Review: Trouble In Sillycon Valley
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 11, 2014
The protagonist in this thriller is an ex-government assassin who got out of the business because "she was beginning to like her job too much". All she wants now is just to work as a private investigator and be a "plain Jane" housewife. But gosh darn it those mean old bad men just won't leave her alone. So she has to fall back on her secret past life as an ass-kicking assassin.The story begins when Gwen is attacked in her home by an inept hit man who she soon subdues. After a gunshot to the leg and a stabbing, the intruder is spilling the beans to the Mighty Gwen. Does Gwen worry about the gunshot noise in suburbia?No way!  Lucky for her when the Police arrive they are a couple of rookies who don't recognize the smell of cordite or blood in the little house.The author loves to give details like why she prefers duct tape over rope to bind her prisoners, how she neatly folds the ends of a tarp to keep the blood from spilling out, cleaning floors to wipe away blood evidence and how to dispose of bloody clothing and the dead body.Then we get an unnecessary backstory on one of the police officers, which the author probably meant as a possible antagonist in a subplot. We are privy to his motivations to "move  up" thus he is going to follow up on his suspicions.Apparently nothing much happens criminal wise in Gwen's suburbia so Officer Walters will have plenty of time to investigate this "smarty pants" house wife.Naturally, Gwen our heroine, would have to have a computer genius that would miraculously be able to hack into any computer database. Funny how these hackers show up in so many thrillers nowadays.Lest we forget how tough Gwen is we are treated to an account of her capturing a young pickpocketeer on a skateboard and armtwisting him until he surrenders a stolen wallet. She claims she has "killed people for less than taking my wallett,Kid". Gwen the schools us in the art of scaring people saying "it's all about attitude, It doesn't matter what I would do, only what they beleived I would do."Just so you dear readers don't take that philosophy seriously consider this reality.. Attitude can get you killed or maimed. Say those same words that Gwen said to a drunken 6'5" 280lb biker who has just taken a cold beer from your cooler at Sturgis Bike Rally and see if your "attitude" scares him into putting it back and apologizing.One example of the need for self-editing-- "He looked like a DEAR in headlight"Shifting from first person narrative to third person (Jack) then on to another (Officer Walters) Made me dizzzy.Three points of view in a few pages.One other point. Much of the information necessary to keep the plot moving was delivered in dialogue. Way too much dialogue.This was not a bad book but it read like a first draft.  It needed editing, revision and polishing.It does show some promise for this author. I rank it as a 3 star.