Mystery / Thriller
Plot: This book is multi-faceted and richly plotted. Few readers will see the surprise twists that arrive at the conclusion, which will keep them captivated until the final page.
Prose/Style: The author’s writing is strong and well organized. His deft touch with authentic dialogue and convincing descriptions sets this book apart.
Originality: The novel's unpredictability will keep readers riveted. Ordinary situations turn into memorable and life-altering events when the author subverts expectations.
Character Development: James’s book is genuinely creative, with unforgettable characters, notably the haunted protagonist. Although there are many different figures and voices introduced throughout, Hall provides them with meticulously-crafted characteristics and quirks that starkly differentiate them from one another.
Plot: The author understands technology and its impact on society. Knight does not shy away from its involvement in business and government as the plot is thick with inventive machinations. The action builds steadily, ultimately leading to a gratifying resolution.
Prose: At times the author resorts to resolving a problem with a trite observance, comment, or outcome. It seems that some of the resolutions are too tidy. Otherwise, the prose is clear and even. The author particularly excels at presenting technology in a manner that is accessible to those who may not be well-versed in the subject.
Originality: The author creates a world of weaponized tech that is both intriguing and plausible.
Character Development: Well-defined and convincing characters throughout allow both the protagonists and villains humanity and depth. The lead is particularly sympathetic as he rapidly becomes embroiled in circumstances far beyond his control.
Plot: The plot here is strong and flows along at an even pac, while the author's extensive research into the subject matter is apparent. Despite the kidnapping of the principle characters, however, the story is simply not particularly engaging. The bones of the story are solid, and the work holds promise with some revamping.
Prose/Style: Kelso is a gifted writer with strong command of prose, dialogue, and description.
Originality: The author has produced a highly original work with a unique, animal-centric focus combined with aspects of a medical thriller.
Character Development: The author opens the story with a rash of details that emerge through the dialogue between Claire and Meera, but most are superficial details that may set the stage for the story but offer little insight into the women, their lives, and what makes them tick. Again, the core of the work here is good. The author needs to flesh the characters out more to make the reader care about these women.
Plot:Yocum presents a believable plot with plenty of twists and turns that will keep readers flipping the pages until they reach a conclusion that ties all of the loose ends together.
Prose/Style:Tightly written, with a smooth flow that keeps readers glued to the page, this is a compelling story by a writer who knows his craft.
Originality:Yocum's story is creative and believable; he takes readers from Perth to New Zealand with a couple of stops in the United States, adding variety and intrigue through the different settings.
Character Development:These characters are authentic and seemingly effortlessly created. The author avoids creating sex-based stereotypes - a temptation many writers would accommodate, especially when dealing with military-based characters.
Plot: Appearing slow-moving at first, the plot is, however, realistically paced. The story is well-plotted; never once does anything seem out of place.
Prose/Style:
Very well written, the prose is immersive, engaging, and emotion-provoking.Originality: Set amidst both a true and a fictitious world, the novel divulges something unique. The premise for the murder, and all the intertwined stories in between, do not seem like an echo of any other mystery/thriller novel readers have encountered before.
Character Development: The author has presented the characters in such a way that readers cannot help but become attached to them and their stories. The characters evolve over the course of the novel to better understand themselves, and deal with their emotions.
Plot:“Foreign Relations” is a fast-paced crime thriller filled with nonstop intrigue and action. Readers will be swept up in a dangerous investigation where nothing is as it seems. Gut-wrenching twists and an emotionally gripping storyline make this book difficult to put down.
Prose/Style:This book is beautifully written. Rebecca Forster's prose is evocative and gripping. Her descriptions and dialogue are captivating and thought provoking. There are a few typos or editing errors here and there, but they don't detract from the story.
Originality:“Foreign Relations” is a fresh and original novel that takes a look at the less glamorous side of Hollywood and LA.
Character Development:The characters in this book are well rounded and multi-dimensional. They feel realistic and genuine, and Forster expertly captures each of their voices and personalities.
Plot: The mix of old-fashioned slum-level criminality and futuristic space technology works well, and Diana is very appealing as she takes her remarkable journey from up, to down, to up again, despite the struggles she faces staying on top.
Prose: Sharp offers crisp, lucid, straightforward writing that keeps the reader turning pages.
Originality: The street urchin of noble birth-meets-interplanetary-adventures isn't a singular concept, but the author offers a fine and engaging rendering of familiar Steampunk tropes.
Character Development: The author provides substantially clever, subtle descriptions of character growth from Diana, Derek, and Tipper.
Plot: This book is a well-written page-turner with a host of compelling characters. When PI Cooper signs on to a missing persons case for a friend, he winds up chasing Russian mobsters dealing in human organs from Ohio to Florida, where a storm makes the final chase even darker.
Prose/Style: Conrath provides a fast-paced detective story that provides an alluring backstory for the protagonist. Solidly engaging dialogue and crisp detail enhance the prose.
Originality: Though the subject of human trafficking is of-the-moment, this is not your typical detective novel. Especially notable is Conrath's capable character development and the novel's haunting focus on Cooper’s missing son--an element that provides additional emotional complexity and dimension.
Character Development: Cooper is a sympathetic lead, but it’s his crazy crew of cohorts that add so much individuality to the story. Particularly strong are Cooper's friends, the mob enforcer and the elder Native American, who provide a welcome sprinkling of humor to an otherwise grim storyline.
Plot: The premise of this tense and multilayered novel is as frightening as it is plausible. Could a Hitler be brought to power again? Are there German citizens harboring a wish to a return to an Aryan society? This novel probes that possibility. Though some chapters are extremely short and an overuse of commas is noted, there are gripping developments throughout, and the conclusion is surprising and ominous.
