I am amazed at the number of Harlan Coban and James Patterson fans out there, at least if the last two novels, which I read this week are any indication.
If I hadn’t been desperate to pass the time, I wouldn’t have even bothered.
4th of July was entertaining enough for a short flight of less than 2 hours duration. The writing was nothing thrilling, but the story kept me awake. It was certainly not something I felt like lugging the rest of the way home and therefore was probably the perfect travel book: read it, toss it, forget it. Probably no more a waste of money that countless movies that we spend money to see and promptly forget.
The Innocent was of less interesting. Compared to Coban, Patterson was a really good writer. I suppose I have read worse. The story was of some interest but the writing really held it back. If I had not been mired in an interminable wait in a doctor’s office, faced with The Innocent or back issues of Parents Magazine, I might have given up. It passed the time. The tale has some interesting complexities, the characters enough development to make them interesting as well. It certainly passed the time.
I miss the writing of Elizabeth George, probably because I just finished With No One As Witness recently. The writing is certainly better, although perhaps some might complain about how she meanders through the irrelevancies of her character’s lives. This one was not as complex as some but still eminently enjoyable. Perhaps if I had not just finished the George, which is more to my taste, I would have enjoyed the other two books more.