5 comments about Margin of Error.

1. I was very disappointed in this book. I felt that certain scenes dragged which left me bored and turning pages without reading them. The chemistry between Lance and Britt could have been more explosive. There was something always exploding or catching fire in this book, too bad it wasn't them. And then, when a relationship between them is finally established, in the end they part and go their separate ways. I really felt cheated. This was my first taste of Edna Buchanan's work and if her other books are like this one, it'll be my last. Read it and decide for yourself.



2. Truly the author has tied up all the necessary components in this novel set in a Miami that is beautifully diagrammed. Britt, a crime reporter, has her back up most the time but slides into a more human role about halfway into the book. The story weaves through the setting, crimes and a movie in a starkly lovely way, meeting some pretty weird folks. A bit different, but a good tight story. I listened to the unabridged audio, and thought the reader was well suited to the Britt character and did an admirable job on voice changes as well.



3. I listen to audio books while doing housework. I found this one to be different and interesting. Which is hard to find when you read as much as I do. The ending was totally predictable, but it was still a fun, easy read. I'm glad they didn't end up together, it would have never worked and made the story more realistic that way. Go for MacDonald, Britt!!!



4. The dialogue was clumsy, the premise was extremely farfetched and I too found it disappointing.



5. Brett Montero awakens to the smell of gunpowder, the residue of memory of a horrible night. She knows following her beat and writing her stories is the best therapy for recovery from the past, but somehow her subconscious will not listen.
   Her beloved Miami is slowly recovering from the devastating effects of a hurricane. To garner the exotic a real movie star is about the begin an action film, the first shot in the city since the storm.
   Miami has two sides, the playground and the underworld where danger lurks around every corner, it isn't a place for the unwary.
   Nash Black author whose books are now available on Amazon Kindle.
   Writing as a Small BusinessHaints
   Join Britt as both she and her city get back on track.

No comments about Act of Betrayal.

5 comments about You Only Die Twice.

1. This book has one of the worst endings I've ever read. It was my first Edna Buchanan book & after a few chapters I intended to read her other books. After reading the ending I won' be doing that! I finished this book with the impression that the author was either having a bad day when she was writing the ending or her editor insisted on the "surprise." The author does a great job develping the characters throughout the book and then has two of them, her current husband & her son, behave in a manner that is compledtely counter to the personalities she has created. I have given the book two stars because it was a great read until the final chapters.



2. Nicely plotted. I was a Florida news reporter and Edna Buchanan's fictionalization of it rings true. She has a nice light touch with her characters.
   
   Protagonist Britt Montero sounds like a younger version of Buchanan herself. She works with Miami Beach detective Emery Rychek to identify a woman whose body washes up on the beach one morning - and then, having done so, to solve the greater mystery of how it turns out to have been a woman dead for 10 years, whose husband, the rich-jerk scion of a wealthy family, awaits execution on Flordia's death row for her murder. Montero digs in to the case and keeps working it when no one else is interested. The truth twists and turns as it unfolds; Montero slowly pieces together a bizarre story.
   
   Buchanan plots it well. She handles Miami more realistically and less satirically than does Carl Hiaasen, but they draw a picture of the same pulsating, unstable milieu.



3. R.J. Jordan sits on death row for killing his wife, Kaithlin Jordan when her nude corpse washes up on a Miami beach twelve years later.
   Britt Montero goes hunting into the high profile case that had no body when the wealthy husband was convicted of her murder.
   Why did a woman reinvent herself, remain in the area, and watch from them shadows as her husband was convicted for a crime that never happened? But paramount to Britt is who did drown her a dozen years later?
   Mystery, suspense, and excitement as Britt fights for her life against a killer and finds truths that are best left untold.
   Nash Black, author whose titles are available on Kindle editions.
   HaintsWriting as a Small Business



4. Just like all of Buchanan's books, they are incredibly detailed. You learn so much about Miami, law enforcement, the press. Her characters are fantastically developed but you are always in for a sad ending. I had to stop reading her books because they always left me down. She's that good a writer.



