reptition repitition

The Gate House by Nelson DeMille

Rating: 2 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: This is the most repetitive book I've ever read. Not only does it repeat the entire plot of The Gold Coast, but every single point is made over and over again. And over and over and over. To top it all off, the writing is beyond trite. I'm sure it's very difficult to edit a book by such a prominent author, but if ever a book needed a rigorous editing, this book is it. And unfortunately, no matter how interested I might have been in finding out what happened to the characters of The Gold Coast (admittedly, not very much), the lack of editing, not to mention the ridiculously convenient ending, made me care even less.

very subtle

The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: This is a very subtle book. Told in the first person, DeMille's protagonist draws conclusions from what looks at first like very little evidence, but explanations later in the book always had me nodding my head and agreeing that it all makes perfect sense when you put it that way. In the hands of a less-skilled author, I would have found this very technique very annoying, but DeMille made it all work very well. I was very impressed.

Add to that overall good writing, including a narrator who tells his story in a very likable chatty voice (even if said narrator isn't himself always a likable character), a really interesting take on the Mafia, and a story that has some interesting twists and turns, and it all comes out to quite a good book.