Believing the Lie review

Before I jump into my reactions to Elizabeth George's latest mystery (which comes out Friday!)  here's what's coming up:

On Friday and Saturday, stop by for an interview with the awe-tabulous Tawdra Kandle, a debut author who's epublishing her book, Fearless. We'll talk about her journey, her story and she'll be giving away one free full MS critique to a lucky random commentor. You won't want to miss!

On Monday, I'll write a short post on some exciting news. (For me, anyway. :)

Believing the Lie blurb: Twenty-five years after George wrote her first Inspector Lynley novel  (and 16 novels later) she brings another installment in the Lynley saga:
Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he's sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man's uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning, and nothing on the surface indicates otherwise. But when Lynley enlists the help of his friends Simon and Deborah St. James, the trio's digging soon reveals that the Fairclough clan is awash in secrets, lies, and motives.
         Deborah's investigation of the prime suspect-Bernard's prodigal son Nicholas, a recovering drug addict-leads her to Nicholas's wife, a woman with whom she feels a kinship, a woman as fiercely protective as she is beautiful. Lynley and Simon delve for information from the rest of the family, including the victim's bitter ex-wife and the man he left her for, and Bernard himself. As the investigation escalates, the Fairclough family's veneer cracks, with deception and self-delusion threatening to destroy everyone from the Fairclough patriarch to Tim, the troubled son Ian left behind.

What I liked loved: One of the reasons I love George's writing is the way she develops her characters. There are no cardboard cut-outs, no cliches or straightforward individuals in her books. Everyone is as layered as an artichoke, with defense mechanisms, hang-ups and hurts carefully concealed. These stories are definitely character driven and the plot only serves as a stick of dynamite to all the cords of deception, selfishness and desires of everyone involved. In this case, the plot is a murder-that-may-not-be. Lynley and his friends' digging uncovers a lot more than a possible conspiracy, and the reasons/reactions to this are when George peels back those layers to reveal all facets of her characters' psyches. While they're rooting around in Cumbria, Lynley's faithful work partner Barbara Havers is tasked with helping Lynley at the same time her neighbor - for whom her crush is buried so deep, I'm not sure Barbara even realizes her feelings for him - is having a family melt-down. The book ends not with Lynley, who has taken yet another step in the grieving process for his late wife, but with Barbara and her reaction to her neighbor's stress. If the clue is correct, George's next novel will take a huge detour into Barbara's virtually nonexistent personal life. (Yay!)

What I didn't like:  In my opinion, some of the sub-plots were weak, especially the one involving Zed Benjamin, the Jewish tabloid reporter sent to dig up dirt on the Fairclough family prior to Lynley's involvement. In one scene, Zed resorts to using a hotel computer to type up his story because he doesn't have his laptop. !!!!! Seriously, this would not happen, especially not for a reporter on assignment. There are also a few issues with character choices, particularly one that seemed contrived to give that story thread the right amount of pathos.

Recommended: Yes! Although if you haven't read George's work before, I suggested starting with any of her earlier work (This Body of Death, for instance) before diving into this one.  If you enjoy cerebral mysteries, you won't be disappointed.

Best. Week. Ever.

I've been looking forward to this next week for MONTHS (okay, actually years. Five years and nine months to be exact) because three things happen. 1. My youngest goes to kindergarten. *dancing a jig while clacking castinets in one hand and swigging plastic cup of sparkly grape juice in the other* Words cannot convey my utter, complete, delirious sense of relief on that one but I'll sum up: he's a bonus baby. In every sense of the word. *sniff*

2. The WriteOnCon 2011 conference starts tomorrow. My so-far fav offering is the Ninja Agents forum, where we can all post our query letters and dozens of agents will randomly drop by and critique or request after reading. Seriously. Fabulous. There are a ton of other offerings - and a great recipe to quiet feed your starving kidlets while you are carrying around your laptop in a baby sling so you don't miss any virtual excitement. Be sure to sign up for the forums ahead of time. (Also follow them on Twitter bc that's where they're posting updates.) See you there!!

On Wednesday, I'm reviewing Little Princes: One man's promise to bring home the lost children of Nepal. Yes, this is a departure from my usual YA but this book literally brought me to my knees. All I can say about this one is a string of hyphenated words: life-checking, jaw-dropping, tear-inducing, attitude-changing. You. Must. Read.

