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BOOK REVIEWS: Craft-focused reviews and analysis from our editorial staff on popular titles—geared toward writers.

Reviewing BLUE MOON by Lee Child Considering what works and what could work better in Jack Reacher # 24

[by Ross Browne]

Author’s note: As a reader, I’m a loyal fan of the Jack Reacher series, awaiting each release with rabid anticipation. As a professional editor, I’m a longtime admirer of what Lee Child does well and, at times, a constructive critic of what I believe he could do better. I write about Lee Child often […]

By |2024-01-06T22:42:02+00:00|Book Reviews|Comments Off on Reviewing BLUE MOON by Lee Child Considering what works and what could work better in Jack Reacher # 24
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Reviewing SUDDEN PREY by John Sandford Considering characterization and its impact on story in a bestselling crime series

[by Ross Browne]

Anyone familiar with my taste in books probably knows how much I love John Sandford and admire his skills as a writer. One reason I like his Lucas Davenport series so much is that these deftly plotted novels usually go deep into the minds of deranged killers in seriously […]

By |2024-01-19T23:23:47+00:00|Book Reviews|Comments Off on Reviewing SUDDEN PREY by John Sandford Considering characterization and its impact on story in a bestselling crime series
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Reviewing CASINO ROYALE, by Ian Fleming: A Most Pleasant Surprise Considering thriller craft and the delights of the unexpected in the first James Bond novel

[by Ross Browne]

Up until last week, one notable blind spot in my reading life was Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. I loved the movies of the Sean Connery and Roger Moore era but, unimpressed by a later book in the series (written by one of four authors who took the helm after Fleming […]

By |2025-02-11T21:18:47+00:00|Book Reviews|Comments Off on Reviewing CASINO ROYALE, by Ian Fleming: A Most Pleasant Surprise Considering thriller craft and the delights of the unexpected in the first James Bond novel
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Reviewing A GAME OF THRONES by George R.R. Martin A “first 50” review

[by Shannon Roberts]

George R.R.Martin’s A Game of Thrones turns 20 this month! In honor of twenty years in print, and a hugely successful twenty years at that, here’s a breakdown of the first 50 pages of the book that started it all.

Aside from the prologue, the first 50 pages of ‘A Game of Thrones’ […]

By |2024-01-07T00:17:06+00:00|Book Reviews|Comments Off on Reviewing A GAME OF THRONES by George R.R. Martin A “first 50” review
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Reviewing CAREER OF EVIL by Robert Galbraith A reflection on J.K. Rowling's talent as a mystery writer

“When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman’s severed leg. Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible–and Strike knows that any one of them is […]

By |2024-01-06T22:08:33+00:00|Book Reviews|Comments Off on Reviewing CAREER OF EVIL by Robert Galbraith A reflection on J.K. Rowling's talent as a mystery writer
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Reviewing HOSTILE WITNESS by Rebecca Forster A reminder of why characterization still matters in mystery suspense

“When sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton is arrested for the murder of her stepgrandfather, the chief justice of the California Supreme court, her distraught mother turns to her old college roommate, Josie Baylor-Bates, for help. Josie, once a hot-shot criminal defense attorney, left the fast track behind for a small practice in Hermosa Beach, California. But Hannah […]

By |2024-01-06T22:27:02+00:00|Book Reviews|Comments Off on Reviewing HOSTILE WITNESS by Rebecca Forster A reminder of why characterization still matters in mystery suspense
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