5. THE SETUP
   Miami News crime reporter Britt Montero investigates the death of a naked woman found in the surf on Miami Beach. She is eventually identified as Kaithlin Jordon, the wife of R.J. Jordon, the worthless scion of the Jordon Department Store chain. Nine years earlier, R.J. was charged, convicted, and sent to death row, for Kaithlin's murder. Obviously, when her body shows up, freshly dead, R.J. is released from prison. That's the setup. The rest of the novel unravels why she disappeared, why she returned, and who murdered her.
   
   COMMENTS
   "You Only Die Twice" is a well-constructed, well-paced, mystery novel with plenty of twists. Not only do "facts" develop, but presumed motives also morph into different motives. As Britt becomes personally involved, the suspense rises.
   
   While there is significant development of several female characters, I found them only mildly interesting. The most interesting relationship is that between Britt and her mother, NOT a theme which can raise much interest for male readers---no matter how well done.
   
   Even more-so than Buchanan's earlier novels, "You Only Die Twice" is a "girly" novel. By that, I mean that all significant relationships are female-female, and the tone of the novel is hostile toward the male sex. Yes, Britt has male friends---but the relationships at best are shallow.
   
   Most of the male characters are loathsome--R.J. particularly. Even so, I find it inconceivable that Kaithlin could hate him so thoroughly as to let him be executed for her faked death. And we the readers are supposed to commiserate with her and admire her, a devoted mother with small children? Not me. Okay, I know that the female psyche is capable of such unbelievable depths of pure evil---but for guys like me, that's just scary. Hell hath no fury.... Even scarier is that most female readers will not judge Kaithlin as evil---that just gives me the screaming jeebies.
   
   For those new to Edna Buchanan, nearly every Buchanan novel is better than the last one. She eventually gets over whatever turned her against men, and the novels get better. I suggest starting with the most recent novel and working your way backwards, perhaps stopping before getting to "You Only Die Twice".
   
   Note that the Jordon department store reference is to "Jordon Marsh" which once was a superb department store chain in South Florida, but now is only history.
   
   Unfortunately, the solution is "a rabbit pulled out of the hat". The characters involved suddenly change character 180 degrees. And moreover the ending is a downer, i.e., unsatisfying. Both of those are poor story telling techniques and with a star deducted for each.
   
   THE VERDICT
   While technically a well constructed mystery novel (except for the ending), this is NOT one that I'll put back on the shelf to re-read in a few years. I rate it as 3 stars from a guy's point of veiw, probably 4 stars for women readers.

No comments about Garden of Evil.

No comments about Love Kills.

No comments about Legally Dead.

5 comments about Suitable for Framing.

1. This book was fantastic - you did NOT know what to expect! It really got you into the storyline- I didn't want to put the book down - really great!



2. Constructed much like a police procedural, Suitable For Framing is the third outing for Britt Montero, ace crime reporter for the Miami Herald, oops, Miami News. As the book opens, Montero is pursuing the story of a trio of teenage car-jackers terrorizing the city by shooting drivers of late-model luxury cars gratuitously in the knee and dropping them by the side of the road. The cars then vanish.

   That night it becomes more personal when Montero herself witnesses a car-jacking that goes wrong - resulting in the killing of a baby and the maiming of its mother. Persistent as a hound on the scent, Montero tracks down one of the carjackers and discovers he's a salvageable homeless kid with a crack-addicted mother. But under Florida law, all those present at a crime resulting in murder are guilty of murder.

   Meanwhile Montero finds time to pause and help a rookie colleague - a would-be reporter stuck in the paper's library, go-getter Trish Tierney. With Montero's help Trish soon lands a general assignment job in the newsroom and quickly shows herself to be smart, grateful and a good cook to boot.

   And crime doesn't stop just because Montero's hot on a trail. Body parts are found in a downtown demolition site, a child disappears, a sinkhole swallows traffic. And Montero misses a major story - the biggest political scandal in years - scooped by Trish.

