Thank you Atria Books for the gifted copy of Strike Me Down by Mindy Mejia, in exchange for a honest review.
Nora Trier is a forensic accountant in Minneapolis, Minnesota who is assigned to a case involving a kickboxing empire, Strike. Strike has an upcoming kickboxing tournament with a $20,000,000 cash prize that has vanished off their books. The owners, husband and wife team Logan and Greg, are pointing the fingers and Nora needs to figure out where the money went, in time for it to be rewarded at the competition. Logan is the face of the company and a champion fighter who runs the gym and teaches classes, while her husband is behind the scenes. Where did the money go and who stole it? It is up to Nora to find out.
On paper, this one had all the makings for a book I typically go for, but sadly it fell flat. Nora is a contemplative character and is hard to connect with, as are Logan and Greg. Nora takes classes at Strike and has this bizarre, celebrity like crush on Logan that prevents her from being biased throughout the investigation.
I loved the setting of the book because it is always enjoyable to read a book set in the Twin Cities. Mejia more than develops the sense of place in this book, to the point where Minneapolis is almost it's own main character. It tends to get a bit redundant and is too specific and detailed, but there is no doubt that the author loves sharing her city.
Overall, Strike Me Down was a 3/5 star read. As an avid thriller fan, it takes a lot to impress me and this one fell flat. The twists and turns were nothing shocking and slightly predictable. Even though Strike Me Down was not my favorite book of 2020, it was fun to read a book by a local author. I always love supporting Wisconsin and Minnesota authors.
Happy reading!
Mel
Comments