The other day, in discussing author Stephen Lawhead, I referred (jokingly) to my seething envy of his success in a field where I also write.
Yet I am indeed capable of resenting other author’s success. Specifically, when I see that they’re “Amazon bestselling authors,” and observe, in reading their work, that they can’t, in fact, write.
Key West Dead, by Mark Nolan, is part of a series of novels starring Jake Wolfe, a California private eye. A veteran and a PTSD sufferer, he works with his dog Casey, who both calms him and, thanks to his experience as a bomb dog, alerts him to guns and explosives – which turns out to be valuable in this story.
Jake and Casey are in Key West for a wedding when they witness the explosion of a yacht causing the murder of two innocent people, by means of an IED. Infuriated by the crime, Jake, with the support of his partner Terrell and his girlfriend Sarah, embarks on a personal game of wits with the obsessive bomber, whose original purpose was to extort money from the island government but is now at war with Jake and Casey as well.
What did I dislike about Key West Dead? First of all, the author doesn’t know how to write dialogue. His characters all speak the same way, in stilted, lecturing fashion, delivering information dumps in classic “as you know” form. The narrative passages are no better – descriptions and events are described in the most rote and pedestrian ways. For instance:
As Jake listened to Bart’s cultured voice and his articulate, well-spoken reasoning, he was reminded that the man had graduated from Harvard Law School.
This is first-draft writing, with zero effort exerted for vivid impression or original observation. However, people seem to buy these books and to rate them highly, so maybe I’m the fool for trying to be a wordsmith in my own work. There is plenty of action here; often implausible – again and again we see danger approaching, but Jake – warned in time by Casey’s priceless nose – always draws on his resourcefulness to prevent (or minimize) loss of life.
The dog may be the key. Casey is nice dog. Even I liked him.
But I don’t recommend Key West Dead. Unless you’re looking for a beach read that makes no demands whatever on your thinking brain.
I should probably mention that there are a couple positive references to the Second Amendment. So there’s that.