Book Review: The Fragile Ones

*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

The Fragile Ones was not my cup of tea.

The main character, Katie, gave me Megan Leavey vibes since she was a K9 handler war veteran and I liked that aspect to her, but overall, I didn't see her as a strong protagonist.  At times, I even found her to be annoying.  I also think there were a few characters thrown in last minute (ex: Lizzy and Chad) who didn't really play a major role until the last couple of chapters which made it feel like they were last minute decisions.  Another character who threw me for a loop was her co-worker, John, who was continuously described to have suspicious behavior.  Why he was acting "off" to Katie was never truly explained.

This book was number five in a series (another reason why John's behavior was questionable because, wouldn't she have been working with him for some time?), but easily could've been a stand alone.  Because of this detail, I wonder how much - if any - character development with Katie has unfolded.

I just felt like there were a lot of gaps in the plot and I had to force myself to finish reading it.  That being said, I do think this would be a good crime show episode.  The branding found on the back of one of the murder victims was unique; the plot twist with the victims' mother was solid along with the additional fact of abduction thrown in there; and it was nearly impossible to determine who the real killer was until the end (most likely because of the endless list of characters, some of which were only in three or four chapters).

For these reasons, I am giving The Fragile Ones one leaf.  The ideas were there, but not executed well in my opinion.

The Fragile Ones was released on March 8, 2021.  It is available to purchase through major retailers, or my personal favorite book distributor, Bookshop.  Buy through Bookshop, support local bookstores!