Friday, I'm hoping the lovely Taryn of Teen Eyes, a teen critique service for all us

oldsters writing YA, will join me for a scintillating interview dissecting her life choices. Sounds fun, no? She's currently critiquing my WIP (because I won a FREE critique! ME! The eternal loser-of-all-contests!) and I can't wait to read how her comments line up with my other CPs.

Which brings me to the last reason I'm so excited about this week. I've been waiting to hear back from various CPs on Saving Andromeda and they're trickling in with all kinds of helpful comments and encouragement. I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to recapture my excitement about this MS since I've moved on to another creation but no! I LOVE this story. I want to dive into its world. That's a good sign...right?

So what are your tips for staying jazzed about your tattered, crying-out-for-revision MS? YA Muses has an awesome list I've been using but I'd love to hear your tips!

Critique winner, upcoming posts and bling

Thanks to all of you who commented and entered Becky's drawing for a free, ten page critique. The totally random winner is:

Larissa!!

I know Becky will have fabulous advice!

The week ahead will be tres exciting (snuck a little high school French in there as I am wont to do in times of high excitement) because 1. on Wednesday, I am reviewing Libba Bray's Beauty Queens, which is so funny my throat is sore from snorting, 2. aspiring author Lisa Regan talks with me Friday about how she snagged her agent AND 3....wait for it...

Lisa's agent, Jeanie Pantelakis of Sullivan Maxx Literary Agency is sponsoring a 50-word Hook for Your Book contest!!!
*minor hyperventilation followed by chocolate intake*
This is for finished manuscripts only, in the mystery and thriller genres.
The contest begins this Friday so you have several days to get your editing groove on and buff up/spin down your hook to 50 soul-snagging words. When it's so shiny you need sunglasses to read it, head over to Lisa's blog and toss it into the comments. She'll have more details there. In her interview here, Lisa will share insider information tips on catching Jeanie's interest, or at least what worked for her. Be sure to check the Sullivan Maxx site as well, accessed by clicking on Jeanie's name. Contest deadline is August 19.

Thanks to Marcie for nominating me for the Liebster (aka newbie blogger) award. She's got an incredible tale of perseverance and pluck she's turning into a memoir. I can't wait to see it on the shelves!

Per the award guidelines, here are my nominees:

JJ DeBendicitis, aka Query Goblin. Check out her interview in this very blog and then go submit your query to her. She's a Mistress of Query Art.

Tracy Jorgenson, who is hosting a stupendously creative contest on her blog where she films a scene from your book! *blinking in awe* SOOO cool, words fail me.

Rebecca Hamilton who offers free editing on a regular basis on her blog, Free Editing for Writers (just so you get the drift right away). She's also very close to getting her MS published in a nontraditional way. Check out her author blog - linked from the site above - to read her story but I'll sum it up on one word: fearless.

The wondrous Taryn Albright
who puts my (former) 18 year-old self to shame. This girl writes, edits and blogs like a maniac. If I'd had an ounce of her gumption when I was her age, I'd be the freakin' president. Seriously. She's generous with her critiques so if you need a teen eye to assess your stuff, ask her. She works cheap. For now.

Hereafter review

I picked up Hereafter by Tara Hudson a few days ago because a) the cover was awesome (I'm shallow like that) and b) it's about ghosts. There's a wee ghostie in my MS and I've started reading other YA to see how authors treat them. It took me about four hours to read the whole thing.

Blurb: Can there truly be love after death?
Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live.
Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.
Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.


What I liked: The debut author did a great job with her first three chapters. Her cliffhanger at the end of ch. 1 was a super hook. She's nailed her audience by focusing all about the boy because this MC's main drive in her afterlife is to connect with another human. And later, to avoid the baddie.

What I didn't like: At times the writing drags, then speeds up unpredictably. There were a few anachronisms within the ghost context: why couldn't the MC float through walls, etc.? Why does gravity still work on her? Obviously, my idea of how ghosts work is different from Ms. Hudson's, which is part of the fun of supernatural fiction.

In the end: There are still a lot of unanswered questions at the conclusion, which made me think the author is setting up for a sequel. Examining my reaction to this pointed out the fine line between leaving loose-ends and frustrating a reader. It's difficult to do, especially for a debut author and in my case, I was left more with frustration than can't-wait-for-the-sequel taste in my mouth.

But if you've read it and have a different opinion, do share!