The Empty Coffin A Sam And Vera Sloan Mystery

Rating:
Summary: I wanted to like this, but...
Review: I love husband and wife detective stories, so I eagerly picked up "The Empty coffin." However, my hopes were soon dashed. Vera Sloan is portrayed as a bored housewife who decides to help her marriage by becoming her policeman husband's detecting partner. From this unrealistic beginning, the plot proceeds. When the story centers on Sam Sloan and the police department, it's enjoyable. But Vera is such a nagging, temper-tantrum throwing shrew that I found it hard to keep in sight that she did have a point about her husband working far too much. Add a precocious child who spouts wisdom far beyond her years to the mix and I found myself gritting my teeth. I don't know how long it has been since the author has been around small children, but the dialogue wasn't at all realistic for a child.
As I said, I wanted to like this story... but I just couldn't.

Rating:
Summary: I wanted to like this, but...
Review: I love husband and wife detective stories, so I eagerly picked up "The Empty coffin." However, my hopes were soon dashed. Vera Sloan is portrayed as a bored housewife who decides to help her marriage by becoming her policeman husband's detecting partner. From this unrealistic beginning, the plot proceeds. When the story centers on Sam Sloan and the police department, it's enjoyable. But Vera is such a nagging, temper-tantrum throwing shrew that I found it hard to keep in sight that she did have a point about her husband working far too much. Add a precocious child who spouts wisdom far beyond her years to the mix and I found myself gritting my teeth. I don't know how long it has been since the author has been around small children, but the dialogue wasn't at all realistic for a child.
As I said, I wanted to like this story... but I just couldn't.

Rating:
Summary: AN EMPTY NOVEL
Review: While admiring Bishop Robert L. Wise for approaching the mystery genre via the Christian faith, one still can't forgive Wise for bringing us a rather dull and empty book. THE EMPTY COFFIN sets the stage for an interesting murder, but it gets sidetracked so many ways, including Raymond Bench's accidental murder? of a liquor store manager. Add Vera Sloan's incessant nagging, whining and seemingly a lack of understanding of her husband's job and you have a novel that goes nowhere fast.
Sam Sloan's interrogation of Ape is so redundant, it seems like Wise is simply padding. Sloan's daughter comes across as a miscreant Pollyanna. You know who the killer is so fast that there's little suspense in getting him to admit it. Slow, with some ghastly editorial errors, THE EMPTY COFFIN is the first in a new series. Hopefully, Wise will get wise and start thinking about his reader's interests---mystery. The Christian element is fine, but just write more interesting works.