THE HAPPY REVIEWER – The Missing Element: Part Two

By L.J. RobertsRoberts

Remember the show "What Not to Wear"?  Speaking only for myself, these are the elements which, as a reviewer, make me less than happy and will often cause me to lower the rating given on a review. In my previous list, I intentionally left out Element 8:  Pitfalls, in Part One, on Friday's blog post,  which would fall under being a cliff hanger/portent.  Here it is.

8.  Pitfalls –This is probably the area of greatest controversy, and one about which I feel most strongly. 

Prologues can work as long as they are directly related to the plot and are not something lifted out from the middle of the story and inserted at the beginning as a substitute for a solid hook.  There have even been instances where so doing completely spoils the suspense which should have come later.  However, seldom has there been a book where the prologue could not have been done without. 

Cliff hangers/portents are almost always completely unnecessary and, in a sense, insulting to the reader.  It’s the sign of an author who doesn’t trust their plot, so they feel they need to push their audience along; i.e., “Then we found the body.”  Well, of course you did.  It’s a murder mystery. 

If one reads a story, leaving out every portent, it becomes clear how unnecessary they are. The plot-thread cliff hanger at end of a book is something else entirely.  Life doesn’t have neat stops and starts.  Nor need do books.  Readers want to know what will happen in the future, so carrying on a plot thread does work to keep a reader interested in a series, but it’s not enough on its own.

Flashbacks and multi-POVs can work and be very effective.  But care must be taken that the transitions are clear, and their use enhances the plot.  Flashbacks, particularly, can feel as if it’s filler, if not used well and done with purpose.

Twists and coincidences can be fine when done well and not overused.  The best ones are those one doesn’t see coming but feels should have been.  They can provide that “wow” moment.  However, a story which relies on twists and/or coincidences almost becomes comical and the impact is lost.

Speaking only for myself, my favorites are those books where the actual story starts on page one and continues straight through to the very end.  However, “It is purely my opinion.

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LJ Roberts was born with a book in my hands.  She is a reader and reviewer of mysteries; a compulsive hooker--the crochet kind, not the street kind--and one who never leaves home without her camera. Her reviews are seen by over 13,000 people/review, including a monthly email list of 500 subscribers. In 1993, she became the coordinator of the East Bay Mystery Readers' Group. LJ started reviewing formally in 2004, spent three years evaluating manuscripts for Poisoned Pen Press, and was a paid reviewer for The Strand Magazine. In 2010, she started my review site "It is purely my opinion," and is a Top 1% Reviewer with over 1,300 followers on Goodreads athttp://www.goodreads.com/user/show/250195, as well as in the print magazine Mystery Readers Journal, and on numerous online sites.

THE HAPPY REVIEWER – The Nine Elements: Part One

By L.J. Roberts

It took many years and steps before I considered myself a professional reviewer, and that was only after a period of being a paid reviewer for a major mystery magazine.  Over time, I have developed a list of elements I use, albeit not literally, as a guideline when reading books for review.  These elements are so engrained in my Virgo brain, that I’m very aware of them as I read, make notes and write my reviews.    

1.  Hook – The sink or swim moment.  The opening needs to grab and compel one to keep reading. 

2.  Setting/Descriptions/Sense of Time and Place – Does the author create a true sense of where and when the story takes place, and make the reader feel as though they are with the characters; part of the story.

3.  Characters/Character Development – Whether hero or anti-hero, principal or secondary, the characters should seem real. Even a villain can engender some sense of empathy.  Characters need to be distinct. On page 200, we should remember who they are as easily as when we first met them.

4.  Dialogue – It should flow easily and seem natural, reflecting the characters’ personality and situation, including social, economics, education, and nationality.  It's also a good way to inject humor.

5.  Plot – If the plot doesn’t work, the book doesn’t work.  Is it believable/ interesting. Is it without holes or require one to make assumptions.  Avoiding clichéd themes is good; i.e., serial killers, the disappeared/kidnapped woman, the child in jeopardy, but even those can work if the story is strong.  Most of all, the plot must make sense and make the reader care what happens.

6. Voice – Cadence, Flow, Style – An author’s voice is so important.  It needs to be genuine and natural.  Some authors truly make you feel as though they, personally, are telling you a story, and that’s great.  Even without that, having an even flow to the story is desirable.  Having humor, unforced, unexpected, often wry, is memorable and engaging.  But if that isn’t part of the author’s voice, it shouldn’t be forced as readers will know it.

7. Originality – This may be the hardest one.  It’s not necessarily a matter of finding a topic or a character never before seen, but more of presenting an idea in an original way.  Still, while this is an important element, it’s one which bears the least weight.

8.  Pitfalls – That's a separate topic to come later in Part Two on August 20, 2018.

9. Overall Quality of Writing – This is the summary of all the parts.  It’s the final impression. It is where the author, with a minimum of devices, draws the reader into the story on page one and refuses to let go until that final page.  It’s where you close the book and, if all the elements work, you may think “Wow!”.  This is the one that determines whether you’d would read more books by this author.  Even more importantly, this is the element that determines whether you’d recommend the book/author to others. 

There you are.  Every reviewer has their own style, of course, yet the most important thing to me is that I give fellow readers an honest opinion.  But in the end, “It is purely my opinion.”  Part Two will run on August 20, 2018 on a book’s Missing Element.

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LJ Roberts was born with a book in my hands.  She is a reader and reviewer of mysteries; a compulsive hooker--the crochet kind, not the street kind--and one who never leaves home without her camera. Her reviews are seen by over 13,000 people/review, including a monthly email list of 500 subscribers. In 1993, she became the coordinator of the East Bay Mystery Readers' Group. LJ started reviewing formally in 2004, spent three years evaluating manuscripts for Poisoned Pen Press, and was a paid reviewer for The Strand Magazine. In 2010, she started my review site "It is purely my opinion," and is a Top 1% Reviewer with over 1,300 followers on Goodreads athttp://www.goodreads.com/user/show/250195, as well as in the print magazine Mystery Readers Journal, and on numerous online sites.