   Soon Trish is hogging more and more of Montero's limelight and the veteran reporter's suspicions sound like petty jealousy. As the story lines converge on a startling climax, Montero finds herself in danger of losing more than her job.

   Buchanan keeps up a breakneck pace, as Montero exploits police sources, goes along on chases, tracks leads into Miami's seamiest neighborhoods and delivers plenty of steamy Miami atmosphere. A top-notch thriller.




3. The beginning of this book was a bit of a disappointment. Britt befriends someone you know she shouldn't, and you just feel like shaking her. After all, Britt is a savvy gal, it's hard to believe she didn't sense what we instantly know. Once you get past that initial hiccup, though, this book really takes off. The subplots all tie together nicely and the plot suddenly but realistically goes off in a direction I never could have predicted. It's also nice to see old law-and-order Britt become a bit more sympathetic to the plight of the accused. This lends texture to her character.



4. This is the type of book that wants me to round up all the other ones in the series to see what else is going on in Miami. This book has everything: humor, a dark side, romance, betrayal, friends and enemies, car chases, shoot outs, and touching scenes of friendship and bravery. I doubt that the Miami Chamber of Commerce would approve of this book, as it would certainly scare me from the thought of heading to that city which seems to have a large criminal element. However I enjoyed the book while sitting on the sidelines safe at home. I will certainly be looking for more books from this author.



5. Edna Buchanan is an excellant writer. I have read many of her books and would recommend her books to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

No comments about Margin of Error (The Britt Montero series).

No comments about SHADOWS.

5 comments about Cold Case Squad.

1. First, I enjoyed the Cold Case Squad. But, it's a little choppy juggling back and forth between 2 major cases. Either one would have been a good story. Character development also seems to suffer from the demands of the 2 plots. Still, the book is good and the series has a lot of potential.



2. I'm a big Edna Buchanan fan, and have never understood why her Britt Montero books haven't reached the kind of audience that other equally good, but more successful authors have (namely Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich). The woman writes snappy, twisty, evocative crime novels that bring Miami to vibrant life and always keep me guessing. So I was looking forward to "Cold Case Squad," even with Britt Montero nowhere in sight. Unhappily, I have to say that this latest of Buchanan's endeavors is half-baked at best. The cases are certainly interesting enough, and there are some suprises, but halfway through the book, it seems as if Buchanan all but gives up on the narrative. The writing becomes choppy, with some scenes only lasting a small paragraph or two, with the result that the book starts to read like an outline for a screenplay instead of a novel. And stylistically the book is very odd, with half of the scenes involving Detective Burch told in his own voice, and the rest written in the third person. Buchanan may have had a reason for the device, but if so it's not readily apparent. If anything it suggests she didn't have a clear idea of how to tell her story. But, hey, it's always good to have an Edna Buchanan book on the bedside table, even if "Cold Case Squad" left me...well, cold.



3. Cold Case Squad is one of Buchanan's later novels. The "Queen of Crime" writes a suspense novel to feature a special homicide unit that breathes new life into old cases. The prose centers around a man and woman shot dead at a Miami strip club. A few hours later, an explosion in a garage next door to a child's birthday party has left a father of three burned to death. Naturally, at the time, the murder goes unsolved and the fire is chalked up to an accident. Twelve years later, the files are re-activated by detective Sargeant, Craig Burch, who's having marital problems of his own at the time, along with Detective Sam Stone, a guy with a mysterious past, and Detective Pete Nazario, who'd been air-lifted out of Cuba during "Operation Pedro Pan" in the 1960s. And, of course, Lieutenant, K.C. Riley, for whom one case will never grow old. This book is a page-turner that has a great plot with great characters. Don't miss it.



