The joy (or, sigh, the bane) of existence for an author is the discovery of a book review of his or her latest novel. The moment you spot that review your stomach tightens, your face winces. You take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and then cautiously, nervously, you read the opening sentence. Is it a positive review? Or, well, uh, not so positive?
Beginning with Publishers Weekly, the reviews start appearing shortly before the publication date and are mostly done by the third month after your new novel is in the bookstores and on Amazon. But what about a review that you discover on the 10th anniversary of the publication year of your book? Yes, ten years later.
I received a tip that Feathered Quill Reviews had indeed published such a review of my Rachel Gold mystery novel Face Value (Poisoned Pen Press 2014). The novel had been a fun one to write, featuring Stanley Plotkin, the law firm’s nerdy and eccentric mailroom clerk, a genius afflicted with Asperger’s Syndrome who nevertheless becomes Rachel’s invaluable assistant in resolving a suspicious death originally ruled a suicide.
Nervously, I went to the website of that well-regarded book reviewer and cautiously read the opening sentence: “When this mystery starts out, it starts with a bang.“ Hmmm, not bad. So feel free to join me in reading that rest of that review
