Stephanie Jane reviewed No Such Thing as Goodbye by Karmen Špiljak
Loved the central character
4 stars
Karmen Špiljak's writing impressed me when I read her 'culinary noir' short story collection, Add Cyanide To Taste, so I eagerly requested a review copy of No Such Thing As Goodbye when I saw it appear on NetGalley. This full length novel is intended to be the first in a series featuring mob escapee Antonia Moretti and, on the strength of this first book, I am already keen to explore of Antonia's story. I found her to be such an original character to spend time with, particularly within the thriller genre. She uses the expertise she gained within her crime family to great effect whilst attempting to start her new Mexican life, yet I loved how frustratingly she is tripped up by realistic incidents.
Often when reading thrillers I am distracted from the story but having to suspend my disbelief at implausible scenarios, but I don't recall this happening during …
Karmen Špiljak's writing impressed me when I read her 'culinary noir' short story collection, Add Cyanide To Taste, so I eagerly requested a review copy of No Such Thing As Goodbye when I saw it appear on NetGalley. This full length novel is intended to be the first in a series featuring mob escapee Antonia Moretti and, on the strength of this first book, I am already keen to explore of Antonia's story. I found her to be such an original character to spend time with, particularly within the thriller genre. She uses the expertise she gained within her crime family to great effect whilst attempting to start her new Mexican life, yet I loved how frustratingly she is tripped up by realistic incidents.
Often when reading thrillers I am distracted from the story but having to suspend my disbelief at implausible scenarios, but I don't recall this happening during No Such Thing As Goodbye. Antonia is a sympathetic character with whom to spend time and I liked her a lot, so much so that I found myself warning her against Carl as I wasn't sure he was as good a guy as he claimed. I'm still undecided! The star of No Such Thing As Goodbye, however, has to be Purrito, an abandoned kitten who steals Antonia's heart. With all of the violence happening elsewhere, his antics become all the more adorable.
Despite being a series starter, No Such Thing As Goodbye is a self contained story with a satisfying conclusion. Špiljak has left threads open to lead readers into a sequel, but there's no irritating cliffhanger for which I am grateful. I'm very keen for that sequel though!