A Vicious Disappointment

Vicious Minds: Part 3

By: J.J. McAvoy

Genre: Mafia, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime

Released December 30, 2020 by NYLA

I’ve followed the Callahan’s since the first book. I have to say, I didn’t care for the direction parts 2 and 3 took but I didn’t hate it either. I may still give it 3 stars because the ride was insane! J.J. McAvoy really knows how to get your blood pressure up! Just when you think you know what game is being played – BANG! You find out how wrong you were. I still hate Calliope with every fiber of my being. I think she belittles Ethan and treats him terribly. It’s clear she has 0 respect for him. In fact, she degrades the entire family in order to build herself up. Yes, she had a bad childhood. And yes, she gives back to the community. But that doesn’t excuse what she has done to Ethan and the rest of the Callahan’s. I felt like Ethan was her little pet rather than her equal. Even Liam and Melody were written in a way that had them under Calliope’s thumb. Liam and Melody!  There was a death in the end of part 2 that I don’t think needed to happen. I mean, I get why it did. And it’s the mafia, so that death is probably true to form. But I don’t think this person deserved it. The same applies to someone at the end of this book as well. 2 people, actually. I don’t think their deaths were needed and it just made me even more disappointed in the direction this finale had taken. The ending was absolutely terrible for a special person who is major to this story. I honestly can’t believe McAvoy wrote that for this character. I felt like that was put there for dramatic effect. If you read other reviews you will see that this has had a very negative reaction from fans. I feel like so many characters got lost so that Calliope and Ethan could have their story. In the end, I really wish I had just stopped prior to the first Vicious Minds. This 3-part finale took away from the greatness of the Callahan story.

The suspense is the only reason I would say 3 stars. Overall, I would give this finale a 2 for ruining the series and characters that we’ve all grown to love. And also, for the ridiculous number of typos and grammatical errors. That is something that should have been caught before the release.