I just finished a mystery by a favorite author of mine, but I am not sure I am going to continue with her. My problem is that this was her third consecutive mystery book that I have read where I absolutely knew the mystery solution by at least page fifty.
I have all of the rest of her books in my TBR bookshelf, which shows you just how committed I am to her. But, I have been toying with dropping her. I read mysteries for the mystery factor, along with all of the other ingredients it takes to make up a good mystery novel. I mean, if I want to read great NON-mystery fiction, I could spend my time reading Charles Dickens’ Bleak House. (Both my husband and my daughter love that novel, and have been trying to get me to read it for… forever!)
I actually pulled my remaining mysteries by this favorite author of mine from my TBR bookshelf. But then I felt the same feeling I have felt in the past when I dropped one of my favorite authors: DISLOYAL!!! She had given me so many hours of very enjoyable reading, but lately, she was starting to get on my nerves! “Come on” I would mentally urge, “don’t let the solution of this mystery be this obvious. Get with it!” I would coax…
I have spoken before about going to the end of a mystery book when I am absolutely sure I know the culprit, and then being annoyed if I am correct. Well, with this author’s last book I didn’t pull that trick. Sure, I wanted to, but I held myself back. I KNEW she wouldn’t let me down… not after the last two mysteries let me down. Surely she was back on her game. NOPE!!!
I want to drop this author, but just can’t seem to do just that. I feel like I enjoy her writing, but I find myself truly annoyed that her crimes are so obvious. There’s a lot of really great fiction out there, why should I continue with an author just because she writes mysteries? Perhaps it’s time for me to take a break from mysteries… but mysteries are what I enjoy reading…
Have any of you found yourself in this position? To drop or not to drop, that is the question!
