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5 comments about Unwilling Accomplice (Class B).

1. In Munch Mancini's seventh outing readers are introduced to a more settled, confident woman. She has worked had to build a sober and stable life for herself and her daughter Asia. This has happened through the trials and tribulations of the last six books, and the seventh is no different regarding her past life of bikers, prostitues, drugs and druggies returning to haunt her.

   Asia's aunt reappears in L.A. out of the blue, wanting Asia to meet her children: Charlotte, a very disturbed teen, and Jill, a cheerful girl determined that life will be fine. Very quickly Charlotte goes missing, her mother is arrested, and Munch has an extra child to care for, a job to hold down, thefts to investigate, and her niece to find. At the same time she tries to maintain some sense of normalcy for her daughter.

   This novel doesn't have the same grit and violence of the previous books, but it does have a more grown up Munch. What has changed is her more confident response to the problems, her circle of friends (including Lou her boss, Mace St. John a cop, and some ex-boyfriends), and her willingness to seek help. I like the more stable Munch who has learned from her past, but seems ready to leave it behind instead of run away from it. I would, however, encourage people to read the earlier books first, to get a better sense of where Munch came from. This is not my favorite of the series, but it is still a good read.




2. Most female fictional detectives are bigger than life characters unlike anyone you've met in real life. They are the fictional equivalents of the comic book characters, Wonder Woman and Supergirl.
   
   In Unwilling Accomplice, you meet an unusual Mom . . . but one who resonates with an unexpected amount of reality. She has a job. She has to be sure her daughter gets to and from school and does her homework. Meals have to be made ready. Even the details of her work resonate as she describes the typical mechanical problems that cars had in the 1980s.
   
   But at the same time, Munch Mancini, Ms. Seranella's detective, is also an idealized version of what a modern woman can be. She has beaten drugs, alcohol and harmful relationships with men. Her past has scarred her, but left her stronger for it. She can still be vulnerable and can give love a chance.
   
   Unlike most books about crime, you should primarily read this one for the character development. It's not that the crime story is a bad one; it's that the crime story is secondary to the interesting and inspirational characters.
   
   The crime story is also unusual though in that it involves teenagers, those who actually do more crime than any other age group. You see it from the perspectives of being both a Mom and an Aunt.
   
   The book opens with a troubling scene in which Munch's daughter Asia learns that there's a reason to stick close to your chaperones. Next, Asia's Aunt Lisa appears from out of nowhere (she's been in the Federal Witness Protection Program) along with her daughters, punky looking Charlotte and ideal-kid-like Jill. Lisa's obviously in some sort of trouble, and Munch is soon brought into solve the problems.
   
   Obviously, I think that the book has some weaknesses or I would have rated it higher. The plot itself could have used a lot of work that it didn't receive. In addition, Munch and Lisa's daughters are made to be a little too good to be true which steals power from the characters and the story. Munch's world is filled with ethically black and white people, either very evil or very good. The subtle shadings of reality are missing.
   
   But the book is most enjoyable, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.



3. Munch Mancini's past is closer than it appears in the rear-view mirror. More than any other series character I've read, Munch makes me believe. Believe in her, her daughter, her relationships with men, her relationship with her addictions, everything she does rings true. She does what she can to make something of her future while constantly looking over her shoulder to see what part of her past might be catching up with her. But instead of running for cover, she confronts whatever shows up. Unwilling Accomplice fires on all cylinders.



4. I didn't feel this was the strongest book of the series and found the story a bit less suspenseful than others in the past. It's interesting that as Munch becomes more "mainstream," which is great for the growth of the character, she is less edgy and interesting. It's still a very good series with a wonderful, strong, female character, but I'm going to be interested to see where it goes from here.



5. This is the story of service station mechanic Munch Mancini who has a daughter named Asia who has never met her cousins. This is because they are on the witness protection program but a phone call from Asia's father's sister Lisa puts this into doubt. After meeting up in a park the next day Charlotte, one of the cousin's goes missing and a frantic Lisa calls Munch for help. Charlotte is on medication and does not have it with her so a reluctant Munch begins the search and calls her ex boyfriend Detective Rico Chacon for help.
   
   Although not the worst story ever written it does drag on excessively in parts. The ridiculously stupid names Munch and Asia do get on your nerves after a while as does the farfetched detective abilities of a service station mechanic. There are much better books to accompany you on your reading journey than this.

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