Who Do I Talk To?

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I picked this book up. It is the second book in a series that is splintered off from a larger series, and I have not read any of them... So, I must admit, that in the beginning, I felt like I had been thrown into the middle of a book (and some of my questions regarding the events in the previous novel were never answered) and I was a bit overwhelmed by the rather vast cast of characters that familiarity was assumed. The setting, however, was a refreshing comfort, since I enjoy reading books about the North Side of Chicago. There were a lot of details given, which did make it a little alarming when some of the details were decidedly incorrect. While the dialogue seemed realistic, there were times that I could see where some readers would be offended by some of the racial stereotypes. Really, my main issue with the book was that I could not in any way identify with the main character. How did she not have any financial assets of her own? How did she not have her own credit cards? Why did she not even attempt to open her own line of credit? Where in the world did her previous paychecks go? Could she not have at least tried to clear out the bank account? I did not like her mysterious husband, and wished that his evil actions had some more motivations... he made for a rather shadowy villain. And were we supposed to be rooting for a romance between the main character and her lawyer? There was something about him that bugged me. Although, like I said, my main problem was how helpless the main character was for the majority of the book. I am sure that if I had read the books leading up to this one, I would have felt more connected to the characters, but, frankly, I did not like any of these characters enough to hunt down her previous books. I just couldn't identify with any of them. I did like the exploration of life in a homeless shelter, however, but the women described were a lot rosier than the types of homeless women and men that I have seen in Chicago. I liked the inclusion of Dandy, the golden retriever, but I was not very satisfied with his ending. And why was his future only glossed over? That should have been shown, for all that was leading up to that moment. As for the writing, it was very clear, but with a definite Southern flair that did not really fit with the narrator's North Dakota upbringing and current Chicago setting...