Review: 'A Fashion to Kill', A Reader's Hottest Accessory!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 2, 2013
Please note: The review/critique of this book (which was donated to The Magnolia Blossom Review for the sole purpose of a review) was completed by The MBR’s owner, L. Avery Brown based on a Rubric she designed. If you would like to read the entire review which includes an in depth author interview – please visit The Magnolia Blossom Review’s site online today!AND NOW FOR THE REVIEW…1. Book Title - 5 of 5For the Reviewer: Did it grab your attention right away? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Would you glance at it and then forget it? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book titles? (You should have plenty of space for each item on the form as I think I set it up for the boxes to 'grow'.)The title definitely catches the eye. For one, at first glance it looks like 'A PASSION to kill' but with a quick double-take, the reader sees it's FASHION - and that creates an interesting dichotomy - there's a killer (obviously) who is somehow involved in fashion (as says the title) BUT this killer, one can assume that the killer has a passion for killing and probably killing attractive fashion models. Very good title.2. Book Cover – 4 of 5For the Reviewer: Did it grab your attention? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Did it look like it was haphazardly thrown together? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book covers? Did it help make the title more effective?The cover does get across the idea that the story takes place in NYC - good point. And the image of a girl's body fading into the city image above is also interesting. And when one puts the cover with the title - it does make great sense and is therefore a terrific pairing. The only issue I have with the cover is the color of the words 'A Fashion to Kill' being in the odd sort of bubble-gum pink and then fading into what is, I assume, supposed to be a blood pool. But it doesn't look anything like a blood pool - in fact, it looks sort of like the clipart image I have for a 'red ink stain'. Not sure who put the graphics together but the wording should have been done in a super high-gloss (to fit the 'fashion' motif) red that fades into a realistic blood pool (we've all seen CSI: it's pretty darn accurate in show how thick, viscous blood pools around a body and how it has a wholly unique coloring. And that's a huge turn off - for me - others might not care one iota - but I do.3. First 500... – 8 of 10For the Reviewer: Thinking of the first 500 (usually about 2 pages) words of the book, do you think the author provided enough incentive to urge the reader to continue? What stood out to you the most? Were you captivated after a couple of paragraphs? Did the 1st sentence grab you? Did you get to around the 500 word mark and didn't have a clue where the story was going?Wyte describes the body of a young woman - a victim of 'the Fashion Killer' at first in great, visual detail -- basically letting the reader know that more than likely she's not only been murdered but also the victim of some sort of sexual assault. Then he essentially REdescribes the entire visual and the reader learns that the young woman who has been so explicitly described is actually his niece for whom he felt an almost fatherly connection. That creeped me out. As in really, really creeped me out. I couldn't understand WHY there was a need to go into such detail - then to repeat it and basically say things (my interpretation of course) 'Oh, that sheer pink thong, her hot body, her exposed nipple, and even the 'sensuous arch' of her foot ... they belong to my niece.' Totally creepy. This was followed by a statement of who the uncle is 'Jack Centaur' and how HE is going to figure out who killed his niece. Had Wyte avoided the creepiness thing - I might have liked the opening a bit more. And had ne not essentially reworded what he already said - just adding in extra details - I also might have liked the opening a bit more. But, he did effectively set up the plot of the story...Jack Centaur is going to hunt down the killer of his niece -- a serial killer dubbed 'The Fashion Killer'.4. Blurb Effectiveness – 7 of 10For the Reviewer: Now that you've finished the book, please take a moment to look back over the blurb. How effective do you think the blurb will be to potential readers? Did the author write a blurb that was enticing and went along with the story? (10) Was the blurb lacking? (5) Was it entirely too long or too short? (1) Do you have any suggestions for the author to make it more effective?The blurb isn't really a 'blurb' per se, in that it doesn't truly lure the reader - it basically says 'hey, this is a 'gritty novel' about a serial killer who killed the protagonist's niece. There's no oomph - no 'draw the reader in' set up...just something I might read on the bottom of a flyer handed out at Barnes and Noble telling me that an author is coming by to sign books...the only thing that was missing was the 'time and date'.5. Age Recommendation/Genre Classification – 10 of 10For the Reviewer: Age Recommendation - If the book is entirely too young/juvenile for the intended age group? Is it entirely too mature? (Please take into account swearing/sexual scenes/drug use, etc... Genre Classification - Was the book listed as a thrill ride of a read but was more of a bumper car ride (sort of all over the place)? Was it listed as a mystery and you simply had to turn the page to find out 'who did it'?A Fashion to Kill is a Murder Mystery/Suspense/'Noir' novel which, for those of you who don't know what 'noir novel' means, essentially one ought to have the sensation that they've been transported back to a time when 'Men were men and women knew how to satisfy them. And clichés run rampant.' Think of the authors Dashel Hammet, CJ Daly, Raymond Chandler who specialized in that 30's 'style' of storytelling.Some people call this style also 'hardboiled' - honestly I'm not sure why - perhaps it's because when I think 'hardboiled' all that comes to my mind is deviled eggs! I does technically fit the genre and in as much it's DEFINITELY not a YA story especially because of the language and somewhat graphic nature of some of the scenes.6. Presentation/Format – 9 of 10For the Reviewer: Did the 'innards' of the book follow a clear, concise, standard format throughout the book? Or did you have a hard time keeping up with paragraphs or dialogue? Were multiple fonts used? Were they distracting?The book is put together quite well. Wyte (or perhaps his editors) did a good job with putting the 'inset' articles recounting the