Monday, February 22, 2010

Silent Killer by Beverly Barton

Cathy is a witness to the murder of her husband, a town minister, and when another minister is killed in the same fashion only a few months later, Cahty breaks down and admits herself into a mental facility where she spends a lot of time coming to terms. Arriving back in Dunmore, Alabama as a new and improved woman, she meet up with Jack, her highschool sweetheart who has become a deputy in the town. Jack also carries some baggage, and both he and Cahty take small steps towards each other while they rekindle their old love. Pretty soon another clergy man is killed in the same gruesome fashion, and we now know that a serial killer is on the loose, a serial killer preying on clergy men.

The murder-plot is just one of the many plots in this below average thriller by Beverly Barton. An endless array of characters are introduced, making it hard to keep track, even for seasoned readers. Some loose ends, which actually seem very important, are never mentioned again and almost all the main characters are annoying. The writing is mediocre at best, and at first I thought that this was a first novel. At that point I was ready to forgive the bad plot(s) and the mediocre writing. But then I found out that the author has actually penned dozens and dozens of novels, and I must admit that I am not impressed.

There was absolutely nothing new in this story, and I am sure I will never pick up another book by Beverly Barton. It is not the author's fault that I mistakenly thought that this was a mystery when it was more of a romance with a thriller plot added though. Had it only been well written, I wouldn't object that much. As it is now, this one cannot be recommended at all.

7 comments:

Heidenkind said...

That's too bad. I don't think I've read Beverly Barton, but I tend to avoid romantic suspense for just the reasons you didn't like this one!

Julia Phillips Smith said...

'and almost all the main characters are annoying' - LOL!

Søren said...

How very anoying, when a writer doesn't do his/hers best. That's the least one can expect.

caite said...

what a shame..the premise sounds a bit interesting. but bottom line if it is badly written I will be nowhere near it.

DaiGress said...

Just stumbled onto your blog. I suggest the following book for you to read. The author is Portuguese, but there are English translations. Perhaps, you've heard of it:

Blindness
By: Jose Saramago

Brief Description:
A blindness epidemic hits. Without the sense of sight, fear runs loose. Chaos.

Beth F said...

Oh no! I hate that feeling when you're expecting one kind of book and end up with another. Shoot.

bermudaonion said...

I'm not much for romance either, so I'll skip this one.