Regarding my entry from June 18, 2012, called New to Me Cozy Mystery Author’s Characters (and Even Their Homes!):
First off, thank you all for your comments. In the past, I have always gone with my “50 page rule”, but not having the Kindle’s pages numbered makes this a little more complicated for me. (I can remember how to convert 50 pages into a percent, knowing the length of a book, but that just seems too complicated to want to do every time I read a book.)
Here’s a quick update of what I did about this particular mystery book:
I took your suggestions, and decided to pass on this author. I think you all are right: Too Many Books/So Little Time! However, I also did what some of you suggested, I tried to read for a little while longer, to see if I could get used to characters who were obsessed by people’s appearances and status. I thought that if the mystery was good, and the writing was pretty good, that I might be able to overlook some flaws with the book. >>> That did not happen.
So, once I decided not to continue reading the book, I went ahead and took the suggestion that some of you offered: I went to the back of the book to see what happened. Of course, I was right in predicting the sleuth would end up with the “handsome” police detective. This will come in very handy, no doubt, in future books when she is sleuthing … and can benefit from his unofficial help.
Boy, am I glad I skimmed the end of the book! I discovered that the mystery’s solution was idiotic, the handling of the case was insulting, and the sleuth did what I hate having done in a mystery: She withheld information from the primary detective, which by then was her boyfriend. Yow!!! This is something I absolutely cannot tolerate in my Cozy Mysteries! (It takes me back to Ebert & Siskel talking about “The Idiot Plot”!!!)
I totally agree, you should only spend time with books you know you will miss when they end. You should have characters, writing styles, and plots you want to read. Why spend time with a Cozy Mystery you (pretty much) know you will not want to revisit in the future?
With the “Too Many Books/So Little Time” phrase in my mind, I decided to start reading a mystery book by one of my favorite authors, Ruth Rendell. As soon as I started reading about Inspector Wexford’s current case, I knew your comments had steared me the right way. I found myself getting absorbed in the plot and three dimensional characters from the very beginning of the book. I wasn’t making myself overlook things that irritated me.
So, thank you all of your comments. As this author is a very popular author, I am very sure she will continue to thrive in the Cozy Mystery market and will not miss my monetary support…
Donna says
That’s why classics are classics – those authors were skilled, clever writers who knew how to capture and hold a reader’s attention. I try to read one classic author and one or two modern cozies at the same time, but it seems that lately in the modern ones there is a distinct trend toward “cutesy cozy” that just doesn’t appeal to me. Sounds like the book you didn’t finish may fall into that annoying category!
I’m looking over the list of kindle ebooks on your previous post and wonder if you or your readers will tell me if Carolyn Haines can be described as a “clean” writer? I haven’t read any of her books yet but I’m thinking of trying one now. 🙂 I don’t mind a few bad words here and there but I don’t want to purchase something that is filled with lots of needless off color language. That will make me stop reading a book faster than anything else.
linda c says
Donna, I have realized early on that all some writers have to do is to pick up a pen and start to write in order to have a really good book. Like Johnny Mathis only had to open his mouth to start to sing to have a really good song and have his fans love that song. Some people are just artist at what they do.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
You aren’t kidding, Donna, about the classics!
Nita R says
You stated that you hate it when they withhold information from the police. Well isn’t that exactly what Agatha Raisin does? Just confused or did I miss something?
linda c says
Nita, Agatha does that simply because the cops (constable on patrol) doesn’t believe her. Which really is a good thing for those of us who absolutely love this series, because if the head honchos in the police there in her neck of the woods did actually believe her, we would get a much shorter book. I love Agatha, she just doesn’t think much of herself. I wish she could like herself as much as her fans do!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Linda C, I think you are correct about the reason Agatha doesn’t share information with the police detectives. (Of course, it’s been a while since I read my last Agatha, but I’m guessing it’s the same as in the earlier books of the series.)
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Nita R, I think Linda C’s explanation of Agatha’s reason for not sharing is correct. The police simply think she’s an interfering old woman.
linda c says
AND, this Danna is another classic example of how some men are still in this day and age treating women of a certain age. Without getting into the battle of the sexes, I would say that some of the cops in stories like the Agatha Raisin series still tend to believe that we women of a certain age should be staying at home knitting baby blankets, and baking cookies for their younger family members. Some men, my hubby included, still think whenever an older woman gets involved with something outside of the home that all these women are are busy bodies. It seems to me that a lot of the cops in the Agatha Raisin series think Agatha is just that, and old busy body. Heavens forbid if any of us who still have a brain attempts to use it.
