Saturday, October 15, 2016

A Review of ISIDIOUS, by Catherine Coulter



INSIDIOUS

By

Catherine Coulter





Insidious runs two parallel plots. One is about a serial killer in LA who targets starlets. The other takes place in D. C. when a wealthy woman who is a family friend of Savich is poisoned, and every member of her immediate family becomes a suspect. The plot of the latter is so clichéd that we've all read something similar over and over again, beginning with Agatha Christie. I found myself skipping through those sections to get to the other plot, which was more interesting.
Overall, the book was disappointing. Coulter’s books should be described as romantic suspense since nearly everyone in the story ends up connected with someone else or is already in an idyllic relationship.
Coulter’s fans are loyal, and she definitely has a huge market following, based on how frequently her books hit the top ten on the NYT bestseller list. Insidious, however, drew a lot of unhappy reviews from her fans.

What authors can learn from Insidious:

1.    Be true to your genre. Don’t describe your book as something it is not.
2.    A dash of romance is enjoyable to most readers. If your book is not advertised as romance/thriller or romantic suspense, then keep it to a minimum.
3.    If you’re going to use a plot that’s been used a LOT, be sure you have a creative twist to it. You may not be accused of plagiarism but you will bore your readers to death with a hackneyed plot.


Dear Readers,
I hope you are enjoying a lovely autumn. Here in the upper Midwest we are having warmer-than-normal weather and mostly sunny days. Make time for reading, and remember to leave a review for every book that you read, even if you didn’t enjoy it. Authors appreciate each review!
Till next time,
Marla
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