Heroes Often Fail

I ordered the sequel to "Under a Raging Moon" because I enjoyed the first book. Admittedly, it's been sitting in my To Read pile, but I finally had the time to read. (Often it's a choice between reading and writing, and the latter usually wins.) I chewed through the book in about four hours-- and finished long it after assuring my hubby I'd be to bed soon. It says something about a book that demands to be finished once the reader has entered the final stages.



Frank Zafiro creates marvelous characters, so rich and assorted. The only thing I wish is that I could get to know some of them a little more. For me, the characters kept me reading more than the plot-- and that's not intended as a knock against the plot. It's a well-written plot, suspenseful at parts and carefully orchestrated, but it's not a happy plot. The characters were so enjoyable, though, I don't think it would have mattered what the story was.



The story is a kidnapping of a little girl. Since the third person omnicient view point includes the little girl, it's clear to the reader what's happened long before the cops even know. In fact, there's a scene where the reader-- at least this reader-- wanted to kneecap Kopriva for his mistake because of what I knew. I think it's called dramatic irony.



I didn't like the ending. Nothing against Frank's writing-- he writes very well. But it's not an ending to be liked. The clues come together and the crime plays out. Unfortunately, I tend to flip to the end of the book when it gets suspenseful, and I was rewarded far too well for my efforts. This is wholly personal preference, but I was hoping that Frank would thwart my attempt to find out the end before I get there, especially since he did so well at not revealing the end in the last pages of his other novel.



I do recommend "Heroes Often Fail." It could easily be read without having first read "Under a Raging Moon," but they're both good books. I'm hoping to see more of these characters, because they're delightful, from Katie MacLeod to Stefan Kopriva, even Hart. I want to see Hart get what's coming to him. Or maybe he just needs a girlfriend-- and a good lay. =)



There are more of Frank's characters hanging out at Mysterical-E as his 4 part story comes to print. Which is nice, for now, but I'm ready for the next book, Frank.

And now back to being sick (if I find the student who gave me this cold...!)

• Story in Progress: Bo's Novel
• Last Story Finished: Family Resemblance
• What I should be doing: Working on my Grad School Research paper (talk about a *whole* different type of writing!)