This is a real soap opera and all the drama that goes with it. I want to say one good thing about this book... It is interesting for the most part, and it did keep me reading.
However, I would just LOVE it if authors would realize that their readers are NOT dumb idiots who have to be reminded every 20 pages what the plot is and why we should keep reading. This one goes to the extreme on that. Perhaps, there are lots of readers out there who read v-e-r-y, v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y and must be reminded why they are reading this book. However, those who I pal around with who always have a book in their hand or their tote bag, who pick up the current book while waiting on anything or even sitting on the toilet do not need to be reminded what the plot is.
This book would have been so much better without the Prologue. I have read several books lately that spoil the plot by giving such broad clues in the prologue, that I really do not need to read the book. Having a prologue is supposed to bring intrigue and whet the appetite, not spill the beans. For the first half of this novel, the protagonist--one Brilliant Jessup, Police Chief of a small town in Tennessee. Of course, she's called Brill and it is a nickname--is faced with two crimes which the prologue actually reveals as one large crime.
Then we have the subplot that Brill's husband had a one-night stand and we deal with her anger and his remorse throughout the book. To have several subplots is what makes this a soap opera. If you like that kind of thing, then this book is for you.
Kathy Herman has written 14 books. I'm thinking that is where my critique is coming from. I expected so much more from a veteran like this, which is why I'm being so harsh. I really don't mean to be so harsh, but I was disappointed.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Suspense novelist Kathy Herman is very much at home in the Christian book industry, having worked five years on staff at the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and eleven years at Better Books Christian Center in Tyler, Texas, as product buyer/manager for the children’s department, and eventually as director of human resources.She has conducted numerous educational seminars on children’s books at CBA Conventions in the U.S. and Canada, served a preliminary judge for the Gold Medallion Book Awards of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association , and worked as an independent product/marketing consultant to the CBA market.
Since her first novel, Tested by Fire, debuted in 2001 as a CBA national bestseller, she's added thirteen more titles to her credit, including another bestseller, All Things Hidden.
Kathy's husband Paul is her best friend and most ardent supporter and manages the LifeWay Christian Store in Tyler, Texas. They have three grown children, five adorable grandkids, a cat named Samantha—and an ongoing fascination with hummingbirds. They also enjoy world travel, deep sea fishing, stargazing, and bird watching and sometimes incorporate all these hobbies into one big adventure.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Brill Jessup just became the first female police chief in Sophie Trace, Tennessee, and is riding on the credentials of a stellar eighteen-year career on the Memphis police force. She may be a pro at finding clues, but she tends to ignore the obvious in her personal life. And she would rather work than deal with the bitterness she feels about her husband Kurt's infidelity. Kurt, is weighed down by her unrelenting anger as he struggles to let God redeem the stupidest mistake he ever made. He is genuinely contrite and making every effort to show his commitment to Brill. But she hides behind her badge and her bitterness, deciding that moving her family away from Memphis is the only change she needs to make. So why can't Brill get over this anger?Before she ever has time to unpack her boxes, people start disappearing. Lots of them. Seven people in seven days To complicate matters, a local legend has many residents believing that the cause is unearthly─tied to the “red shadows,” or spirits of the departed Cherokee who once inhabited the land.
While Brill draws on all of her experience and instinct to solve the case, she must confront an enemy that threatens everything she holds dear─one that cannot be stopped with a badge and a gun. She is forced to confront the real enemy.
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Real Enemy, go HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment