OK all you savvy readers out there, in case you missed it, the number of books being released per month is dropping like a stone. I know there are more and more budding epubs out there even as many of the older, more established ones, like AmberQuill, are closing for good. Others, including Samhain, have drastically cut back on the releases per week. Since half of what they sell is novella-length ebook smut, it’s something of a surprise to me, but it could be the market for that genre is shrinking. I checked out what was on Siren and the quality of what was on offer was way below the material they offered even 3 years ago. I almost never read smut anymore myself, except for a few of the funny authors. Meanwhile, Gemma Halliday’s light mystery/romance publishing effort is going strong, but some of her ‘new author’ releases are just awful lifeless junk reading while others are OK to good. She needs a much better editor to approve manuscripts, yet some are really good and her $0.99 specials encourage folks to get books a try.
Romance, especially historical romance, cozy mystery, and even UF/paranormal are also seeing serious cuts in books released – print publishers are quick to cut any series that does not sell up to a certain level no matter how loyal the readers. That makes it hard for authors to build readership through word of mouth, a generally slow process. I just read the latest Jenn McKinley Hat Shop book (reviewed below) and found that like too many other ‘bankable’ authors, she’s spread too thin over too many series and the quality is suffering. On top of that Alyssa Day is delaying her Dead Eye paranormal mystery books from SilverHart Publishing due to family issues and two other series disappeared (one historical mystery, one UF) and the authors had to write and publish their final books through services like CreateSpace.
Then Barry Eisler, with a new female lead thriller in what might be first in a new series is staying in Amazon’s playhouse. He seems to have passed his zenith as an author and is now coasting on a shrinking fan base – or trying to get the best of both worlds – more money/book, but fewer buyers. I just bought his new release on sale for $0.99 as an ebook while the print is going for $14+ in hardcover. That’s not a lot of bank for the author or publisher – Amazon’s Mercer division.
There’s no question that self-promoting is a huge deal for authors as publishers put out less money for advertising and promoting books. It can consume so much of an author’s time they lose their fan base by not writing. Kaylana Price is a perfect example if that, plus that was compounded by health issues. Her lastest in the Grave Witch series is over 3 years late, which for a mmpb is a LIFETIME. There are various fan conventions and writers and genre association conventions that are ‘must do’ to keep the fan base happy, but I know from experience that kind of thing is a huge distraction from work and the flow of your thoughts.
Most writers I’ve met and seen speak, and it’s only few, seem more extemporaneous than practiced, but breaking your thoughts while writing can often mean taking a long time to get back into the right mindset, If that happens during an especially key area of a story, you might have a huge rewrite on your hands. I found most writers friendly and thrilled to meet fans – and it’s kind of fun to meet them. I enjoy the experience, but I wouldn’t spend a lot of money doing it. Other fans are the kind who wouldn’t miss a chance at meeting their favorite author and are happy to spend lots of money to travel and stay conventions. It’s a big business and book signings give authors a shot at a HUGE and loyal fan base – but at a price in their productivity.
Not many authors get to be multi-millionaires like the James Patterson or JK Rowling. Most toil away for the sheer love of writing and making a living. A few make a very good living. A tiny number get rich. But most keep their day job. I know how much time it takes me to just do a few thousand words for an RF story installment, or one of these blog entries, and it is not easy. Creating stories for RF and the gang is harder as I actually need a plot, at least here, all I need is a kind loose theme and opinion. And we all know what opinions are like! I spent a career writing technical reports, white papers, and journal articles and believe me, it takes TIME.
So why am I discussing this? I whine a lot about waiting on books in a series. It’s not entirely fair, especially since I know better. Yes, I do prefer quality over quantity. Am I anxious for the next book? Of course. But I also what it to be just as good and just as creative as the first few. There is nothing more disappointing than an author who writes half a dozen great books and rather than wrap up the series, rides the characters popularity into the ground, slowly losing fans with each book. An epic fantasy writer was asked why he always stopped at 3 books when his fans wanted more. His reply was along the lines of he’d rather leave then wanting more than wishing the series would END. I only wish more authors felt that way instead of milking popular characters till people are sick of them and just stop reading.