Prose: The author has a fine grip on his prose, writing with clarity and in a manner power suited to the political thriller genre.
Originality: In its chilling exploration of the coming of a "Fourth Reich," the author displays an authentic grasp on relevant historical context and political machinations. While this premise is not wholly unique, its delivery is highly effective.
Character Development: Both Gerhardt and the American intelligence officer for the CIA, Terry, are realistic and complex. This is especially true with Helios/Terry, who has to travel widely and take many personal risks, without revealing his true identity, to discover what is truly happening to split Germany apart.
Plot: After a drawn-out opening, this thriller picks up the pace and doesn't stop. Mystery readers will enjoy the twists in the plot and the intriguing rogue's gallery of characters.
Prose/Style: Despite occasional expository pauses, the writing in this first-person-narrated novel is generally crisp. Tightening up the action scenes will strengthen the story and keep the plot running along.
Originality: Readers should find this mystery an entertaining blend of noir and psychological thriller tropes.
Character Development: The characters in this thriller, from central figures to peripheral cast members, are well-rounded and interesting.
Plot: Reid writes a very engaging and enjoyable mystery that utilizes the Greek setting and history to its fullest. The mystery is solidly crafted, and the plot moved at a good pace.
Prose/Style: The prose style is simple and enjoyable and doesn’t detract from the story. There are no real creative flourishes here, but that's to be expected given the narrative conventions of the genre.
Originality: There are shades of Dan Brown here with the Christian heretic angle and use of ancient myths and devices at the heart of the mystery, but Reid makes this plot and the world she builds her own.
Character Development: The characters would benefit from more emotional growth and transition here. Sammy Greene is pretty much the same at the end as she was in the beginning, albeit happier.
Plot: The plot of Hasse's story is quite exciting. It's something different, especially with Sebastion's secret power that everyone wants to use, and the memorable events that happen to him throughout the story.
Prose/Style: Hasse does an effective job describing his settings, characters, and plot. His writing style makes for a fun and quick read.
Originality: Hasse's story is original, from exotic locations, demons, and a curse/power that its main character Sebastion possesses.
Character Development: Hasse's characters are well developed and interesting. The main character, nature photographer Sebastion, is likable, as is his girlfriend Amanda. Minor characters like T add more to the story, with his sensible but sometimes jealous personality.
Plot: Though it veers dangerously close to an it-was-all-a-dream conclusion, Schulz's story of a protagonist coping with a crippling psychological disorder maintains its mystery elements while dropping enough clues to justify the "reveal" of the last few pages.
Prose/Style: Uncommon turns of phrase and the novel's European setting add a beguiling patina to the story. The dialogue is unforced; apt descriptions of the physical setting heighten the emotional content.
Originality: That a narrative featuring a young woman with obsessive compulsive disorder is penned by a writer with OCD herself contributes considerable eye-opening authenticity to the novel.
Character Development: The author's ability to craft two nicely differentiated personalities for a singular character is admirable. Other characters, even those who are marginal, are well wrought.
Plot: This is a coming-of-tale written in the form of a heroic fantasy novel and its plot develops on two fronts that Lander keeps well balanced: the battlefield, where the hero, Fel’annár, is earning his reputation as an unparalleled Silvan warrior; and the court of King Thargodén, where intrigues are brewing that could keep Fel’annár from achieving his destiny. The pacing is satisfyingly brisk but, insofar as this is the first book in a series, several subplots are set in motion whose resolution will not be seen until later books in the saga.
Prose: There is nothing particularly memorable about Lander’s prose, but the writing serves the characters well and establishes situations with an economy of style. The dialogue between characters reads authentically for their differing personalities.
Originality: Tales of characters achieving their destinies are at least old as Arthurian legend and common in modern heroic fantasy fiction sagas. While the story Lander tells is familiar, this novel is distinguished by the powers and attributes with which he endows the characters.
Character Development: The characters are this novel’s strongest attribute. Fel’annár, who at first is scorned as the half-breed child of a Silvan elf mother and an Alpine elf father, earns the reader’s sympathy for his admirable efforts to prove his mettle in battle, regardless of lineage. Equally sympathetic and more complex is his half-brother Handir, who is charged with protecting Fel’annár and keeping him in the dark about his secret heritage.
Plot: Burkart crafts a compelling, far-reaching novel concerning diplomatic world relations, military intelligence, and modern warfare. The author deftly explores notions of loyalty to country and ethical technology.
Prose/Style: The prose is crisp and descriptive, with unexpected details and phrasings. Substantial, realistically rendered dialogue carries the narrative forward.
Originality: This book is original in many aspects--notably, its focus on a North Korean woman who is a computer genius in a country that doesn't respect women. The story raises compelling questions about the world political climate and sacrifices made in the name of world peace.
Character Development: Many of the characters are strong and clearly developed. As they are completing clandestine work, they do not always disclose their individual personalities, remaining closely guarded. The most successfully developed are SunHee Nham and John Darque, both conflicted and complex, while also just and idealistic.
Plot: When a graduate student studying archaeology discovers a human bone, a murder investigation--and a romance--ensues. Rhode delivers a light mystery with an archaeological spin.
Prose: Rhode's prose is solid, effective, and inviting. Elegant and smooth narrative pacing allow readers to become fully immersed in the mystery and the budding romantic connection between the protagonists.
Originality: The pairing up of a detective and an intrepid graduate student who knows her way around an excavation site, brings a quality of freshness to the mystery.
Character Development: The central characters share undeniable chemistry. Rhode's capable, quick witted heroine is one readers will hope to hear more from in future books.
