Meghan Scott MolinCritiques

I liked this well enough, but the character had several TSTL moments that made me want to bang my head against the wall. I'm all for strong, smart, capable women, but part of being strong, smart, and capable is knowing when you're in over your head and asking for help and/or listening to others. So yeah, when the cop detective love interest tells you to not do XYZ and you go off and do XYZ and do mental gymnastics to justify it to yourself, or you decide to not tell him something because of stupid reasons, then yeah, you're too stupid to live.

That said, I really enjoyed the plot of this. It was fast, full of nerdery and geekery, the background characters were great, and I am looking forward to seeing what else the author has planned for this series. Hopefully MG grows a few more brain cells.½

2.5, not bad, character showed growth, many geek references but felt forced in spots

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader as part of a quick takes post is to catch up on my "To Write About" stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.
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MG has so much to accomplish in this book--she has to get her bestie out of jail, uncover the vigilante running around as The Golden Arrow, keep the Hooded Falcon movie on track, and secure her career in comics--oh, and maybe embrace adulthood and a real relationship.

It was...fine. It was enjoyable, a little mad-cap, and frequently sweet. While better than the second novel, I don't think it achieved the levels of the first novel. I had such high hopes for this series--and I'm not saying I'm disappointed by the way it ended, because Molin wrapped up everything nicely and sent our characters off with happy endings. but I was underwhelmed. Still glad I read the series, just not as glad as I expected.

The follow-up to Molin's first novel starts soon after the end of The Frame-up. MG annoyed me in the first book, and she annoyed me in this one too. I had hoped she wouldn't, but she did. Though she was a tad better, in that she did actually ask for help at times and keep Matteo in the loop (mostly). What I really enjoyed, though, was the side characters. We learn more about Lawrence (hooray!) and I am so glad he stepped up more in this book. He was my favorite from the last book and it is clear he is in the center of the whole mystery.

And the Golden Arrow reveal at the end was anti-climatic for me, as I had pegged it from book one, but I'm glad the author didn't drag it out over many more books. Instead, it creates a new plot element to explore in the next book.

I'll be picking up book 3. I'm incredibly invested in the plot, even if I'm not in the main character.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.½

I can easily envision this book as the pilot episode for the next prime time cop series. If you like, say, Bones or Castle, then this book is right for you.

I enjoyed it. It was a fun read filled with comic con fandom Easter eggs that certainly didn't get past me, which makes me wonder if I'm more of a pop culture nerd than I think I am. Sometimes the pop culture references felt a little piled on, but that's okay. This isn't meant to be a deep story with Pulitzer Prize potential.

The romantic tease throughout this piece also reminded me of those lighthearted cop shows we see on TV. I'm not much of a romance fan, so be forewarned. I thought that elements of the budding romance went against MG's character.

Speaking of character, most of them are familiar stereotypes from the comics convention world. You could criticize the story for that reason alone, but each character served his/her purpose in a story that's really meant to be mainstream anyway.

By all means, pick up this book if you're looking for a light and entertaining read where you don't have to think about it too much. It's clever, and I give it four stars for the right audience.

Predictable and repetitive. Sufficient for a fluffy read when you need a break or have nothing better going on.½

This was my Amazon First Reads whatever month it was offered. I finished it, which isn't always the case for my picks. It was a quick, breezy read and light, cheeky fun...an alt-chick crime caper romance of sorts.

The main character, MJ, is mildly irritating, but the comic book setting is unique and the cultural references give it a little bit of quirkiness. It was formulaic, but not in a way that I resented, if you know what I mean.

Probably wouldn't go out of my way to read any more entries in the series, but I don't resent the few hours I spent seeing how the story would unfold.½

$Audiobook½

MG is a comic book writer, but she’s unhappy—she wants a promotion; her colleagues don’t get her; and her parents have disowned her after she pursued comic books instead of the law. Then a sexy cop decides that she might know something about a seemingly comic-inspired crime, and things get even more complicated. I understood MG’s hostility to mundanes, and her worries about her otherwise-male team’s ability to accept her as a woman, but she also seemed very clueless about certain dynamics (including clues to the identity of the real-life comic avenger). More to the point: this is a mystery with a comic-book industry background, and I’m basically not a crime story person.

A young woman writes for a comic book company. A vigilante seems to be mimicking the actions of the fictional heroes. The police department wants help to interpret what's happening.

The premise of the book is ok, if a bit overdone recently, but the writing is simplistic and the characters do not behave like people. I could not finish.

I received a review copy of "The Frame-Up: The Golden Arrow Mysteries, Book 1" by Meghan Scott Molin (47North) through NetGalley.com.

Cute and different. MG Martin works for a comic book company that produces the reboot of the comic she most liked when younger. A chance remark at a coffee shop leads to MG becoming the "comic book expert" to the LAPD's detective Matteo Kildaire who is trying to solve several cases of seeming vigilante justice.

In the process, MG discovers that she doesn't have to be a lonely, career-driven woman in a man's world. She begins to interact more with her coworkers and their spouses/girlfriends and she learns more about her friend L's history. She also decides that she doesn't need the promotion she once coveted and thinks about new career directions.

There're also some looks into various geekdom things such as conventions which is pretty neat.

Though one crime is solved in this book, there's still the question of the identity of the Golden Arrow.

MG Martin is the epitome of geek culture. She’s the only woman writer for a comic book company she swears saved her life as a kid. She’s bound and determined to live life her way, from dying her hair purple to wearing outrageous clothing. She’s single, but open to possibilities but only if her love interest, like her friends, “get her.” So far there’s been no love interest that hasn’t wanted to change her. Then she meets a detective in a coffee shop who is trying to solve the copy-cat crimes from the comic books MG’s employer made their name with. He is handsome and seems to “get” MG despite his being totally ignorant of the world of comic books and drinks herbal tea. When he asks her to help find the super-hero-impersonator is capturing criminals in the same way her comic book’s hero does, she jumps on the chance.

The writing is fast-faced, sometimes moving at warp 3, and will have some readers reading in to the wee hours of the morning. The main character, Michael-Grace Martin, is likable, but a bit immature. This is a fun and fascinating read especially if you’ve never been a fan of comic books. After reading this, you may locate your local comic book store to try out one or a dozen comics.

There are enough, both blatant and not-so-blatant, references to films, television, and comics to warm the cockles of fans everywhere, from Castle to Inigo Montoya in Princess Bride to the The X-Files to Dumbledore in the Harry Potter books to the planet Jakku in the 2015 Star Wars film to name just a few. Even the main character’s initials, MGM, conger up films.

Geek fiction? Sign me up!

MG is the only girl working at the comic company. One day she stumbles upon similarities between a comic and a crime scene. As MG is explaining the similarities, little to her knowledge, the random stranger she’s talking to in the coffee shop is a cop. Detective Kildaire, the cop from the coffee shop, finds MG and gets her help on the case.

Although I really enjoyed the overall story that combined mystery, romance, and geekness together, there was a little too much “oh he’s so cute” going on.