One of the reasons, and I think it is the best reason, that I love the mystery series that feature the older sleuths is because the older person is portrayed as to what we are, people who still have minds and the ability to use our brains. Not all older people have the ‘forgetting’ illnesses. And even if some do, doesn’t mean we can’t learn something from these people. I am from a very large family with several nieces and nephews that all have several children. A lot of these kids think some of the things we do, and things that we have done in the past are very funny, and some of these things probably are. But a lot of the things kids do today are just as funny and will be regarded as even more funny to their next generations.
Long live Agatha Raisin and her cohorts.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Linda C, I should preface this comment by saying I used to await every new Agatha Raisin mystery… not so any more, so I don’t know if she has changed in the latest mysteries of the series, or not. I have to admit to getting a little annoyed by some of Agatha’s decisions and antics. It had reached a stage when I was feeling more and more like the police detectives did.
linda c says
Danna, Sometimes some of the mystery series’ do get a little stale or repetitive. Seems like some just get to be the same old, same old. But with series like the Agatha Raisin series I just hate to miss any for fear that I will miss a really good one. I think Agatha’s series started going down hill when she started that detective agency. But I love this series, anyway.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Linda C, I really take a long time to drop one of my favorite authors from my reading lists. I usually stick with the author for either two or three more books than I would have liked… just to be sure the author has “worn out her/his welcome.”
Deb says
Oh, how I wish you could tell us what book it was! I do try to read or skim a few pages before getting a book if possible, but sometimes the flaws don’t become apparent for a little while.
I just had a bad experience with the second book in a series when I loved the first one! I should have realized that having a detailed family tree at the beginning might mean it would get very involved, and did it! I tried to review all the secrets at the end of the book and still didn’t have it straight! I’m not sure sticking it out was the best thing to do because it gave me pause about reading the next one.
I did, however, push on, and my reward was to read the wonderful debut novel Every Last Secret, by Linda Rodriguez. (Ironic because there were so many secrets in the ucky book!) I can’t wait to read her next one. She has a great protagonist, a woman who left big city policing for the (quieter? – not so much!) job of heading up a university police force. A good mystery with lots of suspects and red herrings, an annoying ex and a possible new love interest, and lots of different types of family relationships. I hope she’s writing fast!
linda c says
I can remember one of Earlene Fowler’s book in her Benni Harper series that she had complaints from several of her readers the book had quite a few flaws. I can’t remember the book, I sort of think it was “State Fair.” I read these comments before I read the book.
So as I read the book I thought I would look out for the flaws and I didn’t see the first one.
I think this might be because I got so caught up in the book that I just didn’t see these so called flaws.
I love this Benni Harper series. I love the character build-up in each book. I came to really love these characters. I love the frendship these quilters and other artist in this series came to have. It is just about at the top of my all time favorite list. Sometimes I get too caught up in Benni Harper that I often times forget she is a character in a book, not a real person. So much so that I have gotten myself in dutch with some of the people that regularly post in her blog.
Another reason that I didn’t see the flaws is because I know Earlene Fowler is a very good writer and I just didn’t want to see any flaws. I love these series of this type. One that will let the readers be able to relate to the main character in the series.
I recently read a book that was set in the mid 1920’s that had the main character going shopping and picking up the laundry agent “Shout,” and I wondered to myself, would that product have been on the store shelves back in the 1920s? I kind of think not. But who am I too know? I didn’t live back then. That was the only very small portion of the book that I questioned because the book was very good, and I couldn’t put down kind of book.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Hmmm, Linda C…. Shout in the 1920s? I somehow doubt that. When an author pulls something like that, I drop him/her immediately. If he/she can’t bother to do the required historical checking when writing a (or is it “an”?) historical theme mystery series, I don’t want to bother reading his/her books.
MJ says
I, too, really enjoy the Earlene Fowler quilting series. However, when I mentioned this in a post last fall (I ‘think’ the discussion was about sleuth’s romantic interests), someone had posted they didn’t like the series because Benni’s husband (Gabe) is too much of a ‘male chauvinist’. I hadn’t been able to respond to that post because it was closed by the time I read it.
In this series, Earlene Fowler’s characters are very multi-dimensional. It is an important reason I believe she is a good writer. The chauvinistic part of Gabe is just that – one part of his many dimensions. This is certainly understandable because of his background with both his upbringing/heritage and as a former police chief of a large city. I applaud Ms. Fowler for incorporating this into his character. He has many other enduring characteristics and is in a ‘learning curve’ regarding his less desirable characteristics. No one is perfect and a good author includes imperfections into a well rounded character. This author has a far more ‘softer’ approach to two other main male characters – the sheriff and her cousin.
I am REALLY sorry Ms. Fowler does not have another Benni Harper mystery this year. She is writing a sequel to the Saddlemaker’s Wife novel (due out in Dec.) instead. The characters from the quilting series are mentioned in the Saddlemaker’s Wife, but they don’t play any major role. I wasn’t as intrigued with this book because it isn’t a mystery.
