My Review: I struggled to write this review because I don’t like giving a negative review. The author was on the police force for 22 years and has credibility in what she writes. Catching Heat has 4 1/2 stars on Amazon, so many people seem to enjoy it. I struggled with it, part of that may be because it’s the third book in a series and I haven’t read the first two. I had trouble following the many characters and story lines.
Here are some of my thoughts:
- The writing wasn’t tight
Page 262 reads: “She wondered if he was going to take her to the governor’s house in Naples area. But he didn’t exit the freeway until he got to the airport off-ramp. He didn’t go to the terminal parking; he went around to the private plane portion of the airport. The area was gated, he stopped to enter the proper code and the gate swung open. He parked next to the hangar and got out.”
Tight writing: As he exited the freeway towards the airport, I realized we weren’t going to the governor’s house.
- Writing show not tell
Page 289 “They took the elevator to the third floor. Once they got off, the woman led them to a small room off the waiting area. Two more agents were in the room. One was on the phone, while the other was clicking through TV news stations with the sound muted.”
Show: Arriving on the third floor two agents were waiting for them in a small room off the waiting area. Looking up from his phone the agent looked relieved they had arrived.
- It was written in third person. This is a preference, but after just finishing a book written in first person I wished this one had been as well.
- It’s a Christian Book – I wished Christianity had been woven more through the book. It felt like there were a few references to church or a prayer here or there. Page 350 “The church service was even better today than a week ago when Abby went by herself. She was so glad to have Woody and Luke in church next to her, especially Woody.”
I would recommend this book to: a teen, or someone who enjoys police action and is looking for a light read.
Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
As an author, I appreciated your examples straight from the book that you considered weak areas. I think the author would too. Please, more reviews like this one! Would you consider showing strong quotes too? If you rated the book highly?
Thank you for the feedback – it helps me know how to shape my reviews. I thought long about this review, my hat off to the author who is a long-time police officer. I also thought about how I would like to receive criticism when my turn comes to have book reviews written about my books. Ohhh…strong writing, now that’s something I get excited about! I give 5 stars reviews very sparingly because, in my mind, you have to have a strong book, strong writing and it needs to be a book I will read again. So the author has to nail what she is saying, how she says it and how I perceive it. That’s a tall order! Next time I find that gem, I’ll be sure to include strong quotes.