The Lies Have It just got a super review by Bill Selnes on Mysteries and More . My first two books were also reviewed by Bill on his site, and those reviews were favourable as well. So, I am thumping my chest a bit (hee hee).
Besides doing a little happy dance, the reason I am writing about the review by Selnes is that - for all the books he reviews, not just mine - he gives specifics and details and examples and substance (But don't worry: he never gives away endings or spoilers).
I've had many positive reviews for all three Sasha Jackson books, but in some cases, the review doesn't offer much in terms of WHY. It's all well and good to know what a critic thought of a given work, but it's more interesting (and to me it's very helpful) to also know why a reviewer liked or didn't like something, whether it be a plot line or a character or what have you. I try to repeat the things that work, and to avoid in future the stuff that rubs people the wrong way.
Another reviewer who does what Bill does is Amy Steele of Entertainment Realm. Full disclosure: Amy has also reviewed all three Sasha books favourably. I regularly read Steele's reviews, and often pass them along to others. She often writes about books I've never heard of, and she does not focus exclusively on mystery fiction, but because of the detail Amy includes, she piques my interest quite a bit. (Steele also writes about music and movies and all things in the entertainment realm).
So there you go: reviews with substance and specifics matter to me as both a reader and a writer.
You've hit the nail on the head as to why I rarely write reviews. This is what I love in a review, and they're much harder to write than they seem :-)
ReplyDeleteI think now I've reviewed a few books-- it is really hard to review- I don't want to sound mean-- or overly joyful- or anything.
ReplyDeleteI certainly don't want to spoil the ending or sound long winded-- but this post was hugely helpful- I think I should go back and add a few more things i enjoyed about your books.
We mortals find it hard to get deeper than "I liked it!" in reviews... We want to be more helpful though.
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