Tuesday, May 15, 2012

NEHW at Foxboro Craft Fair Saturday

Foxboro Craft Fair
May 19, 2012
9:30-3:00

On the Common
Foxboro, MA 02035
Web site


On Saturday, May 19, 2012, join me and Tracy Carbone, Scott Goudsward, Stacey Longo Harris, K. Allen Wood, David Price, and Rob Watts at the New England Horror Writers' table. 

We'll be enjoying the outdoors at this fundraiser for the Foxboro Jaycees, which is free and open to the public. Current weather predictions are for a sunny day with temperatures in the mid-70s. If you're in the area, stop by. We'll have books for sale, and plenty of smiles for everyone. 

Yes, smiles. Just because we write some terrifying stuff now and then doesn't mean we don't smile!

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Book Review: Deadlocked, by Charlaine Harris

Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12)Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second-to-last book in the Sookie Stackhouse series and many of the Goodreads, Amazon, and Audible reviews are not very glowing.

A common complaint is that there's not enough action and sex, and too much uninteresting detail. (One person complained that Sookie spent so much time cooking that she now knows how to make sweet potato pie.)

Another complaint is that Harris spends too much time on minor characters. Admist chaos, we're learning that characters from the previous books are getting married or having children or working through tough couple times. Some reviewers thought that detracted from the mystery and thriller aspects.

In Harris's defense, one reviewer pointed out that this *is* the penultimate book, and that Harris has a lot of tying up of loose ends.

And that, I think, is the key to reading this book: Harris is tying up loose ends. She's also, as other readers complained, moving certain things in a different direction. To do that, she has to spend a lot of time on things that may seem trivial.

If you're a fan of the series, and you keep in mind that Harris is doing clean-up and setting the stage for the grand finale, you'll appreciate it more than if you're hoping for a sex romp or some of the humor of earlier books.

Johanna Parker's voice work on the Recorded Books audiobook version adeptly conveys the atmosphere of the anticipated end. I've loved listening to her narrate the series and hope she reads the final book.

View all my reviews