Review: Ill Will

Ill Will by J.M. Redmann

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Detective/Lesbian Noir Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I received a free eGalley eBook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: First, do no harm. But as New Orleans PI Micky Knight discovers, not every health care provider follows that dictum. She stumbles into a tangle of the true believers to the criminally callous, who use the suffering of others for their twisted ends. In a city slowly rebuilding after Katrina, one of the most devastated areas is health care, and the gaps in service are wide enough for the snake oil salesmen—and the snakes themselves—to crawl through. First, her investigation is driven by anger, but then it becomes personal as someone very close to Micky uses her cancer diagnosis to go where Micky cannot, into the heart of the evil where only the ill are allowed. Micky is her only lifeline out. Can Micky save her in time to get to the medical treatment she desperately needs to survive?

My Thoughts: Some of the topics addressed in this book were very close to me – especially the problems with the high cost of insurance. I am chronically ill but have to pay all my medical expenses myself – or ask for charity care – because I can’t afford the insurance rates. I have also tried out various herbal remedies – while I know there are some that are scams, I think this particular book was a bit hard on the overall idea of herbal remedies; there are some that really do work, such as kava kava for anxiety, things that I have tried for myself. Also, I had a friend who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in the mid 1990s, so even that part of the story struck close to home.

This book doesn’t pull any punches – it is painfully realistic about the effects of living with someone with a potentially terminal illness, the sorts of thoughts that go through your head. It was at times very difficult to read, but I was unable to put it down and read it straight through without stopping. The mystery was more convoluted than in the previous books – I’ve always figured out whodunit early on in the previous books, but in this book it remained a mystery until the denouement. A terrific mystery, fast-paced, realistic and a book – and series – that I highly recommend. Get to know Micky Knight, dyke dick.



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