As a reader-writer the goals for this reviewer are to give an honest opinion of what's been read - in order to help other readers decide whether or not to purchase a book, and a considerate critique - in order to give the writer feedback on what does and does not work (for this particular reader) as well as point out any grammar or spelling errors. With that said, Emily Kimelman's "The Devil's Breath" is book number five in her character Sydney Rye's mysteries, but my first to read. This reader does not recall any glaring spelling or grammar issues in the story. This reader also, unfortunately, didn't really care for the protagonist, at all. Perhaps faithful followers of the series find Sydney a likable - or at least, someone to empathize with - character, but this reader did not. Which meant some of the chapters were slightly tedious to get through. Kimelman's description's were decent enough to allow this reader to picture Sydney; I simply didn't care about her nor understand why all the men in her life are completely ga-ga over her. She's rude, sarcastic and emotionally distant. Perhaps the first four books set up all of these character traits adequately, but for someone new to the series, it left a huge distaste for this protagonist in me. However, I loved her dog Blue, and is likely the main reason I originally downloaded the book. I wish he was used more; it would have been nice to see how Sydney truly felt about her dog instead of only being hinted at. This reader found it highly unlikely a dog described to be wolf-like in appearance was allowed entry into every place Sydney ventured into, so that kept tossing me out of the world Kimelman created. The antagonist Bobby Maxim was an interesting character to this reader, although he was part of the tediousness of the book as Sydney agonized over whether or not he was a good or bad guy. The drug used in this story was interesting and not one this reader had read about before. The start of the plot, Sydney's friend Hugh being accused of murder and the possibility of datura causing this murder, was intriguing. However, instead of moving this plot forward, Kimelman chose to veer off and present Sydney's tangled relationship's with the three men claiming to be in love with her for the greatest portion of the book; this is what made it a tedious read and showed this reader that Kimelman's books are not stand alone stories but should be read in order, apparently. Yet, this reader found the protagonist so distasteful, I won't bother with the beginning books or recommend this book. ** Review originally posted to Amazon reviews on June 27, 2016. **
