Review: Amy Lane can do better
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 08 22, 2013
Amy Lane's writing can roughly be divided into longer, more serious and more emotionally involved novels, (ex.Dex in BlueorSidecar), and shorter, lighter novellas, often with a bit of a suspense plot thrown in, (ex.Turkey in the SnoworKnitter in His Natural Habitat (Knitting Series)). (She also writes in genres other than contemporary.) Both groups of books are good in their own right, although I tend to prefer the former.Left on St. Truth Be Well is novella length, and unfortunately, although  has a great deal of promise- a strange and interesting setting, a funny character, and an engaging mystery- it doesn't come close to meeting it. The dialogue is smart and funny at times, but rushed, inconsistent, and confusing at others. The mystery is given little attention; although the mystery being secondary is normal for Lane's shorter books, it should be woven throughout the plot, not brought out, or ignored, when convenient. The pacing is inconsistent, both in the plot and in the prose. Overall, the book reads like a first draft of something really promising that needs some strong editing.Amy Lane is capable of so much more, and if this is your first time reading her work, try one of the other books linked above before you give up. They are more than worth it.