Are Two Heads Better Than One?
More Important to Mystery Readers: Are Two Childs Better Than One?
Does having
two authors create a better book? It's a valid question with Lee Child's
brother, Andrew, becoming a Jack Reacher co-author for The Sentinel, the latest paperback
Jack Reacher novel. James Patterson thinks they're better as a duo in his
review quote on the cover. Some fans don't.
Okay. Many prominent writer's do have formulas for writing their books. I'd even go so far to say those with the most books tend to have more habits/formulas on how they present their story lines. One of my peeves is writers who cut and paste repetitious descriptions of people or places in book after book. It limits the growth of their characters. Maybe I'm just democratic enough to say that even tertiary characters should have a chance to grow.
The Killing Floor, the first book in the Jack Reacher saga, hooked me. I don't have all the books, but I do have two large stacks of paperbacks. So, it's no wonder I grabbed The Sentinel when I saw it. Must say, the Team of Child did reward me with an entertaining read.
Yeah. The voice is different from The Midnight Road, the last Reacher novel I read and reread. While this Reacher doesn't feel mushy, he just isn't the same taciturn guy. He explains himself instead of just wading in to take care of the bad guys. This upset a good segment of the reviews. So Reacher's depicted differently. This is a stylistic thing. I liked it. I also liked the way the timelines of the bad guys and good guys were juxtaposed in the book. All in all, I was entertained enough to "read one more chapter" before taking my blurry eyes to bed.
Just what genre Reacher is still puzzles me. He's high in the rankings of military adventures, but Reacher hasn't been in the military for a long time. In fact, his lack of coping with the computerized-age might make this a historical novel, though he tries to learn how a cell phone works.
Reacher supports my idea of mysteries being a form of fantasy. Can
you imagine someone existing with only an expired passport, cash, toothbrush, and ATM card? Can
you imagine a bank giving him a debit card without an address? More important for reality: Where do you
think the IRS is in all this? The military pension fund?
All in all, the Childs put together a suspenseful novel plucked from current events. If future Reacher novels measure up to The Sentinel, the books will stay on the best seller lists because they are fun. You can find out more about The Sentinel at
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My Writing Rut
I went on vacation, escaping from my covid
confines into the real world with the help of my kids. It was really nice not to have to haul my walker into and out of the car by myself. Also, I'll give a five star review to Santa Fe. We always learn some surprising new thing as we explore the city, including good Greek food. I won't get into the Chili Wars between New Mexico and Colorado.
Also, got the first edit for the first draft of The Last Battle to Save Magic, the prequel to The Pig Wars back. Got my work cut out for me. Didn't get the fact that the characters were ditzie teens [striplings] across. Editor wondered why they weren't acting like they did in the book.
The story is the prequel, the editor wanted me to add to the story line. [Another form became the first chapter.] The first version metastasized into a 70 page novella by the time I finished the first draft. The story line is about the defining moment in Renna's life when her father dies as a result of the magic she and Mariah [of Vengeance] unleash in a battle against their Suthron attackers.
