Death by Chocolate is a book with unexpected heartstrings and tugs. McKevett's Reid sisters, Savannah and Cordele, make a lot of groundbreaking observations on how life used to be. And it's set against a hard pill of a case where justice is served in pretty sad design.

Of the Reid books, this is a favorite. The case and family dynamic on all sides really points to the right spots for people with some childhood drama and trauma. But what's better is seeing Van open up, and explain life, with even more compassion.

There's a lot of lessons on self-confidence, too. When Dirk makes a sexist remark, she lets loose. "It's a matter of having the sense to understand that everybody doesn't come in one size or shape. Women's bodies are beautiful, and that goes for the big ones as well as the smaller ones. It's believing that any human body that's walking around--seeing, hearing, speaking, feeling, functioning--is a miracle of nature and worthy of respect. And so is the person who inhabits that body" (71). What makes this even more powerful is the fact the book was written in 2003. These are lessons we're still learning, 13 years later. But she doesn't snark or make a comment about size. Defective and harmful characteristics are far more worthy of attack.

The focuses on a lot of different elements, but hitting into the depression of life, the sheer weight really combines all kinds of story strings. It's worth reading and really thinking about the harm people do to each other. In a lighter, less grimy scene.