Iconoclast by Laurie Buchanan ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Iconoclast, book two in the Sean McPherson series, takes the reader back to Pines & Quill, a writer's retreat in Washington State. Sean's sister, Libby,  and her husband Niall run the retreat.  Every month they host four writers at the retreat who want to spend uninterrupted time on their books.  Sean, an ex-cop who got hurt when his partner was killed,  is Libby's brother and works as a handyman at the retreat until he can get back into law enforcement.  He's also living with Emma, a writer he fell in love with in book one.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2022; SparkPress; 978-1684631254
ebook, print (312 pages); thriller

Sean always picks the writers up at the airport in Seattle.  As the book begins - we meet the four writers for this retreat.  Tom is a veteran of Afghanistan who lost his legs, Megan is the owner of a French restaurant, Pam has recently had cochlear surgery and can hear again for the first time since she was a child, and Pam is a civil rights attorney. All four of them are working hard on their first books but one of them is not an author, instead, she works for a crime family with the goal of killing Emma and, if needed, Sean.

The book is well written and the descriptions of Washington State make you feel like you're there.  In a twist from many suspense stories, we know who the 'bad guy' is from the beginning.   It's suspenseful to see the other characters gradually learn that something is wrong.  I really can't say much about the plot because I don't want to give anything away.  I will admit that the killer is one of the most ruthless and cruel characters that I've read in awhile

The plot moves along fast.  The characters are very well written and are people who you soon care about.  The descriptions of not only the setting but the food that is being prepared for the writers are fantastic.  The author started each chapter with a quote from a famous author about writing.  

I don't know when Impervious, book three in the series, will be published but I know that I can't wait to go back to Pines & Quill and spend time with Sean and Emma.

Buy Iconoclast at Amazon

Book 1 in the Sean McPherson series is Indelible. This series needs to be read in order. Read my review of Indelible from 2021. 

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina with her husband of over 50 years.  She grew up in Michigan but now calls North Carolina home. She enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and historical fiction. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook.

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