{"id":6390,"date":"2017-02-21T12:08:32","date_gmt":"2017-02-21T17:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=6390"},"modified":"2017-02-22T08:16:06","modified_gmt":"2017-02-22T13:16:06","slug":"why-crimethrillermysteries-fall-short","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=6390","title":{"rendered":"Why Crime\/Thriller\/Mystery Novels Fall Short"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"reading,

photo: Kamil Porembi\u0144ski, creative commons license<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the past 21 months, I\u2019ve read and reviewed 62 crime novels and thrillers for crimefictionlover.com. While a number of them rise to greatness and many effectively get the job done, a surprising number were not ready for prime time, and a tiny number should have gone straight to the landfill. Many works fall short because author s believe their book is \u201cdone,\u201d and it isn\u2019t. Too often, I find myself saying, \u201cDamn!\u2014With a little more effort, this could have been soooo good.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a writer myself, I take into consideration the author\u2019s hopes and effort, knowing it\u2019s hard to see the flaws in one\u2019s own children. That\u2019s what editors are for. Yet, the acknowledgements pages of poor books often heap extravagant praise on their editors, whom I envision curled up under their desks, weeping. Authorial intentions aside, my primary obligation is to potential readers. Will readers\u2019 limited reading time be well invested if they pick up this particular book?<\/p>\n

The common problems in crime\/thriller books I\u2019ve read recently fit into two overlapping categories: pitfalls in thinking<\/em> (mostly related to plot and character), listed below, and pitfalls in <\/a>writing. <\/em>Thinking and writing problems are mutually reinforcing, since poor writing makes poor thinking more obvious. For those who respond to examples, I\u2019ve included a few from \u201cactual books.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thinking Pitfalls<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n