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the complete review - fiction

Branded Woman

by
Wade Miller

general information | our review | links | about the author

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Our Assessment:

B- : too much too over the top, but has some very nice moments

See our review for fuller assessment.

The complete review's Review:

       Branded Woman is the real pulp deal. It ultimately (well, actually, very quickly) goes way over the top, but it's a fun, wild ride, with enough suspense and sexual tension to grip the reader pretty much from the first page to the last.
       The branded woman of the title is the very tough (but, of course, with a vulnerable side) Cay Morgan, and she has literally been branded: she ran afoul of someone known only as 'the Trader', and rather than permanently dispose of her he scars her for life. Ever since then -- five years now -- she's vowed revenge, and as the book begins she thinks she is finally close on the Trader's trail.
       The trail leads to Mazatlán, and her airplane has barely touched down before her life is in danger. It's a good opening, and the cat-and-mouse game is nicely set up (with both her and the mysterious Trader playing both roles).
       There's little doubt that the Trader is in town, but every time Cay seems on the verge of getting a step closer the trail abruptly comes to an end -- usually involving a violent death. She does figure out what the Trader is after -- a huge potential gold haul on a near-by island -- but is frustrated (or knocked unconscious) at nearly every turn. The bodies pile up, but the Trader remains elusive.
       There are also quite a few men involved, with varying degrees (and kinds) of designs on Kay -- as well as one jealous woman -- and Kay's heart also gets in the way. This side of her isn't particularly convincing, but especially when she doesn't mean it adds a nice lascivious touch to the novel.
       There are a few too many narrow escapes, and for someone who is so careful there's at least on person she should obviously suspect is the Trader, but doesn't. The action also gets a bit too wild (and the body count a bit high) to be entirely satisfying, but the resolution nicely ties things up (probably not quite the way readers expected, which is always a nice surprise).
       Branded Woman is not a good novel, but it's bad in all the right ways, and an enjoyable read (for those who enjoy their pulp fiction).

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Links:

• Hard Case Crime publicity page

• Crime Scene Scotland
• MyShelf.com

• A One-Two Punch: The Author Duo Of Wade Miller by Ed Lynskey

• See Index of Mysteries and Thrillers
• Other books from Hard Case Crime

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About the Author:

       'Wade Miller' is actually the American author-duo of Robert Wade (born 1920) and Bill Miller (1920-61).

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© 2005-2008 the complete review

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