So let’s get to the reviews and see what wonders – good and bad – came our way recently.
The First Order is the latest in Jeff Abbott’s Sam Capra series could only have one ending. That was obvious from the beginning. Still, I had been hoping for a better thrill ride along the way. Abbott does deliver plenty of twists and turns in his plot using Seaforth, an old CIA contact of Sam’s as a key character. Mila, becomes equal parts friend and foe as a hidden group, the ones responsible for Sam spending time in a black site prison, starts pulling strings of plots within plots.
This story centers on Sam’s hunt for Danny, his older brother supposedly killed by terrorists in Pakistan – but apparently still alive. Who and what Danny has become is obvious from the outset, but with each bother getting betrayed by the very people that supposedly support them, it is obviously headed for disaster.
The ending was about the only way Abbott could end the book given Danny’s character. That was obvious early on, but it was still a good read with an interesting conclusion as hidden powerbrokers get exposed.
I’m giving The First Order a B- (3.7*) as a good, but not a great read. Fans should make note, unlike the other books, this one was written in the third person. Some prefer that, some do not. It did not affect the quality of the story ar all and given the larger cast, was probably his best choice. At nearly $18 in print and $14 in ebook, borrow this one from the library or wait for a cheap used copy. No urgency here. Purchased from an online book store.
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Another of Jenn McKinley cozy mysteries, the Hat Shop books have been one of her better series, but I found Copy Cap Murder predictable. I like her characters and a lot of other things, but I knew who would die, who would be implicated, and who was guilty by page 50. When I can essentially write the book in my head, that’s not good news.
Yes, I realize cozy mysteries have limited scope and drama, but even Agatha Christie wrote better puzzles just by creating wonderful characters. Unlike Ellery Queen, who did Byzantine puzzles and dared readers to solve the crime by presenting all the clues, she did character studies, an art that seems lost with today’s cozie writers. And I am suffering from Jenn McKinley fatigue.
The murder takes place at a Straw Man burning at Harrison’s boss’s mansion when his arch rival at the firm is killed and substituted for the straw man. Obviously, Scarlette’s love interest is #1 on the suspect list and for some reason, a normally fair police Inspector seems very biased and willing to impede certain discoveries. The ending was well done and did have a few surprises.
Copy Cap Murder was far better written than A Likely Story and had a much better-developed plot, some drama, and a bit of ingenuity. The best I can do here is a C+ to B- (3.6*) for the book and a suggestion to wait for a used copy unless you’re a diehard fan unless you can find a good discount off the $7.99 list price. Purchased from an online book store.
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OK, the biggest problem here is the book reads like it was drafted by Evanovich but written by someone else entirely. Not a single character in the long-running series stayed fully true to form. Not one. In addition to that, Tricky Twenty-Two had many ‘factual’ errors in basic things, like where Ranger’s office was, the building size, and also subtle things, like how Steph saw her relationship with Ranger and the fundamental character of both Morelli and Ranger and even Steph’s mother. It was a reflection in a fun-house mirror – distorted.
As usual, Steph and Lula had their escapades with the ‘Bacon Bandit’ – anyone recall the naked guy who smeared his body with Vaseline? Yeah, me too. And Gobbles – a Rider College student who is FTA and his protective frat brothers, a nutty professor, and Dean of Students with a giant grudge supposedly assaulted by Gobbles. Morelli breaking up with Steph after sex with nothing but, “We should date other people.” I was surprised to find that by page 55, I had laughed just once. In fact, I was bored and annoyed. And became more and more convinced she’s either lost it, her editor quit, or she’s hired a ghost writer.
Naturally, after the highly unlikely plot unfolds (This was less believable than the giraffe running down a main street in Trenton.) and Steph gets in the middle of what could biological warfare (yeah, seriously) we end with – a you guessed it! – car explosion! (I know, done so often it’s not even amusing anymore.) Oh, and Mrs Plum tackles the bad guy. Well, there’s a groundbreaking change.
