12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read if you have ever tried to publish a book, February 1, 2011
Rejection tells the story of Lou Drake, a washed up NYC cop and former detective who was disgraced because of a failed case that he thought he had nailed -- until everyone involved started singing a different tune. Now Drake is putting in time, waiting for retirement. He is also writing novels in his spare time, something he has always wanted to do. Drake's life is turned upside down when a serial killer strikes again and again in the borough served by his precinct, and the detectives of the day have no leads. All of the victims are ineffective literary agents, so Drake gets pulled in because of his knowledge of the publishing industry. What follows is a roller coaster ride of unexpected turns as Matthews takes us on a tour of the challenges facing today's would-be authors ... a tour taken from a startling point of view. The result is a unique look at some of the moral ambiguities underpinning the the publishing game, with an enjoyable twist at the end. I truly enjoyed reading this book. And given that it discusses books and publishing, it seems a natural for book clubs.
This quote from Christopher Reich seems to say it all: "REJECTION is a gem. Smart, snappy, hard-edged and fast-paced, it had me guessing to the end. A truly enjoyable ride!" - Christopher Reich, New York Time best selling author of Rules Of Vengeance.
As a sidenote, you might also look into ANCIENT ANGER, also by Thomas K. Matthews, and also with a surprise twist at the end that made me grin and nod with satisfaction.
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33 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Fool Me Once, Shame on You, December 22, 2011
I downloaded Rejection for my e-book reader on the basis of a Facebook friendship, several ecstatic reviews that now seem highly suspect, a bias toward new writers, and a love of the detective/mystery genre.
This is the first time I've been upset by a carelessly edited, poorly written, badly researched, clichéd novel. My disappointment wouldn't have been so deep if I hadn't just finished Pete Hamill's Tabloid City and Dennis Lehane's The Given Day. In contrast, both are richly textured, almost literary works whose focal point is crime. Rejection is a potboiler.
The saddest sticking point is that Matthews has given us "Malcolm," an invented borough of New York City. Please! NYC has five distinctive boroughs, and none of them are 19th century hamlets. New York has a Delancey St., but none spelled without the final "e". (Check your city guide, Mr. Matthews.) And for a police writer to refer to "Dunkin' Doughnuts" is unforgiveable (as much a calumny as having overweight African-American women cops reaching orgasm over doughnuts). The lack of editing goes right on through a major character named Smythe being referred to as Smyth.
It's dangerous to try describing a place you don't know. For example, "Avenue of the Americas [New Yorkers call it Sixth Avenue] stretches out like the movie set of a quintessential New York landscape. Here [sic] business and commerce embrace the swirling lifestyle of the printed word. The place is lousy with magazines, book publishers and high rent offices, all connected by text messages, phone lines and power emails that jump from one side of the concrete canyon to the others." Aside from the geographic invention, I defy anyone to make sense of this paragraph.
Similarly, the dialogue is as wooden as a nickel found on a Bowery bum.
I think Matthews has never met a punctuation rule he didn't ignore. It's common to find commas missing after an interjection, periods missing in sentences, and often entire words missing in a simple declarative sentence. My proofreader would have characterized this work as a "dog's breakfast." Jerry Shapiro, the publisher, says it on p. 330, "I've looked at some of these [POD] books and the covers look good, but inside is a nightmare of bad writing, misspelled words and poor editing. It makes the heart weep."
Somehow, the entire strength of this mystery lies in the fact that literary agents are being murdered in gratuitous venal ways. (No spoiler alert, but the case is resolved 50 pages from the ending.) Is this a case of Matthews transferring his own professional problems onto his stock characters? If this is the situation, there should be a "Predators and Editors" Web site warning agents against amateur writers who self-publish.
The rejection of this book lies not only in the title. As Shapiro the publisher says, "It makes my heart weep."
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, entertaining mystery, January 29, 2012
This review is from: Rejection: A Lou Drake Mystery (Kindle Edition)
I really enjoyed this book. I think the author could have left out some of the foul language, but other than that it made for a nice read. I like seeing right come out on top and people vindicated. I love the twist at the end and look forward to reading more by this author
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