Welcome to Thursday, Scribe friends. Suze here. I don’t often write book reviews, and I’ll tell you why. Since I started writing my own novels, I don’t have as much time to read as I used to, and I don’t enjoy reading as much either. Sad, but true.
See, now that I know about things like story structure, and character development, and voice, and point of view, I automatically apply that knowledge to whatever else I’m reading. Used to be, I either liked a book, or
I didn’t. It was that simple. Now, it’s been a while since a book really grabbed me, and I’m just not going to leave a bad review for anybody, no matter how strongly I feel about the book. And I do have my opinions! I’m happy to report, though, that Tess Gerritsen’s latest, THE SILENT GIRL, is a grabber. I couldn’t put it down. My only criticism of this book? Too short. I didn’t want it to end.
I’ve been a big fan of Tess ever since I heard her speak a couple of years ago. Since then, I’ve read most of her work, and I think she’s one of the very, very few huge-name authors out there whose work is actually getting better as her series progresses. One of the ways she keeps the Rizzoli and Isles books fresh is by featuring two protagonists. In one book, Maura Isles, the medical examiner, has the main storyline. In the next, Jane Rizzoli, the Boston cop, takes the lead. Along the way, their paths cross, and the reader never gets tired of either character. Personally, I think it’s brilliant.
In THE SILENT GIRL, we meet another unforgettable woman in Iris Fang, a middle-aged, sword-wielding martial arts expert bent on finding out the truth about her daughter’s disappearance. Add in an ancient Chinese legend about The Monkey King, a possibly supernatural killing in Boston’s Chinatown, a decades-old murder-suicide, the involvement of the Irish Mob, and some tough and dangerous police work by homicide detective and mom Jane Rizzoli, and I guarantee you are going to love this book.
So what’s your Scribes Secret today? You want to learn how to craft a darn-near perfect plot? You want to learn how to write darn-near perfect dialogue? You want to learn how to pace your story? You want to learn how to write characters that stay with you long after you close the book, and leave you longing for more? Then you want to read THE SILENT GIRL.
Tell us: What authors out there are doing it right? Who inspires you to be a better writer and how?
Writing Secrets of 7 Scribes 