Tricky Twenty-Two will be hard for old fans to take. I began reading this series when she published her first book. now I stopped buying them and wait to get a copy from an online book swap site. I am beyond glad I did NOT waste money on this. Yes, it was past time for her characters to evolve, but this was not character evolution, it was complete personality transplants. Tricky Twenty-Two gets a D+ (2.4*) and a strong suggestion to real fans to go reread and enjoy books 1-8. If you MUST read this get it free. I’ll pass my copy on fast.
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This is one of the better entries in Ms Painter’s Nocturn Falls paranormal romance series. The Vampire’s Fake Fiancée has a rather predictable start with Sebastian Ellingham, the eldest, most reclusive, and serious of the 3 Ellingham brothers, learning his sort-of-ex-wife who left him 300 years ago is staying in town and wants to reconcile. To Sebastian, that means, “She wants a LOT more money.” Unwilling to seem easily available, the sister of the town deputy – and a Valkyrie – librarian is there for a job interview for what seems to be a dream job as head librarian at the local academy. Much to a sister’s surprise, Tessa agrees to play the role providing it gets her the librarian’s job. It’s just a couple of days.
Sebastian’s romancing skills, if he ever had any, are long gone, so his businesslike approach makes Tess feel comfortable and she’s rather surprised at how at ease she feels with him. They have a trial kiss that’s way more than either expected. And then get in deeper when what was supposed to be a dinner to prove he had another love, becomes a challenge to allow the ex to live in the mansion and watch them to make sure she can’t ‘win’ Sebastion back.
The pacing is quick, the action mostly light and humorous, and the selfish, self-absorbed ex turns out to want something else entirely than Sebastian. The ending was good and realistic and I liked both Tessa and Sebastian and enjoyed watching them get more comfortable with themselves and each other.
For a paranormal romance, I give The Vampire’s Fake Fiancée a B (4*) rating. I bought the ebook for $4.99 and it was worth it. Print is $10 and since this is not a keeper kind of book, get it at the library and enjoy!
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Gemma Halliday Publishing offered this new release, first in a series featuring female PI, Barb Jackson. Bubblegum Blonde by Anna Snow is in the same humorous mystery vein as Steph Plum. It’s a short read, under 200 pages, and it moves fast enough that the many shortcomings get missed. A few too many. The it ended with a thud.
First, aside from being prone to the same silly accidents as Steph Plum, I’m not sure I have a clear mental picture of Barb beyond short, busty, blond, and not dumb – though given her actions, I have my doubts. All the guys but one are hunks, including Tyler Black the detective who apparently falls for her at first sight. Barb gets hired by
Barb gets hired by he ex-fiancée, Jason King, who is the prime suspect in the murder of the wife of his boss, a powerful agent in town. Jason swears he was NOT doing the wife (yup, sure), but his jacket and money clip were found in the bedroom. Barb wants to put the agency on the map for things other than cheating spouses, so she reluctantly accepts. At this point, her IQ drops and she commits felony illegal entering into the Hastings estate and house to investigate the crime scene because she’s so experienced she’ll find things CSI didn’t!
By golly, she DOES find a hidden compartment in the drawer of a bedside stand – along with a porn DVD. (Like cops wouldn’t take that!) Then gets caught my the maid, makes an escape, and gets beaten by a frozen chicken and rips out the seat of her jeans dashing bare butt to her inconspicuous red VW beetle getaway car. The motel receipts lead her to a small town, a lying night clerk, and a house the victim bought which turns out to be a brothel – one full of hunky guys and horny women. My goodness, it’s a miracle the police ever solve a crime without her help! On the way back she gets run off the road and is lucky to live.
OK, just let me say, at this point, the author lost steam and wrapped the book up with a deus ex machina ending that was as improbable as any I ever read. The bad guy was barely a shadow on the wall, much less a character. I LOATHE that trick. It means the author could not think of a plausible way to find the killer. It’s lazy and insulting to readers.