4. Edna Buchanan carries the characters from THE ICE MAIDEN forward to COLD CASE SQUAD. Old deaths that push their way into the present.
   A woman walks into a Miami police station claiming she has been seeing her husband all over town. The problem is he has been dead for twelve years of has he?
   Edan Buchanan has been keeping fans interested in the streets of Miami for a good while. This reader hopes she keeps up the pace.
   Nash Black, author whose books are now available on Amazon Kindle.
   HaintsWriting as a Small Business



5. TEASERS
   Teasers are a loathsome device intended to snare bookstore browsers with up front action. The primary effect of most teasers is to confuse and mislead the readers. Buchanan exacerbates this confusion and misdirection with TWO unnecessary teasers. In the first teaser, a nightclub owner is robbed and killed in his office by "Buddy". In the second teaser, a home garage explodes, across the street from a birthday party.
   
   THE SETUP
   The story begins 12 years later when April Tyrell reports to the Miami Cold Case Squad that her exhusband Charles (the fellow believed to have died in the garage explosion) is "haunting her dreams" and that she sees him, "everywhere". Policewoman Lt Casey Riley orders the squad to investigate, and they soon concentrate on "Natasha", who was Charles' wife at the time, and who has since gone through a series of husbands.
   
   Numerous sidestories go on simultaneously, many of which may be incomprehensible to new readers who have not read earlier novels in the series. Casey is grieving over detective MacDonald, who was recently killed in an explosion. Sargent Craig Birch is having problems with a crazy vindictive wife. Detective Sam Stone, while worrying about his aged grandmother, is pursuing a serial killer of old women.
   
   CAVEATS
   "Cold Case Squad" is a "Britt Montero novel", in which Britt is mentioned only as "the reporter", and no character takes her place as the primary protagonist, or is developed in her absence.
   
   The metaphysical theme of Charles haunting April is unnecessary. I happen to believe in the supernatural, but I do not enjoy the intrusion of the supernatural into rational mystery novels.
   
   No allusion to the first teaser appears until past the half-way point in the novel. And even that is to the effect that a innocent guy was executed for the murders. At about the 4/5 point, the first teaser becomes relevant, but by that time chances are that the reader has forgotten pertinent details.
   
   "Cold Case Squad" contains several dozen named characters, far too many for readers to keep track of. Meaningless factoids, in lieu of any actual character development, are recited for most of the characters, even those who have a single appearance on a single page. One such character's grandfather was a flamenco dance.
   
   Lack of character differentiation (much less character development) is particularly acute for the numerous interchangeable policepersons, in which case irrelevant factoids from earlier novels are recited, such as the fact that one of the detectives was a Pedro Pan kid, and another detective's parents ran a barbeque stand when he was a kid. These facts were relevant in the corresponding earlier novels, but irrelevant in "Cold Case Squad" Of course, most fans of the series will remember the major characters from earlier novels, but that is no excuse for the minimal character development in "Cold Case Squad".
   
   Most of the narration is by the traditional "third person omniscient anonymous narrator". However, very occasionally, and completely unnecessarily, Police Sargent Craig Birch barges in as a first person narrator for a paragraph or two--in first person when referring to himself, although randomly shifting between present and past tense--and in third person when describing others' actions. There is no recognizable transition between Birch's third person narration and when the "anonymous narrator" takes over. Frequently, the reader has no way to know who the narrator is. This is not a trivial matter, it is amateurish writing and abominable editing.
   
   At the end of "Cold Case Squad" Birch reconciles with his his insane vindictive wife. What a freaking doormat! The main character in the similar Buchanan novel "Pulse" does the same thing. I guess Buchanan thinks men should be spineless doormats.
   
   It particularly annoys me that the narrator of the audio-version cannot pronounce many ordinary words correctly. Terrazzo is "ter-raaz-zo" NOT "tear-rat-so. NOAA is "Noah" NOT "No-ha". Charles "Bebe" Rebozo (friend of Richard Nixon) is "Bee-bee", not "bay-bay". The City of Hialeah, is "Hi-a-lee-ah" not Hi-a-lay-ah"
   
   VERDICT
   A good read, but not Buchanan's best