The biggest mystery about this book is why anyone bought it. This is such a case of the "Emperors Clothes". Lots of people liked it because they were supposed to like it. If you bought this book, I would not suggest you read it; instead keep it in the bathroom where it can be used as substitute toilet paper in case the occasion arises where you run out of your usual stock.
There are several reasons I found this book subpar:
1. The main “bad guy” was a static, flat character, who suddenly became evil when it was convenient. He was like a minute man bad guy; one minute he was happy and go lucky, the next he was crazy. There was absolutely no time spent to the psyche of the main bad character. We were simply told he was bad. There was no depth of character.
2. The events that happen in this murder mystery are sooooo cliché. The main male character gets shot at in the woods, but the killer fails to finish the job—despite, the mail-male character going back to his familiar room back in his cabin where—I might add—the killer had access to. If the killer was as “cunning” and “evil” as the author would have us believe, then why is shooting at the main male character the best thing he can come up with? Why can’t he plant some sort of poison in their coffee. Seriously. They drank so much coffee in the book I felt a caffine high just by flipping through the pages. I am pretty sure that they end up drinking coffee in the majority of the chapters. If the killer would have poisoned the coffee it would have been all over.
3. It lacked excitement. And the action is almost non-existent. There are no real pursuits, or interesting and dynamic fight scenes. Or scenes where the main character has to use his incredible wits to get out of a sticky situation. Or any cognitive “chess play” between the killer and the main characters. In fact, the killer at the end simply picks up the main male character and points a gun at him. Why didn’t the killer do that from the beginning? Maybe, the killer is a bit of a softy—but wait, he did ravish his sister…so, basically, the killer was inconsistent, and consequently, not believable.
4. The only believable character, and likeable character, is the old man. But he is so long windy that it makes the beginning of the story drag on. I did not care for any of the other characters in this book. They were all cold-hearted individuals who cared little for anything around them. The main male is focused solely on his career, and will just about enjoy himself with anyone of the opposite sex (I think the writer was probably living vicariously and must not get much action at home). The main female character is brilliant and foolish all at once. She has the intellect and brains to hack computers, but she does not have the insight to realize she is about to get raped. The second time it happens, she was asking for it. Yes, yes, I know that was part of her plan, but if she would have simply gone to the cops and pulled the DNA of her shirt, it would have been a done deal. Yes, she would have got another case worker, but they certainly would have gotten a lot of media attention over the event, which would have ensured she would have gotten some acclaimed guardian.
5. If Dragon breath girl was really so smart, she would have answered normal questions and not been declared incompetent to begin with. I really had a hard time with this one. There is no way should would have been declared incompetent and at the same time be operating at such a high intellectual level. No way. Not possible. Even if she ignored everyone in the world, her basic ability to get and keep work far surpasses many people in America.
6. This book uses sensitive topics such as rape, incest, and pedophilia to hype up the book. Instead of a real, compelling novel—one that makes you think about something a different way—the author prays on the emotions of readers, who relate to these horrible things, and the author uses these emotions to push the book. This is something that amateur writers do to the hundredth degree. Amateurs want to create a compelling and stirring novel, so they often use the most dramatic events they can think of. Rape is the amateurs default. It is like that scene from the “Office” where Michael Scott is at his impromptu class. Michael constantly acting like he has a gun because “nothing tops a gun” (Please excuse the TV show reference). Instead of create a human interaction that is dynamic and powerful—one than takes more than then figuratively making your characters bend over—the author goes with the classic rape. Go to a basic creative writing class in college. I bet you that at least a quarter of the stories written will be about abuse, rape, or incest.
I could go on, but why should I. The book is so terrible that I feel I have wasted my time even writing about it. If you bought this book, return it. If a friend gave it to you, then end that friendship. If you won it at a free book giveaway—well, just keep in mind that you get what you pay for.
About Me
- S.B. NIXON
- S.B. Nixon has a Bachelor’s of Arts in English, and is an avid student of ancient cultures and regions. Traveling is one of his main hobbies and, consequently, he has spent much time outside of United States. He is fluent in the Spanish language, and conversant in several more. He has moved more times then is old, and has lived on the East coast almost as much as the West Coast. Above everything, he is most passionate about the art of writing.
