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A review by billymac1962
Dead Man's Song by Jonathan Maberry
2.0
I was very excited about this series when I had finished Ghost Road Blues.
Now, after finishing Dead Man's Song, I couldn't care less.
I was very impressed with Maberry's work in the first novel. A perfect mix of descriptive prose and dialogue which made it a very fun read. But there were a few issues I had with Dead Man's Song that bothered me so much that it completely turned me off the series.
Now, before you read any further, be warned that some of what I am going to write will spoil a bit from the first novel.
First and foremost, Val and Crow.
So, Val loves her Dad. Dad gets killed by Ruger. Not two days later, the dialogue and exchanges between Van and Crow inexplicably has such a lighthearted and teasing tone that it was barely tolerable.
Daddy's been murdered, history looks to be repeating itself with more
horrific murders to come, Pine Deep is going to Hell in a handcart, but, "We're ENGAGED!!, We're GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!, She's my FIANCEE!!! I just can't wait to tell EVERYONE I see!!!"
To quote Oliver Reed's character from Burnt Offerings, "Life sure as hell goes on, doesn't it Marion?"
I'm sorry, I really found it nauseating.
So this kind of thing was happening a lot, and my eyerolling was making me dizzy. Yet I persevered despite this, and several typos and misprints (like taking the foot off the gas and the car starts to roll forward).
Yes, I stuck with it. Until this:
So, Crow just finishes telling a reporter that he believes in ghosts. A few pages later, his distraught best friend Terry confides in him that he has been visited by the ghost of his dead sister. Crow suggests he see a psychiatrist.
That did it. I skimmed the last 200 pages and I'm done with it all.
I won't give it one star, because he does have a great story idea going here, so I'll give it two.
Now, after finishing Dead Man's Song, I couldn't care less.
I was very impressed with Maberry's work in the first novel. A perfect mix of descriptive prose and dialogue which made it a very fun read. But there were a few issues I had with Dead Man's Song that bothered me so much that it completely turned me off the series.
Now, before you read any further, be warned that some of what I am going to write will spoil a bit from the first novel.
First and foremost, Val and Crow.
So, Val loves her Dad. Dad gets killed by Ruger. Not two days later, the dialogue and exchanges between Van and Crow inexplicably has such a lighthearted and teasing tone that it was barely tolerable.
Daddy's been murdered, history looks to be repeating itself with more
horrific murders to come, Pine Deep is going to Hell in a handcart, but, "We're ENGAGED!!, We're GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!, She's my FIANCEE!!! I just can't wait to tell EVERYONE I see!!!"
To quote Oliver Reed's character from Burnt Offerings, "Life sure as hell goes on, doesn't it Marion?"
I'm sorry, I really found it nauseating.
So this kind of thing was happening a lot, and my eyerolling was making me dizzy. Yet I persevered despite this, and several typos and misprints (like taking the foot off the gas and the car starts to roll forward).
Yes, I stuck with it. Until this:
So, Crow just finishes telling a reporter that he believes in ghosts. A few pages later, his distraught best friend Terry confides in him that he has been visited by the ghost of his dead sister. Crow suggests he see a psychiatrist.
That did it. I skimmed the last 200 pages and I'm done with it all.
I won't give it one star, because he does have a great story idea going here, so I'll give it two.