Mystery / Thriller
Plot/Idea: On the one hand, this novel takes the reader on a wild, genre-blending ride, while the layering of genre and plot (mystery/ supernatural and quest/crime novel) muddies the main thread of the novel.
Prose: The prose is clear and enjoyable, with classic noir influences.
Originality: This novel integrates a number of recognizable tropes as it introduces ancient relics, supernatural agency, and Nazi foes.
Character Development/Execution: Richter's War is highly inventive and great fun. However, with its blend of high adventure and a character drawn from hardboiled detective fiction, the novel sometimes verges on caricature.
Plot/Idea: Moore's novel is a slow burn that gradually builds the central tension within the story. He incorporates a generous amount of religious views into the plotline that provide obvious clues to the reader as to how each point of conflict would be solved.
Prose: Moore's prose is clear and concise. Although it sometimes lacks imagery and creativity in vocabulary, it is straightforward in leading one scene to the next.
Originality: Moore successfully uses the standard format of creating a mystery while interweaving faith and religion as the unique driving elements behind both the conflict and the resolution.
Character Development/Execution: The story holds three main protagonists, but only one of them is given ample effort in physical description and emotional development. The other two are treated like supporting characters, even though they are central to the mystery.
Plot/Idea: Murder in Santa Barbara boasts an ambitious plot with multiple characters and subplots – a thriller that is almost overwhelmed by its escalating events. Much of the story’s conflict could use more set-up and comes across as somewhat implausible, and the ending—although intriguing—is tied together a touch too neatly.
Prose: Ferraro’s prose is generally engaging, though it is also weakened by a degree of forced and awkward humor. Many scenes are brightened by the author’s playful style, but a number of the tense events come across as overdone.
Originality: Murder in Santa Barbara is a classically staged legal whodunit with an appealing narrative. Ferraro’s lighthearted banter between characters lends some distinction to the text, but it also overpowers the narrative in many instances.
Character Development/Execution: Ferraro incorporates a multitude of characters of varying degrees of importance and connection to the primary events. The main players would benefit from better-developed backstories.
Plot/Idea: Rose's Avalina is a story of a young woman seeking revenge, only to have her plans thwarted by love. Not quite a romance, the story blends mysticism into a modern-day thriller that keeps readers intrigued from the beginning to the end.
Prose: Rose writes in a straightforward manner that keeps the story moving forward quickly. While a bit more attention to detail would add a bit more texture to the story, he is able to still narrate well each sequence of events.
Originality: If I Know What You Did Last Summer, Pretty Little Liars, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch were placed in a blender, the result would resemble Manuel Rose's Avalina. The main original element that deviates from these possible inspirations is using the COVID pandemic as a present-day timeframe.
Character Development/Execution: While the overall story flows well, more attention could be given to the description of supporting characters. Characters often come off as stereotypical in their roles, requiring more complexity and depth.
