The likable Angela and fluid plotting combine for a tidy story. In Death Grip, money can camouflage secrets, but bad behavior can’t be hidden forever. While Chouteau Forest is fictional, Viets captures the spirit of several St. Louis suburbs ... Viets, a St. Louis native [...] continues to show that Angela, a stroke survivor and widow, is motivated by her own loss. It’s easy to root for her growing relationship with Officer Christopher Ferretti and be amazed by the heavy workload she carries.
... unexciting ... Since the murderer’s identity and methods are clear from the beginning, there’s not much suspense along the way to the predictable ending. Viets has done better.