crime scenes. And the dialogue is presented in a way that tells me there was great care taken to make sure that the flow and transition of dialogue was clean and concise. I did notice there was a great propensity to describe 'fashion'...granted the book is called 'A Fashion to Kill' however, there were a few times when I felt sort of like I was 'a blind woman being told how a dress looked' (to the nth degree) ... But more on that with the Description/Enhancement section of the review.7. Theme/Originality – 8 of 10For the Reviewer: Was this book similar to something you may have read before? If it was a retelling - did the author make it feel fresh and just different enough that it kept you involved? Or was it formulaic and a 'rehash' of a popular tale/current 'pop' genre? OR - is this the first time you can recall ever reading a book with theme/setup/etc. of this particular title?Unfortunately, AFTK is quite formulaic and doesn't really diverge from the standard 'As God as my witness, I will avenge my (insert loved person's status)'s death.' (Yes, I did throw a little Gone with the Wind in there - but this is 'The Magnolia Blossom Review!') I suppose I kept waiting for something really divergent to happen - and yet it never did. The characters encountered by Jack Centaur fit the 'this is a book about a crazed serial killer' book. Centaur's reluctance to let others help - and yet not really giving the reader a solid reason as to 'why' - was again, another piece of the formula.8. Description/Enhancement – 6 of 10For the Reviewer: Did the author use descriptive language and 'all those extra little things' to make it the best it could be? Did you feel it was too sparse in description? Did the author go OVER board with the description?As mentioned before there are moments when Wyte, in my opinion, goes a little bit too much into the fashion side. I don't know if this was an intentional thing - perhaps in an attempt to keep female readers involved ---- which, if that's the case, is a bit chauvinistic considering not all women really care about fashion. OR perhaps Mr. Wyte simply does have a passion for fashion and wanted to share a bit of his knowledge with the reader. Either way, there were a few moments where I felt a bit lost in the tossing out of haute couture names. And then there were, at times, where I felt like I was a long tailed cat and I'd been tossed in the middle of a room full of 300lb people sitting in rocking chairs - meaning - there were a LOT of clichés used.There were also a LOT of times where I felt like Wyte was intentionally trying to make the Centaur's inner-thoughts sound like Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney were hanging out in a dark corner of his mind feeding him lines. For example...1. "The Falcon cocked a cold hard stare that read like a warning of just how much he'd enjoy tossing Mr. Coors Light spoiled rich ass out onto Tenth Avenue."2. "The checker-board size vestibule behind the steel entrance door from the street was a claustrophobic prelude to the rooms behind door number 3G.3. "It was a brisk New York night. Standing on the corner of Spring Street and West Broadway, a black musician, wearing a worn wool top coat and torn jeans, blew Harlem Nocturne through a saxophone, its brass patina catching the reflection of moonlight on every downbeat."*As an editor I try to convince authors that they need NOT write billowy, fluffy, 'look how beautifully I can string words together' sentences. After about 14 words - the attention of readers starts to wane and they kind of fall into a 'fog' where the wordy phrasing starts sounding arrogant. (If you're a writer and want to learn more about the Fog Factor to determine if YOU need to turn OFF your verbose fog machine visit this site: [...])Incidentally, even though they are taken out of context - I used the FOG factor method for the 4 sentences above and they scored 12.8 (that's right on the razor's edge of being considered 'very hard to read' for a typical reader. Just wanted to point that out.9. Intrigue – 9 of 10For the Reviewer: Did you want to turn the next page because it was SO good? (10) Was it interesting but you didn't quite have an urge to keep reading? (5) Did you think 'I wonder if we have Twinkies in the pantry? Mmmmm, Twinkies' while you read? (1)I will admit - I had to find out who the killer was. Was it a total shock how the killer's identity was revealed? Not really - but hey, it was still an interesting ending even if I did have to muddle through a LOT of clichés in the description of the moments leading up to the big reveal/showdown/wrap up of the story.10. Grammar/Mechanics – 9 of 10For the Reviewer: Was the book pretty darn flawless? (10) Did you see more that 5 or 10 'jump out' at you mistakes in grammar or the actual mechanics (verb tense, noun/pronoun agreement, misused words) ? (5) Did you feel it was a chore to read because it was riddled with errors? (1)For the most part, A Fashion to Kill was fairly grammatically and mechanically well presented. There were a few issues here and there - but that's not all that uncommon - even with BIG named writers. (After all, we all make mistakes and even with a 1000 editors its possible for a few things to slide under the radar!) I did not like the fact that Many sentences started with 'And'. As a general rule - the overuse of And-But-So-Well (All of which were used a good deal as 'opening words' in sentences) is not well-received.11. Overall Impression – 8 of 10For the Reviewer: When all is said in done - did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it to others?I was a good story. I don't know if I felt a sense of urgency for the protagonist (Jack Centaur) - perhaps it was because he was quite cold and I never really learned that much about him aside from little bits and pieces. The cockiness of the Centaur (even his last name is a bit on the 'seriously?' side) was off-putting at times. But for readers who enjoy this sort of 'gritty' tale - it'll no doubt be a hit.THE BESTOWING OF THE BLOSSOMS…After reading Mickey Wyte’s A Fashion to Kill and totaling up the points earned for each aspect of the review that is covered here at The Magnolia Blossom Review, we are pleased to announce that it’s received a terrifically respectful 83 points out of 100 therefore earning it 4 Blossoms! What a great way to take on the world of gritty, crime-mystery with your first full-length novel.  We do wish Mickey Wyte the very best and hope that A Fashion to Kill and his upcoming sequel are well received by the reading community.  And we’d like to extend a warm thank you to the author for letting The MBR be a part of the future of his success!