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68 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed Feelings About This One, August 13, 2010
This review is from: Infamous (Mass Market Paperback)
I'm going to begin with a couple of observations about Suzanne Brockmann with the full realization that anybody who is unfamiliar with her body of work will probably have not a single clue what I'm talking about. If this is you, go ahead and give me an unhelpful vote right now and go pick yourself up a copy of The Unsung Hero. Start there and read away. You can come back to Infamous in a month or so - once you've read her most famous series.
For the rest - in a genre that is rife with generic cookie cutter writing, Suzanne Brockmann is a sparkling gem of originality and for that I love her. I may not always love her writing, I may not always love her books, but I absolutely adore her willingness to take a risk and be original. This book Infamous, it is original. That plus her rock solid history is going to prevent me from totally trashing the novel.
Now for the bad part. Suzanne Brockmann is a passionate woman of opinions which are frequently reflected in her writing. Loudly, blatantly and unashamedly. That is a fact that I totally respect and even enjoy, because if a writer isn't passionate about her work, how can a reader ever be?
My problem with this novel is that when the two points made above, the originality and the passion, go crashing into each other they can very often create a mess. And that is pretty much where this book Infamous leaves the reader - in a befuddled confused mess where the discord of Ms. Brockmann's passionate social beliefs and agenda overwhelm the story she is trying to tell. Really. Paranormal Cowboy Movie Romance with a Murder Plot, Alcoholism, Gay Rights, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Native American Mysticism, Homelessness, Remarriage After Spousal Death, Gulf War Vets, Fathers Who Murder Sons for Undisclosed Reasons and a Sister Who Got Married As A Teen Because the Love Of Her Life Was Critically Ill.
Whew.
If only we could have spent a couple of pages exploring corporate greed and that oil spill in the Gulf, but I'm guessing this book went to print before that ever happened. Okay I've headed into sarcasm so I'll try to say it more nicely. Not everything belongs in every book and in the end the STORY should trump the author's agenda. If it doesn't enhance the story, then it should be saved for the book where it does fit. And on that major rule, this book is a Fail with a capital F A I and L. FAIL.
So the good part? Underneath all that clutter there really is the makings of a pretty nice novel here. And it's a novel we all haven't already read hundreds of times before. There's a nontraditional heroine, a nontraditional hero and a pretty sweet story of how love, honor, respect and trust can bind a family through the generations. If you can keep your mind on the story, ignore a couple of nonsensical huge plot holes, dropped storylines, and shaky characterization of the major players - you might even enjoy it. I'm going with 3 stars with a major nod to the author's past history and thanks that I didn't pay hardback prices for this.
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77 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not Worth The Time, July 28, 2010
This review is from: Infamous (Mass Market Paperback)
I have been a fan of Ms Brockmann's since Prince Joe was a Harelquin and I have enjoyed most everything she has written, but this is by far her weakest effort to date.
The plot can be reviewed above so I won't bother to repeat it.
I am getting fed up with Ms Brockmann's views of the world making their way into her books. I understand that a good way to change people's minds is to gently show an alternate view point, but enough is enough.
1) In this book we are told over and over WAR IS BAD. I am an Army wife and I can understand this point of view, but it seems to me that an author who has made a career out of warriors that this is asking to alienate her core audience.
2) Gay men love and lose and are JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. I happen to agree, but Ms Brockmann enough is enough. How about gay women? It would have been refreshing to see a relationship with two women (though I know she is the mother of a gay son and has more knowledge in that arena).
3) Alcoholism is a DISEASE and no one is to blame since it is genetics. Again, I am in agreement with Ms Brockmann, but get off the soap box.
I could go on, but it seems to me that Ms Brockmann chose to air her views and then wrote a plot around them.
Characters are pretty flat, not much effort put into them. Alison is a professor, tall and had a rough childhood. AJ is a war vet with a troubled past due to the Army mistreating Soldiers and allies. Gramps is a plot device that is not consistent (he died in 1977, but uses today's slang and has the hang of technology (unless it is better for the story he does not). AJ's family is even more stereotypical--there only to be a contrast.
The paranormal did not work for me. Not Tom (friend) who helped AJ but "wasn't really there". Not Gramps. Not any of it. If one wants to read a book with the paranormal in it, try Linda Howard's "Dream Man" (psychic), "Son of the Morning" (time travel) or "Killing Time" (time travel"). Or try Jayne Ann Krent's "Arcane Series" (too many to list here).
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Enough preaching already, September 16, 2010
This review is from: Infamous (Mass Market Paperback)
I was so looking forward to reading this book--I love most of Suzanne Brockmann's earlier books and was so excited to see a new one on the shelf. I have read and reread several of her books, but I just could not get through this one.
First of all, the back summary is totally misleading when I read "unable to ignore ghosts from the past" I assumed it was talking about people from his past or issues from his past, not an actual ghost that he has as a sidekick. The ghost's popping back and forth got very annoying very quickly.
Secondly, Ms. Brockmann does not seem able to seemlessly insert her political opinions into her writing. So much of her preaching comes out of the blue and doesn't feel like part of the character, but purely the author's way of getting on her soapbox. And she covers the same ground over and over again--we get it you're against secondhand smoke, we get it you are pro-gay and all that that entails, you are pro-ACLU and against off-shore drilling, WE GET IT! Since the author's son has "come out" her books have been VERY HEAVY on the progay mantra--gay marriage, gay is not a choice, gay romance--she goes so far overboard it's like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Finally, even the writing in the book is subpar and the dialogue, at which Brockmann usually excels, is plodding and simple. The characters are not particularly likable. Unlike some of the author's previous work I did not become at all attached to these characters--they seemed very one dimensional. I'm the type to always finish a book even if it's not that great, but after getting nearly halfway through I just asked myself if I really wanted to waste the time and my answer was NO!
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