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A lot of this review is going to make it look like I didn't like this book. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Criticism is so much easier than praise. The truth is that I absolutely loved this book. I'm looking forward to reading a sequel if it exists.
The following is my criticism for the book. I kept updating this review as I read it and I don't really feel like rewriting it to make it sound like I wrote it after completing the book.
So far, I've made it to page 64. It's a good book with an interesting plot, but there are a few things that are bugging me about Sigler's writing style. First is his constant attempt to make you guess at what or who he is talking about. And it isn't in an interesting way, like with a mystery novel, whodunnit type of thing. No, at the beginning of almost every chapter he gives you two paragraphs about what is happening, but he doesn't tell you who or where it is until halfway down the page. It wouldn't be as bad if he did it once in a while, in an interesting situation to add suspense, but he does it at every opportunity. And if it isn't an opportune spot, he makes it into one.
(after further reading in the book, I realized that this isn't a common thing throughout. It's just at the beginning of the book, and he gets better about it as the story moves along.)
My second complaint at this point is his obsessive product placement. What, did he think his novel was so bad that he tried to add as many brand name products in hopes of getting advertisement revenue?
An example: in chapter 15, when it is describing Perry getting home from work, I had a hard time paying attention to what was happening because of the avalanche of companies mentioned. In one chapter (6 pages) he mentions Newcastle beer, the NFL, ESPN, Ford, Walgreens, Macintosh, Panasonic, Sports Illustrated, NFL, Walgreens, and Band-Aid. And that's just one chapter.
UPDATE:
I've made it another 50 pages into this book, and have a new complaint. This book follows the story of three separate parties which most likely will converge into one by the end of the book. I don't have a problem with that, in fact I think it's better to have more than one flat storyline in a book. But the way Sigler does it bugs me. He literally jumps from one party to another every chapter. Each chapter starts with a different party, and usually picks up exactly where they left off in the last chapter. Is it really that hard to compile a few of the chapters into one, or at least have a couple chapters of the same story in a row?
Also, I'd just like to point out a minor error with the character Perry Dawsey. At the beginning of the book he is wearing a San Fransisco 49ers sweatshirt and gets pissed off when they lose to the Packers. Much later in the book, it mentions that he grabs an Oakland Raiders sweatshirt. Anyone who knows anything about NFL rivalries would know that this is a HUGE no-no.
After finishing this book, I feel that I should just erase everything negative written in this review and replace it with positives, but that's just too much work. I will, however, say that the positives outweigh the negatives by truckloads, and that this book was great. As long as you aren't one of those snobby readers that thinks everything should be perfect, or that a book should be rated based on writing style rather than the actual story, then you will love this book.
The following is my criticism for the book. I kept updating this review as I read it and I don't really feel like rewriting it to make it sound like I wrote it after completing the book.
So far, I've made it to page 64. It's a good book with an interesting plot, but there are a few things that are bugging me about Sigler's writing style. First is his constant attempt to make you guess at what or who he is talking about. And it isn't in an interesting way, like with a mystery novel, whodunnit type of thing. No, at the beginning of almost every chapter he gives you two paragraphs about what is happening, but he doesn't tell you who or where it is until halfway down the page. It wouldn't be as bad if he did it once in a while, in an interesting situation to add suspense, but he does it at every opportunity. And if it isn't an opportune spot, he makes it into one.
(after further reading in the book, I realized that this isn't a common thing throughout. It's just at the beginning of the book, and he gets better about it as the story moves along.)
My second complaint at this point is his obsessive product placement. What, did he think his novel was so bad that he tried to add as many brand name products in hopes of getting advertisement revenue?
An example: in chapter 15, when it is describing Perry getting home from work, I had a hard time paying attention to what was happening because of the avalanche of companies mentioned. In one chapter (6 pages) he mentions Newcastle beer, the NFL, ESPN, Ford, Walgreens, Macintosh, Panasonic, Sports Illustrated, NFL, Walgreens, and Band-Aid. And that's just one chapter.
UPDATE:
I've made it another 50 pages into this book, and have a new complaint. This book follows the story of three separate parties which most likely will converge into one by the end of the book. I don't have a problem with that, in fact I think it's better to have more than one flat storyline in a book. But the way Sigler does it bugs me. He literally jumps from one party to another every chapter. Each chapter starts with a different party, and usually picks up exactly where they left off in the last chapter. Is it really that hard to compile a few of the chapters into one, or at least have a couple chapters of the same story in a row?
Also, I'd just like to point out a minor error with the character Perry Dawsey. At the beginning of the book he is wearing a San Fransisco 49ers sweatshirt and gets pissed off when they lose to the Packers. Much later in the book, it mentions that he grabs an Oakland Raiders sweatshirt. Anyone who knows anything about NFL rivalries would know that this is a HUGE no-no.
After finishing this book, I feel that I should just erase everything negative written in this review and replace it with positives, but that's just too much work. I will, however, say that the positives outweigh the negatives by truckloads, and that this book was great. As long as you aren't one of those snobby readers that thinks everything should be perfect, or that a book should be rated based on writing style rather than the actual story, then you will love this book.