Nobody Lives Forever

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as her other work
Review: As a big fan of Edna Buchanan's, I eagerly picked up this book and dove in. About a third of the way in, I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen and, despite that, I was dismayed at the ending. I felt rather gypped, because the main "hero" never had a chance at happiness. The three things that he cared about in this world met a grisley demise! And also, I think no one who loves another could be so dense, but that's just my opinion. But on a good note, Buchanan accurately portrays the South Florida night. If you're a big fan of hers, read it. If not, go to one of the better novels.

Rating:
Summary: Nobody Lives Forever
Review: Really a disappointing book. I had heard Edna Buchanan had some good mysteries, so searched for the first one she published. The characters were all unbelievable - from the homicide detective who takes home a crazy speeding driver because he is so attracted to her to the goofy parents who let the dangerously deranged woman be out on her own "hoping" she will get better. When the kitten was put in the garbage disposal, I knew I should put this book down. However, I continued on in order to see what Buchanan was all about. Terrible ending - every single main character meets a horrible disgusting demise. - I am debating whether to try one of her later books. With so many excellent mystery writers around, I am not sure I will bother.

Rating:
Summary: Good thriller
Review: Yeah, as I was saying, a good thriller but a average one at that. Buchanan's prose is very much like that of a cheap romance author's, but that in itself brings about a few good things (and some bad ones too). The Good and the Bad:- Buchanan's debut novel is well written. I mean that it is very simple and straightforward, no need to re-read passages and flip back to the front to really 'get' the meaning. Some parts ARE a little too flowy and quick to qualify for a 'true-detective-novel'. Detail, sometimes, is king as evident in other great books out there. Anyway, the plot is quite good although very ... umm, very IMMATURE. Buchanan shouldn't have made it so evident so near the beginning of her novel that Laurel had problems and that she was a little 'off the top'. It was fun while it lasted but when I got to 1/4 of the book, I was already screaming out the murderer's name(s). There are too many sex scenes. Okay, I know, I should be accustomed to this already (and actually I AM - my collection of J.Collins is quite pristine!), but I feel that as a detective-cum-thriller book, they made her book seem like something out of a Mills and Boon speciality shop. Read the book if you want something light and easy.