Reading Between the Wines Book Club

Title: Pure Death
Series: Ina Stone and Sam Fujimoto Mystery #1
Author: Liah Penn
Format: eBook, 202 pages
Published: December 23rd 2014 by Etopia 
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: Purchased 
Reviewer: Lexi
Rating: 4/5

An Impure world, a perfect murder…A murdered society debutante, her body sprinkled with 89 Costa Rican butterflies. A headless, gutted corpse washed up on shore with a beautiful, dead teenager. The case is anything but straightforward, and in an uncertain future, where resources are limited and the genetically defective are banished to a ghetto territory for Impures, Chief Detective Ina Stone and her partner, rookie detective Sam Fujimoto, must cross into Pure Territory to... find a killer. An Impure herself, Ina must overcome her defect. And when her life is threatened, she must learn to rely on Sam, whose interest in her seems more than just professional. Yet the Pures may have created a world in which even they don’t want to live anymore. Resources have become too scarce to hide, and a black market for medicine comes to light. When a third murder is discovered, Ina and Sam know there’s a connection. With too many suspects and not enough time, they must find that connection before the killer strikes again.

Lexi's Thoughts:
Pure Death is a world full of prejudice, hatred, and secrets, a well written debut that will keep you captivated and suck you into Ina and Sam’s story. And when Ina stumbles into the underground medical black market the mystery really begins.

Penn created a tangible world where the Pure society is segregated from the Impures. Ina and Sam live as Impure but must cross the border to solve a Pure death. But once Ina and new detective Sam begin to put the pieces together, Ina’s life is threatened and she begins to realize there are bigger players controlling everyone’s lives.

Ina is a tough woman; she has lived her whole life with a birth defect that cast her out of Pure society. She is smart and can do more with her one hand than most of her team can do with two. Ina is well written and human in her emotions. The connection between her and Sam grows naturally and fits into the story perfectly.

The main characters are great and you will love them, but the villains are where it is at. Mostly because you know something isn’t right but not exactly what or who is pulling the strings. Then some more Pures die. Penn gives us hints of the Yakuza, these tattooed master minds, but she keeps them hidden. All we see is the results of their actions and are left with a growing sense of unease.

This debut novel is a great read. If you enjoy dystopian worlds with well-crafted characters and a thrilling story line, pick up Pure Death. This reader can’t wait for book two!