It was great to read a more light and closure episode of Dahlia. After such rage and sadness with the second one, the last bit of Dahlia’s story is more action packed and had more feelings.
Unlike the other novels from the series, this one had some mystery and it was nice to see Dahlia’s life take shape once again. She is a very sympathetic character, very loyal to her sister and friend. Vivian Winslow’s plot is starting to mature and taking shape. At the beginning her writing and plot were mostly erotic, but with the second instalment of this series she proved she could write beautiful things with plenty of feelings.
In Red Dahlia she takes a risk and makes the plot about a mystery and an investigation without losing focus of Dahlia’s life. The third book is more about letting go of the past than the second one. In the second one you could feel the struggle and the emotional turmoil that was Dahlia’s mind. It is amazing how Dahlia suffers, she lost her husband, her child and she learns to let go and accept the future for what it is.
Also Gustavo and Dahlia’s mother are clearly the villains and Gustavo is one of those villains that will disgust you until you throw up your guts. Dahlia’s mom… what a heartless cruel bitch!
Even though I have said it before, I am kind of proud of myself for taking a chance to say that Vivian Winslow was slowly rising as a writer and while she is exploring new things and new themes, it’s becoming clear that she is creating an identity and slowly finding herself and her voice. It’s always a risk when you bet on an author because they can let you down sometimes, but really all the elements were there. Winslow has got all figured out to create a really good novel and while some reviewers are way more excited than I am with their reviews, I always find a new kind of delight when reading Winslow’s novels, whether it is an emotional roller-coaster that will leave you sobbing or a sex scene that will make your cheeks burn hot, just like that scene.