Customer Reviews

The Dead Detective (Sam and Vera Sloan Mystery Series, Book 2)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Having met Robert Wise, I had high hopes for this novel when I started it. Unfortunately, after less than one chapter I realized that those hopes were ill-founded. "The Dead Detective" lacks all of the things that make novels readable -- interesting characters, snappy dialogue, believable plotlines. Instead, we are given one-dimensional characters, cliche-driven dialogue and a plot which simply never makes sense.

I will quantify all of this by saying that, if you have loved every novel in the "Left Behind" series, you might really like Mr. Wise's novels. If, however, you are looking Christian literature on the level of Frank Peretti, Randy Alcorn or Ted Dekker, you should look elsewhere. In the world of Christian fiction, there are many great choices. This simply isn't one of them.

I enjoyed the first novel in this series, but the second I didn't really care for... I actually didn't finish reading the book. I read the first few chapters and skimmed the rest of the book just so I could read the ending. I didn't find it all that exciting and finding out that Sam wasn't dead in the first few chapters kinda took the suspense right out of it. As I said I liked the first book, but I don't think I will read the third.

I am an avid mystery reader.The best part of the book was the cover art. The mystery is why this was even published...thin plot, flat characters and way too much dogma. The dogma is the message...the book is just a cover for it. If one is a mystery writer, great...but to put the rest of that mush in the plot is just not fair. When reading a mystery, the religion and preaching of the writer should be kept out. If this is just a thinly discuised religious tract..it should be so titled. Very disappointed.

I only read this book because my teenager exclaimed over what a great book it was. That is the only positive thing there is to say about it. It was full of cardboard characters, weak plot, and implausible situations. For instance, Vera Sloan is informed that her husband has died. She is faced with an uncertain future and financial hardship. So what does she do? Why, get a makeover and shop for brand new clothes of course! Then she somehow gets a job as a private detective, even though the only thing she does is try to find the husband she decided is not really dead. Just because it's Christian fiction does not make it good fiction. Skip this bore.

I've read Mr. Wise's publishing credits, and I'm simply amazed. This is the first of his works that I've read, and one of the two most poorly written books I've ever read. I keep the other one to remind me how bad you can be and still get published. I forced myself to finish it just to see how he was going to do it. Mr. Wise seems to have done his research on late night TV or at B-for-bad movies. The plot is predictable and ho-hum, the dialogue is stilted and the characters and action are totally unrealistic. Don't waste your time.

The Dead Detective: A Sam & Vera Sloan Mystery by Robert L. Wise is a darkly engaging mystery in which the widow of detective Sam Sloan must learn who is responsible for the death of her beloved husband. Shadowy intrigue, cross-purpose motives, and an underground conflict of international proportions culminate in a deadly battle between good and evil, in this exciting saga. Also highly recommended is Robert Wise's previous Sam Sloan mystery, The Empty Coffin...