Fisher wet his lips and twitched like a trapped bug.
“And the truth would be great,” Collier said. “We already caught you with them – what good does lying do you now?”
“I dunno,” Mercy said, putting a little more pressure on the frail sternum beneath his boot sole. “Too many people tell the truth, and I’ll be out of a job. If he lies” – a wide smile for Fisher’s benefit – “then I get to go to work.”
For someone who continually claims that plot is her weak point, I sure do saddle myself with lots of complex plots that take up a good deal of page time. There's a reason for that.
I love action movies, and I love, love a good crime thriller; love fantasy with lots of sword fights and interpersonal intrigue. Explosions, car chases, murder plots, betrayals - all that good stuff. But the romantic relationships in those sorts of stories usually go one of two ways. In an action movie, there's a few heated moments of eye contact amidst the world-saving, and then a kiss at the end with very little build-up. Or it can go the Game of Thrones route, in which there's lots of graphic sex but zero romance or chemistry. On the flip side, genre romance has a tendency to leave the action, subterfuge, and suspense off of the page. The focus is on the couple with a sprinkling of intrigue for flavor.
I'm greedy. I want all the action, the mystery, the shock, and I want the romance to be fully fleshed-out, organic, and an important part of the characters' emotional journeys. I've never been a fan of adhering strictly to genre specifications, which is why I end up writing all these huge honking doorstop books. It takes twice the pages to tell both kinds of stories in a complete way.
(I did stay on topic in College Town, however, which is very much a romance sprinkled at the edges with mafia vibes)
But I digress. Mercy's POV in Chapter Fourteen is all about plot movement. Going to see Fisher sets up the mystery of the past - who's trying to sabotage the Dogs - and also offers a glimpse at the unsavory side of the Dogs' business dealings. There are lots of MC books in which the MC aspect is mostly aesthetic with a little tough talk. I wanted to go all in and make them true 1%ers. Despite what Mercy told Ava last chapter, they do sell drugs, but through dealers like Fisher, and not directly with their own hands. It's all about the plausible deniability.
As far as legit Dog businesses go, Ava's going to spend her OSS working at the Dartmoor-owned nursery, Green Hills.
Personal notes:
Don't you know everyone who works at that school hates Maggie Teague? 😂 She gives zero Fs.
I forgot that Collier was sergeant-at-arms before Michael! Rereading this - properly rereading instead of just doing a specific reference search - is uncovering all of these little nuggets I've forgotten over time. Given Collier turned out to be something of a traitor, it makes sense that Ghost would nominate Michael as his replacement: better to have a cold, dispassionate strong right hand than get burned by a personal friend.
If I'm not mistaken, next chapter things get spicy...
Funny you said that because when I was reading the chapter Collier didn’t sound familiar but it eventually came to me. I completely forgot about him that’s what I love about your story telling, it eventually all falls into place. Michael makes the perfect SA.
ReplyDeleteMaggie is a force to be reckoned with. At first I think it’s easy for her to be underestimated. However if anyone messes with her family her mama bear comes out and she does not play nice. I see that in Ava, especially in LHM. Remy had no doubt his mama would find him.
I like the foundation laid out in this chapter enforcing the fact that the MC is a 1% club. Ghost has done a good job layering the club with legit businesses to launder other income.
I’m totally enjoying this re-read and discovering the bits and pieces that I had forgotten. On to chapter 15…
Where you wrote, "I'm greedy. I want all the action, the mystery, the shock, and I want the romance to be fully fleshed-out, organic, and an important part of the characters' emotional journeys."
ReplyDeleteThis is why the Dartmoor series is second to none. It's the best MC series out there because it has every element of a good story, and does it so well