I'm an avid reader. I (Rob) love mysteries and I've read a number of authors. Recently I tried out two authors, one of which is famous and has written mysteries since the 1970s. I recently read a book of hers from 1973. Another is a writer of
mysteries with gay characters, whose book I read came out in 1994. I decided to give these two authors a try, since they've had a number of books out and appear to be successful. I stopped reading each of them around page 40. Here's why:
WHEN DO I STOP READING? - If I'm not hooked, or interested in any of the characters by page 40, I'll generally stop reading. That was the case with BOTH of these books.
WHY NOT MENTION THE TITLES OR AUTHORS? I won't mention the book titles or mention their names because everyone has their own preferences. These just didn't work for me. I guess I refrain from identifying them because I received one bad review on my first book (since retired) and it really, really bothered me. I think if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything about someone's art/work on-line. You can tell people you know though. We're all entitled to our opinions.
WHAT TURNED ME OFF ABOUT THEM? 1) The mystery written by the female author irritated me from the start. The main character was a female art historian, who loved herself, thought she was too good to marry, and talked about her nice figure again and again. By page 40, there was not even a word about the mystery. 2) The mystery written by the man about 2 gay men trying to solve the mystery of a dead roomate of one of the characters seemed an interesting premise. But, when they find the dead guy in the apartment of one of them, and the murderers (apparently there are several) come back and chase them down the fire stairs and into a sewer system for 40 PAGES, I couldn't read it anymore.
NOTE ABOUT CHAPTER LENGTH - As an avid reader, one thing I like is SHORT chapters. I'm reading another mystery, which I'm really enjoying, but the chapters are quite long and can be broken into shorter chapters. I think it gives me a sense of accomplishment when I can read a short chapter and grasp something that happened quickly.