Oddly enough, this book – short novel – long novella – gets a really high score from Amazon readers. I am assuming they are not actually mystery fans, just chick lit readers. Bubblegum Blonde gets a D+ to C- (2.5*) as the first half was almost decent. Amazon readers give it 5*. To be honest, it wasn’t worth the $.99 I spent for it.
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Tom Corcoran is the author of the Alex Rutledge mysteries based in Key West expands his to add Southernmost Aristocratic Investigations featuring his friend Dubbie Tanner and former street person Wiley Fecko in Crime Almost Pays. They guys share a house and in home office, but Wiley is too soon off the streets to be fully at home in Dubbie’s spare room. Kim Salazar is a local taxi driver and something of a love interest for Dubbie. Alex is their friend and sometimes crime scene photographers for the cops who is involved with a homicide detective, the same detective that gets mixed up in what becomes a perfect example of “no good deed goes unpunished.”
It’s Tuesday night and Sloppy Joe’s has as many tourists as always, but Dubbie spots a good looking young woman at the bar who seems to be getting too drunk for what she had – and 3 Hispanic men around her, chatting her up and waiting. The whole thing looks like they slipped her a roofie. With the help of the bouncer, Dubbie gets her out and Kim, who was driving that night, helps get her to his place and settled on the sofa.
Morning brings out the nasty side of the woman, Lauren, who thinks everything is his fault and he’s kind of glad to see the back of her – and her multiple passports and the guys who were starting to look more like kidnappers than rapists. When he sees Harpoon, the bouncer, he learns the 3 men sounded like they were Cuban and from the east end of the island. Then Lauren leaves money and asks him for his professional PI help and Dubbie and Fecko are butt deep in murder, Cuban military criminals, and a lying client.
Corcoran is a Key Wester, photographer, buddy of Jimmy Buffett, and Mustang enthusiast. His writing is the classic brisk, PI style of short sentences, quick exchanges, and fast pacing. If you’ve read his Alex Rutledge books, this is the same style, He knows Key West inside and out and his knowledge and love for the island with all its warts comes through. The story has his trademark twists and turns and keeps readers guessing. The ‘Homeland Security’ agent becomes quite a character himself. The extra twist at the end is completely unexpected.
I give Crime Almost Pays a solid B (4*) rating. I broke my cardinal rule on this one and spent $5.99 on the ebook and it was worth is. I’ve missed Tom Corcoran and classic style of mystery writing. He is now self-publishing. Get the ebook if you like classic style PI stories, especially Florida-based ones, despite the price. Yes, I’m a sucker. You could try your library, but most won’t carry such a niche author.
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The last review for this installment and another book I enjoyed more than expected. I bought the ebook of Boundry Lines at $4.99. I read book 1 where ‘Lex’ Luther, the sole survivor of an attack on her platoon in the Mideast learns she’s a ‘Boundry Witch’, one who works between life and death. They’re rare and mostly feared by other witches. While the local head of the coven tries to be friendly and her one daughter is a close friend to Lex, the other witches are very unwelcoming. Made worse by the fact that Lex works for Maven, the head vampire in Colorado.
Lex just returns from LA where she tried to learn about her magic (apparently that’s a novella 1.5 or something I missed, so there seems to be story gaps to me) and she immediately notices something seems ‘off’ about the magic in Boulder. Then there are these unexplained attacks on humans, werewolves being driven to attack the borders, and an ancient creature – somewhere between a land Nessie and worm-snake – and only Lex can kill it, but she needs to heal her mind.
Let’s just say the plot of too convoluted to go into here, but the three key elements are the behavior of the werewolves, the appearance of a long dormant monster, and Lex getting all her memories back so she can fully use her witch powers and the fact that Maven was key to locking down the coven’s powers after a supernatural war between the wolves, vamps, and witches years ago. And, of course, her niece (a rare magical null) is a piece of the puzzle.
Olsen’s world building sometimes defies logic, but the book was much better than book one, moved key character development along, and began laying more groundwork to flesh out this patchwork world. Boundary Lines gets a C+ to B- (3.5*) from me and a read if you like Olsen’s work, but it’s not the best UF out there, so a series that can be safely missed.
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