The Mystery Starts Here

Well, I tried, God knows, I tried! Over the last few days I have opened and tried to read FIVE mystery novels. How many passed my 50 page rule? ZERO! How sad is that? Least you think I’m scrounging in the library stacks for unknown or little know writers, I’m not. I tried to read “LA Outlaws” by T. Jeffereson Parker. Nope. How about “The Closers” by Michael Connelly? Ahhhh, no. Boy that one was REALLY slow and boring. There were a couple other books by author’s I wasn’t familiar with – and won’t be – they didn’t hold my attention for those precious first 50 pages.

In desperation, I even picked up a horror novel. I used to love reading horror and was a HUGE Stephen King fan – until he started publishing all those overwritten novels. I still think “Misery” is one of his best books -short, basically two characters and he didn’t wander all over the place. Anyhow, I picked up a paperback called “The Shore” that sounded good from the back of the book blurb. I read about 30 pages and was SO BORED, I gave up. There was a lot of very flowery description – no dialogue what-so-ever and….for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what the heck was going on!  I keep asking myself – how do these books get published? Obviously SOMEONE liked them!

Oh, I can understand Connelly and Parker – they have a following. The publishers print those suckers by the thousands, knowing fans will run out and purchase the books. But for how long? Sometimes I think I’m too picky, so I’ll go to www.amazon.com and check reviews on the books I don’t like. I’m usually correct in my assessment.

I still have a couple of books on the shelf and several “emergency” books stacked up in my office. You know, those books for when the library is closed, you’re out of reading material but….you gotta read something! Hopefully I’ll stumble on a good book and be able to read it and report back here.

Wish me luck!

First of all I have to admit I didn’t finish reading Jonathan Kellerman’s latest book, “True Detectives.” I couldn’t. I read 150 pages and had to quit before my brain atrophied. This book was slow, like watching snails race….backward….at midnight….in molasses! Yes, it’s that bad. Why? NOTHING HAPPENS!!!!!!

Kellerman got away from his two standard characters, Milo Sturgis and Alex Delaware, in this book, a good thing. The other two were getting so stale! I did read Kellerman’s last book, “Bones” but only by shear determination. It, too, was slow, confusing and …. well, a mess. Sad to say, “True Detectives” is worse.

The main characters are the brothers introduced in “Bones,” Aaron Fox and Moses Reed, who share a white mother, but Aaron’s father was black and Moses’ white. The two fathers were cops and partners. Now, can you see what an exciting mix this might make? Nope. Aaron is a P.I. and Moses a homicide detective. They just HAPPEN to be trying to solve the same case of a women who went missing 18 months before. So, already we’re into back story – boring, boring back story. Moses is really pissed at his brother but….as far as I read, we don’t find out why! It was the same in “Bones,” and it was very annoying. Very juvenile, too. I suppose Kellerman will let us know in a future book – but I will be forever in the dark because this is the last book of his I’ll waste my time on.

Kellerman has always had a weird penchant for describing what everyone is wearing! In TD, Aaron Fox is a clothes horse and boy, do we get to hear about it. Names, fabrics, colors – you name it. And this has WHAT to do with solving a crime? SHOW us once and get over it. Once we finally get Aaron dressed and out he door, most of the book, the first half anyhow, is a lot of talking, talking, driving around following  people, some talking and a little eating. Yup, we’re back at the Indian restaurant again!

Let’s face it, most writers of series run out of ideas – fast and I’m sure that’s what happened to Kellerman- quite a few books ago, actually. I have to wonder how long they are going to keep publishing this dreck. It’s really sad because there are so many GOOD writers out there who cannot get published because the big New York publishing houses insist on wasting time, money and trees on authors who have clearly run their course.

That’s why I don’t write series books. All of my published novels are stand-alones. So, if you want to read a fun, humorous book that MOVES – pick up a copy of  my latest, Call Sign: Love at: www.writewordsinc.com.