I certainly hope we haven’t seen the last of the Benni Harper mysteries. Like Linda C., this series is always at the top of my list and I anxiously await the next one. However, if you read Earlene Fowler’s website there isn’t any indication there will be a next one — and that would be sad for her fans!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
MJ, you and Linda C are making me wish I already read Earlene Fowler’s Benni Harper Quilting Mystery Series. I just bought Fool’s Puzzle, and I don’t quilt. (Of course, I also don’t investigate murders, so the quilting part probably isn’t that important for me, either. I agree with both of you about characters in Cozy Mystery series being three-dimensional, even though we might not always like their attributes.
linda c says
Danna, I don’t quilt either but I sure would like to learn. It seems the women, and a few men, who have become some of my favorite characters in series like these sure have strong friendships, something that I really do miss being retired and not having a group of people like that. This fall will be different though, I hope. I have a very strong conviction that I am going to get out and meet people again.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Deb, I have gotten a few letters from people about this post, wondering if the author writes a “high fashion” theme type of series. That’s just it. She doesn’t! Her series doesn’t have anything to do with the fashion industry, yet the main sleuth is always commenting on the sizes of the other characters, and how well their clothes look on them. I would expect that in a fashion-themed mystery series, not in this particular one.
Also, thanks for telling us about Linda Rodriquez.
Mandy says
I hear ya! I have a 3 chapter rule: Read the first three chapters, then if you’re not into the book chuck it for a new one. I’ve learned not to force myself to finish a book just to finish it.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
I know, Mandy, there is something so wrong about forcing one’s self to finish a book…
linda c says
Forcing ones self to finish any certain book reminds me of certain books that I was required to read in school. I hated reading some of those books. I love to read, have always loved to read but I want to spend my time reading those books that I choose.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Totally agree with you, Linda C.
Anne says
I just read the books you are talking about – at least I am pretty sure I did. I just didn’t believe a series could be so consistantly poor. If I want fashion, weight and shopping advice…I’ll buy Self Magazine. And what real cop would put up with her antics. To clear my brain I picked up some fun from Rita Lakin and her fabulous Gladdy Gold series.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Anne, I have my next Rita Lakin Gladdy Gold mystery all ready to be read. Perhaps I’ll join you after finishing my current Ruth Rendell mystery…
FABR Steph says
“You should only spend time with books you know you will miss when they end.” I appreciate that quote. Of course it seems like the obvious, but all to often I feel like I already put the time in and should finish. While I can go on and discuss my most loved books, those that I finished out of obligation hardly stand out in my mind at all. So, what was the point?
Great post.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
FABR Steph, when I was a member of a few mystery reading groups, I remember when I absolutely “had” to finish a book. That, and the fact that reading had become a “chore” of sorts, I was almost glad when the groups disbanded.
Maria (BearMountainBooks) says
I’ve been having some bad luck with books lately so I went to the library and grabbed a whole bunch. I know something in the pile will work out for me!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Me, too, Maria. I try to read new-to-me authors in between books by my favorite authors. I do this because I want to increase the authors I follow. Unfortunately, perhaps because of the mood I happen to be in at the time I’m reading a new author, a lot of the new-to-me authors just haven’t left me feeling like I can’t wait to get back to their books.
linda c says
Maria, It seems whenever I go to the library I will pick up a bunch of books too. I will read most of these books but just in case I pick up some that I don’t like well enough to finish reading, I always think that I should find a few of these books interesting enough to finish.
Cathy says
Danna, I’m one of the few who encouraged you to hang in there and give the story a little more time.
Since I said that, I began a new cozy mystery (the first in a series)….by chapter three I was dying of boredom and having to eat my words to you! LOL
I’ll have to confess I went to Amazon and read the reviews, only to discover others had declared the book to be ‘chick lit’ masquerading as a cozy mystery! Needless to say, I immediately gave up on it, and moved on!!!
Thanks for setting a great example….. LOL
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Cathy, I just hate it when I drop an author because of my 50 page rule. I feel a sense of “guilt” for not sticking with him/her. But, as so many people pointed out, time for reading is short enough! (I am going to have to start working out my Kindle “%” so that I can figure out how far 50 pages is…)
linda c says
cathy, I don’t really care for a lot of the “Chick Lit” books either because some of the female sleuths tend to be somewhat ditzie. Sometimes the sleuth will be in a dangerous situation and a good looking guy enters into the scene and all the chick will think about is hitting on the guy! Makes no sense to me! I mean, here a person is in a danger situation and instead of being scared or frightened, she wants to have mad passionate sex with the guy! Just a little too ditzie to me! If someone was trying to kill me or someone close to me, the last thing I think I would be thinking about is jumping someone’s bones !