with Merissa developing some PTSD of her own – while riding back in a car with her boss Dennis M. (riding from Seattle to Tacoma). They circle a few run down looking blocks discussing their plans to redevelop it. Merissa mentions a vague idea of having the ‘worse’ views be used for slightly more upscale ‘cheaper’ apartments than the luxury condos that will make up the rest of the property, while Dennis immediately shoots her down – indicating something about investors and stuff. Earlier Merissa had dropped a stack of index cards in front of her in the car – while she’s attempting to retrieve one of the cards, she hears what sounds like a rock hitting the car. Next thing she knows, the car is pulling over to the curb and Dennis has trace amounts of blood sliding down him while mumbling something about ‘Karen’ (his wife) before slumping over dead. Here is where Merissa proceeds to be pushed into stress and trauma which might (probably) develop into PTSD.

The two main characters meet up with mounted police officer Billie Mitchell is assigned to drive Merissa around near where the events took place – because, at the moment, Merissa’s responses to questions tend to break down to ‘I don’t know, I didn’t see anything’. Billie, with her own history of PTSD, is good with ‘survivors’.

The Mystery
Who shot Dennis? Is it possibly a friend and or neighbors of Billie’s? Is it connected to the ‘renewal’ of the city? Or was it just a random shooting? And will any horses actually be ridden in this book (since Billie drove Merissa around in a patrol car, not on the back of a horse) – yes . . . yes there will be horses involved in this book.

The Romance
Will the people from two very different backgrounds (and current positions in society) be able to make ‘something happen’? Or: does the feelings both feel come from a well of ‘realness’ or from ‘tragic events messing with emotions’?

Notes
Rachel and Cal, from an earlier book in the series, also came from different backgrounds – what with Cal being super rich and stuff (or from that background – heck, she’s a professional polo player). But immediately the feeling of – yes the differences are real, cultural, societal, backgrounds, foregrounds, etc. – is immediately felt in this book here – the Amounting to Nothing book.

Reviewed by Lexxi Kitty