Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose

Title: Say You’re Sorry

Author: Karen Rose

Series: Sacramento #1

Good read but rather bland

Click here to find an interview with the author regarding this book.

I liked this book a lot, but it…lacked energy, I guess. Things moved along at a steady clip, never got slow to the point of putting me to sleep—but I didn’t want to stay up late to read more, either. There were only two scenes—in six hundred pages—that got my heart pumping: when the killer sabotaged their car and stranded them so they’d be easier targets, and the climax standoff. That’s not to say the rest was boring; the book in general was intriguing… It just wasn’t all that captivating. Didn’t grab me by the shirtfront and demand I pay attention.

Without reading it again, I can’t point out any one thing that Rose should have done, not done, or done differently. Maybe narrative summary could have helped tighten things up; I don’t think any scene lacked purpose, but some might have rambled a bit. Maybe things could have happened more quickly, some steps could have been skipped. I don’t think I’d want the characters to have made different decisions, because that would undermine their intelligence. They made smart decisions that kept them safe and earned my respect. Unfortunately, though, playing it safe isn’t much fun.

I liked the leads, Gideon and Daisy, but they were rather unremarkable, personality-wise. Their backstories were tragic and unique, but neither of them had much charisma. I cared about them, but I didn’t fall in love with them like I did Deacon and Faith, JD and Lucy, or Stevie and Clay.

I adored the fact that Gideon had silver strands sprinkled throughout his otherwise black hair at only thirty years old, and I adored even more that Daisy never mentioned it. Absently observed, but never mentioned. No one did, actually. I know premature grays are reality, but they often aren’t depicted on heroes in books—or heroines, for that matter—so it made an impression. Other than that, he was just kind of a generic Rose hero. Kind, mature, protective, responsible, intelligent, sensitive yet still masculine. A great guy, but also…vanilla. I don’t recall him having any personality quirks, nothing that set him apart from the other Rose heroes; just the premature grays.

Daisy was also largely a generic Rose heroine—kind, maternal, mature, responsible, strong, intelligent, independent, trained in self defense and use of firearms. She did have a constant battle with anxiety and all those hobbies, but I honestly didn’t understand what was up with the latter. Based on the impression of her I got from previous books, I expected Daisy would have this kind of hardened, world-weary, pissy personality, but she proved to be much more sensitive, soft, and feminine than I anticipated. I rather wish she had been a bit harder to reach emotionally, because it might have given their romantic subplot more tension, higher stakes. Might have made it feel less like a sure thing.

Because, yeah, there was very, very little conflict in their relationship. Maybe none at all. They met, easily became close friends, and then were lovers 48 hours after meeting—would have been far sooner if they’d had condoms on hand. They just got along swell the whole time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for them and I’m glad Rose didn’t invent stupid little emotional crises that would have cheapened their bond or them as characters, but their relationship seemed half-assed. It was more a convenient way to deliver exposition on the cult than anything. It felt like the romance didn’t just take a backseat to the thriller plot, it was in the trailer hitched to the back.

I also liked Rafe, Irina, Karl, and even SAC Molina. Sasha was meh. I was surprised to like Mercy a lot. With the way she treated Gideon, the way she kept hurting him, I was prepared to despise her, but she impressed me when she showed up. She cares, she’s just so goddamn traumatized. Rafe will kiss it and make it better. *wink* Tom Hunter was awesome and will obviously get his own story, probably within the next couple of years if Rose keeps putting out two novels a year. I’ll be honest, though, I wouldn’t have remembered him if I hadn’t read Elise’s interview with Rose. Time to revisit those older books.

Don’t get too excited about the religious cult plot because not much progress is made regarding that storyline in this book. The foundation was laid. I’m guessing Rafe and Mercy’s book will focus on the cult, but I’m not certain. It’ll factor in heavily for sure, but Rose could end up shoehorning in a completely coincidental situation like she did here. By that I mean the serial killer in this book had nothing to do with the cult whatsoever. He just happened to choose a victim who had recently escaped from the cult. I do wish the cult had been the focus here; the serial killer and his MO didn’t seem all that original. Rose has definitely had more interesting antagonists—though to give credit where it’s due, I think she did a great job inciting sympathy for him. I never doubted he was psychotic raping murdering scum, but his “standards” did give me pause, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d have become the monster he did if Sydney hadn’t existed. Deep down inside him I could see the traumatized little boy who felt helpless, overpowered, scared, and humiliated, and I felt sick for that little boy.

Oh, and I have to give a shout-out to Brutus. She was easily my favorite character. She and Mutt—excuse me, Abercrombie—were such sweeties I wished I could reach in and cuddle them. I want my own Brutus someday.

Overall, I liked Say You’re Sorry, but it’s definitely not my favorite Rose book. I very much look forward to Rafe and Mercy’s story, which I believe is next? From what I gather from Elise’s interviews with Rose, and assuming she continues to publish two books a year, Rafe and Mercy will be next, Fall 2019, then I think Diesel and Dani in Cincinnati are after that in Feb 2020, and I’m guessing Tom Hunter’s story will be Fall 2020, though that last is complete speculation; the first two I can cite sources for. Marcus O’Bannion and Dolores in Cincinnati could be in there somewhere, but I don’t know if Rose has any intention of giving them a story. Maybe she’ll just get them together in the background of Diesel and Dani’s story.

My review of Every Dark Corner

Interview with Karen Rose (Monster in the Closet)

My review of Monster in the Closet

Interview with Karen Rose (Edge of Darkness)

My review of Edge of Darkness

Interview with Karen Rose (Death is Not Enough)

My review of Death is Not Enough

Interview with Karen Rose (Say You’re Sorry)

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