John Rector (1)

Broken by John Rector is a mystery about twin sisters Maggie and Lilly James whose relationship had fallen apart due to Lilly’s love interest, Mike. Maggie had unsuccessfully tried to convince Lilly that being abused by Mike was not acceptable and that she should leave him. A few years later, Maggie is notified that Lilly has been murdered and she needs to go to Beaumont Cove to identify her twin’s body. Mike has been arrested for murder and is in jail and maintains that he is innocent. Maggie realizes that all is not as it seems and begins investigating on her own with the help of a local private investigator. This is the first John Rector novel I have had the pleasure to read but I hope to read more. This mystery has troubled, interesting characters and a great plot. Highly recommended. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)

I had mixed feelings about this book. I’d never read anything by John Rector before, but the premise sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, for me, the book fails to live up to the premise.

By a third of the way through the book, I made a long note on my kindle. Here it is, only slightly edited:

"So far, nothing here is unusual for this genre. Dead woman, seen in flashbacks. Predator/creepy-stalky guy’s POV. Troubled past for both characters. Abusive husband. Angry sister. Not feeling much emotional attachment to anyone here. I can already see what’s going to happen and has already happened in the murky past. I’ve already figured out the big twist already. Everything else is predictable.

"John Rector is an experienced writer–as evidenced by the clean, crisp writing style and list of award-winning titles–so presumably he already knows all the clichés of the suspense genre. Surely he knows what he’s doing here isn’t unusual. So why is an experienced author choosing such predictability in his novel? If he’s making a statement about what the suspense genre has become, that’s fine. Artistic license, all that.

"But even a parody still needs to work as a story and I don’t feel like this story has enough depth to work. The characterization is rather shallow. The plot is predictable. Is it a parody of the suspense genre itself? (It’s now standard practice to have a “big twist” and unreliable narrators, for example.) But a parody would need to draw in more of the genre’s wacky elements and push them to an extreme. That’s not happening here. So I have to assume that the book is intended to be serious.

"The guy can definitely write. But the story doesn’t feel fully realized as a “fictional dream.” It’s on the shorter side, so there is plenty of room for more depth. But it’s not there.”

I finished the book, but the rest of it confirmed my early impressions. Something was missing from this story. If you’re an avid reader of suspense novels, the plot won’t hold any real surprises. It’s unfortunate, because a writer of Rector’s skill and experience could’ve produced a truly original story from this premise. But that didn’t happen.

Still, I’m giving this three stars. Why? Because John Rector flat-out knows how to write. He has a terrific way with words, and it’s refreshing to read prose that doesn’t make me wonder where the editor was. He’s good at creating a desolate tone that reflects the desolate nature of this town. I would definitely read another book by him.

Note: I received a complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.… (meer)

A retelling of the rather common story of rather desperate couple comes across suitcase of money in sketchy circumstances and makes increasingly poor decisions attempting to hang onto their newfound wealth which has come with baggage attached.

Whilst it doesn't add anything new to a pretty common story line for the genre, it is a pretty entertaining retelling of such. The book is an easy and fast read at a mere 273 pages.

If there's one thing I took from the story it's that it is not advisable to make deals with religiously fanatic meth addicts, oh, and also take advice from locals when they give you road directions.

Whilst I wouldn't say its worth seeking, out if you do come across it, it's not a bad way to spend a couple of hours relaxing.… (meer)