Question E

[Jonetta]

Kevin Dawson returns to his old station and was delivered a rude awakening. Based on his reaction, what did you learn about him? Was this a pivotal moment for him? If so, why? Was it particularly harsh that it came from the least seasoned member of the team?

[Lynn]

It was an awakening that he didn't want to face, so he justified it by believing they were jealous, but deep down, he knew the truth. At this point, I thought he was impossibly arrogant and would never be able to work effectively with a team of people. It did turn out to be pivotal, though because he was able later to draw on that experience to take a more honest look at himself. It was particularly harsh because he realized that the entire squad must feel the same way.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

It's always amazing when people can't see themselves as others do. No self awareness at all. He was genuinely shocked at their reaction.

After the initial defensive attitude however it did shock him into taking a good long look at himself. And by the end of the book it seems his character is going to go through positive changes in regards to himself, his wife and his team mates.

[Jonetta]

That was a fascinating moment, primarily because he was so arrogant and self-involved he never even knew this truth. Here he thought he was using people and they did it just because he was so wonderful. Coming from the least assertive person on the team had to bite, too. When no one came to his defense or denied it, Dawson was thrown.

I truly believe he had no idea how people really felt about him. He came to his new team fully expecting to run the same racket on them but Kim upped the game. When he found himself struggling to compete with Stacey, it was his first time for true self reflection. It was an important, pivotal moment for him both personally and professionally.

[Charlene]

I agree with all of you; arrogance was the word I was searching for to describe his overall demeanor.

[Sharon]

I agree with all of you. Dawson has such a high opinion of himself on the job and off, it never dawned on him that he isn't as wonderful and loved by others as he is in his own mind.

[Sandra]

Jonetta wrote: "That was a fascinating moment, primarily because he was so arrogant and self-involved he never even knew this truth. Here he thought he was using people and they did it just because he was so wonde..."

Well said. Totally agree.

[Lynn]

I'm wondering if, as the series goes on, if Dawson will interact with other people from his past. It's kind of interesting that both Kim and Dawson have moved around a lot but have not worked together or even heard about each other before.

[Robin]

I agree with what everyone said about Dawson. For a while, I wondered if he would be cut from the team because of his own stupidity. At that point I kind of felt sorry for him. He was totally blindsided with the fact that his previous teammates didn't like him.

[Robin]

Lynn wrote: "I'm wondering if, as the series goes on, if Dawson will interact with other people from his past. It's kind of interesting that both Kim and Dawson have moved around a lot but have not worked toget..."

I wouldn't be surprised if some of the cases cross jurisdictions into areas where either Dawson or Kim have worked before.