ŷ������

Simone St. James�� first novels were deliciously mysterious. After “The Broken Girls�� giveaways surged internationally, I hoped Simone would maintain what makes her unique. Alas, this was another crime thriller. ‘Paranormal mysteries�� should exude life enduring wonderment.

I love that ��The Sun Down Motel�� is modern, blended with the recent past most of us know, only 35 years ago. I prefer our authors promoting Canada and our language along with it. We call secondary education, meals, and footwear: university, supper, and runners.

We bought �������DzԱ�’s novels new. I am surprised to be giving two stars. This joyous era was forced with disdain rather than rendered with accuracy; outwardly stating how “outdated�� things purportedly were. In 2023, my landline gets me on-line and is a phone that works in a power outage. If the internet doesn’t connect, I need a phonebook! Even though this was ‘horror��, I have never seen the 1980s lack vibrancy before.

There are jerks who look askance at colour but it was not particular to the 1980s. I grew up with black best friends, neighbours, and teachers. I was upset by the push to make this era sound archaic, when a passerby “looked twice at black & white girls talking in a park��. I dropped a third star for spoiling a joyous resolution with a depressing addendum. In fiction, happy endings are possible!

Editing is essential. We heard how wet characters were too often. Simone said the hotel owners were 30 in 1982 and dead in 2017: in their 60s? The year their son was said to be 50? Authors, we love your compelling, compassionate adventures. Please never mind fabricating characters twists, which too often cause you to lose focus on the finer attributes and coherence of your stories. This fresh, original story would have been enough.