Alibi Man by Tami Hoag

A Mystery/Thriller, 2006 by Bantam Books, 351 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

Toxic masculinity. Shots of vodka until you puke just to look cool, pulling a gun on someone just to be tough, and insisting you have to defend a woman’s honor at every turn. It’s outdated and exhausting, honestly, and it came from more than one character meaning this antiquated view of masculinity basically permeates this entire book.
The gay jokes are rampant and it takes the entire book down to a distasteful level. Add to that the big reveal including something related to being part of the LGBT+ community and it’s pretty gross.
A lot of the characters felt like they were leaning too hard into stereotypes. I’m never a fan of that.

Estes. She’s not the “typical” former cop and I kind of liked her. She comes across as a strong take-no-nonsense character and I like her for that.
The mystery wasn’t obvious and the bad guy isn’t the one you first suspect. That’s always good in a detective style mystery.

That’s tricky for me as I found it very problematic. I’d say if you aren’t bothered by over-the-top stereotypes or outdated ideals, you’re welcome to give it a try. Of course, I can probably recommend a few others that are better (including some by this author).