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Nice by Jen Sacks

© Catten Ely

Jen Sacks is clever. And funny. Satire fits her well. This is a quick read - no heavy stuff to try to digest - the first main character, Grace, is down-to-earth and very likable. I kept picturing Jeff Goldblum as Sam, the second main character, but I just watched Earth Girls are Easy again, and maybe that had something to do with it. (Why did I like that movie?!)

Grace is nice. Really nice. In fact, she's so nice, she can't stand to hurt a guy's feelings.

So she kills him instead.

This technique may not work for most girls, but Grace pulls it off and in great form, too. Then along comes Sam, a hired gun, who's been stalking her just for kicks. He shows up when she could really use the help of a seasoned expert and he just kind of makes his way into her life.

Now they're a couple. A couple of killers.

Notice that the chapters alternate between Grace and Sam. I tend to ignore chapter headings when I'm reading and it took me about five in this book before I realized the main character was actually two people and not a schizophrenic.

Nice was nominated for a 1999 Edgar Award in the Best First Novel By An American Author Category. (A Cold Day in Paradise by Steve Hamilton won.) Too bad, Jen. I liked yours better.