I very seldom run across a book that I can’t finish. I try to at least give an author credit for finishing their project by reading their work. Even writing reviews can be difficult, I can barely imagine the hard work that goes into finishing a long manuscript. I also have to give a lot of credit to first readers, beta readers and editors who help an author whip their story into something desirable for the reading public. In this case? They all failed miserably. This book should have never been published.

An example…..

“I pause and then continue. “For a serious felony crime I charge by the hour for all services, at the rate of $300 per hour. To hire me you must pay an up-front fee called a retainer. I will deduct that hourly rate from the retainer as the work is done. When the retainer is gone, you will be billed for any additional payments”. Again, I pause, looking across the table at my perspective client to get a reading on how he is taking this news. His face does not give anything away and I can’t tell if he likes or dislikes what I am saying. In any event, I continue.“To take on your case, the retainer is $25,000.” Now I wait silently for his reaction. “That is fair enough. I rather thought it might be more.” I try to keep the look of shock off my face.“I will need you to sign this form verifying that you agree with my fee.” I watch as Vincent Trapp looks over the form and signs it. He pushes it back across the table and I look it over. “You’ve just brought yourself a lawyer and I seem to have a client.”

That is the last thing I read in this book. Do you see why? First, who wants to read that much detail about legal fees? Not me. Second, the author’s use of contractions in places and not in others makes the sentences clumsy. Third, there are two wrong words used…something that any high school student should have caught. That whole passage could have been covered by a single phrase. In my words, it would have been, “After agreeing on my fee, we…..” Then move the story forward.

That pretty much sums up the whole book, too much mundane information that does nothing for the story, and is, frankly, boring as hell. This author needed a really cranky editor to cut at least half of what I managed to read. Even the book blurb is too long. Smh.

Unless you are a close family member willing to pay $48.00 for a bad book, my advise is to…

Skip it!

2shay