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Title: Dead Secret (Diane Fallon Forensic Investigation, No. 3)
ISBN: 0451411927
Author:
Beverly Connor
Publicate Date: 2005-12-06
Publish: 2005-12-06
List Price: $7.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $2.00
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.01
Amazon Merchant Price: $7.99
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Really boring
I purchased this book because it has a four star rating. Imagine my disappointment when I finally managed to finish it.
It is the most boring book I have ever read. I am an avid reader. In my mental list of five worst books I have ever had the misfortune to read this one will go to the top.
There is no plot and the characters are pathetic. So a word of warning. Have something else on hand to read in-between so you don't die of boredom.
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2: Who is Caver Doe and how did he die?
While mapping out a cave, Diane has an accident and discovers a skeleton which had been there for quite some time. She and her team set out to discover the identity of Caver Doe and how he died. Soon the remains of two more people are found. One is found in a car submerged in the water at an abandoned quarry. The other is buried in the woods.
Plus Diane is asked to analyze the bones of a witch, legend has it, that died in an English cave years ago. She is visited by people who want the bones and soon finds herself in a battle over them.
Diane uses both her crime scene investigators and her museum staff to uncover clues as to the identity of the bones. Many things begin to happen and soon Diane believes Caver Doe and the other two people may be connected. She just isn't sure how.
Can they discover the truth before anyone is injured or killed to keep the seventy-year-old secret hidden?
I love this series. It is forensic, but the author doesn't get really technical. Nor is it gory. I also like the caving. While it's not something I would do, I enjoy the adventure and reading about it.
Diane and her various staff people, both in the crime lab and the museum, are such great characters. They really add so much to each book.
The author does such a great job of intertwining stories through each book. I always know they're going to connect, but I cannot figure out how or why. I end up reading the books in this series in about two days as I have so much trouble putting them down. I highly recommend this book.
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3: A Pleasant Surprise
I love to read. I love mysteries and crime dramas. I've been a fan of Patricia Cornwell for a while, but have been disappointed with her last few novels, so I've been expanding my library (when I say library, I mean it...I own more books myself than my parents, 2 sisters, 1 brother, and 5 nieces combined). I commute by way of the DC area Metro trains and spend a lot of time each week with a book, so they have to be good to keep me interested.
I picked up Beverly Connor's "Dead Secret" because the title caught my eye. The book description on the back isn't the most impressive I've ever read and the cover really didn't sell me the book. The title intrigued me though.
Beverly's writing style is similar to the old Patricia Cornwell style. The book grabbed me from the first moment and held onto my attention to the end. I won't give away any of the plot, but I will say this: I'm usually very good at figuring out the who-dun-it pretty early on, but this one kept me guessing right to the last page.
An excellent read for the mystery fan!
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4: Nonstop Action-- Oh, and The Snake Is Still Loose
Frantic would probably be the best word to describe this mystery. Connor also has her usual high body count. However, in this case the reader also learns a little more about Diane Fallon's backstory.
Of course there are a lot of people who are giving a synopsis of this book so I will skip that part. What the faithful reader needs to know is that this book has all the virtues of her previous books in this series and avoids the worst pitfalls.
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5: One of the worst books I have ever had the misfortune to read
Just how great is Diane Fallon? Let's see.... She's an experienced spelunker, director of a museum, and director of a crime lab (that happens to be in the museum - how convenient). She works two full time jobs. She had a 6 year old South American daughter who was murdered under mysterious circumstances. She's so brilliant and opinionated that her rich conservative family feels threatened by her and has made her a sort of outcast. Three men that we know of are in love with her, this includes her creepy ex-husband that her family FORCED her to marry, as well as the most attractive man at the museum.
In this book Diane falls through a rock floor, slams against a cave wall while suspended in the air, is stabbed, is drugged and kidnapped, is punched in the jaw, and has her stabbing wound manhandled by the creepy ex. She refuses to take a break and will only a take one Tylenol (no codeine, naturally).
What annoys me the most about Connor's writing is her dialogue. Everyone, except for a rich family's housekeeper, speaks like a robot. No one says "yeah" or "yep", always "yes." There are no exclamations, pauses, or slang words. The small amount of cursing seems awkward and out of place.
Do not pick up this book expecting something on the level of Patricia Cornwell's earlier works or Kathy Reichs' Tempe Brennan novels. It's terribly written soapy cheese with one-dimensional characters and a Mary Sue leading lady.
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