I'm Reading...

Thirty-something Jasmine Myers is a divorced San Jose African-American private investigator who is battling her addiction to alcohol. Her biological clock is ticking and her ex-husband who is newly married wants her back.
Community leader Kristal Woods hires Jasmine to investigate the death of her husband Ralph Woods, the President of the Black Fire-fighters.
After two other fire-fighters die, Kristal is charged with all three murders.
A twisted path leads to the dark side of San Jose politics and life. In the end, Jasmine learns that no one is innocent.

Although I really liked the story and plot-line, I thought this book was badly written. The dialogues seem like lines spoken by bad actors and feel very artificial e.g.

'Don't lie to me, Jazz. I know you, I don't want you to die.'

'Sheila, I am not going to drink.'

'Jazz, you're lying to me.'

'You think I would drink after what just happened. Come on.'

'Jazz, you have to promise me that you won't drink.'

'Sheila, I promise. please leave.'

. But I got especially irritated by the description of every new character (e.g. '... who was a slightly overweight, honey brown-skinned American-American woman in her late forties with shoulder length braids' or '... was a gapped tooth, overweight fair skinned American-American woman in her late thirties with a bad complexion'. Why, in my edition of this book, these people are called American-American, I haven't got a clue).

It is a pity, because some editing could have done wonders.