How I Write Reviews

 A reader recently wrote to compliment me on one of my books, and to ask my advice on how to write a review.  Here's what I suggested:

When I write reviews, I consider a couple of things. First, do the characters engage me? Are they funny, awkward, smart, etc. Do they seem like real people?  Reviewers often find that they believe Rochester finds clues because he does so in a believable way, doing doggy things like sniffing, barking and digging. Then they recognize their own dog's behavior in those actions. I did have a reviewer complain about one of the earlier books that Rochester mastered the weave poles in an agility course too easily.  Yet she didn't mind that he dug up clues to the crime!

That takes into account dialogue, too. Sometimes authors use too much dialogue as exposition. "Well, Rick, after Rochester dug around in my neighbor's yard and uncovered a human finger, I confronted him and asked where it came from. He told me to get off his yard and take my lousy dog with me."

That could be much better in scene, showing Rochester digging, Steve tugging on the leash trying to get him to stop, then Rochester backing off to show the finger, etc.

And speaking of scene, can you visualize the place? Are there details of the five senses used regularly? I'm not saying you would call out each of those, but you could write something like, "the author's use of details really helped me see the characters and the places."

Then there's pace. You often read things like "I couldn't put it down." That's kind of generic. But "at the end of almost every chapter, the author posed a question that I wanted to know the answer to, forcing me to keep turning the pages." "Oh, my god, Rochester," I said. "That's a human finger!" (Chapter end.)

Critics of mystery novels often indicate if they were able to figure out the criminal quickly, or if the author put in a bunch of red herrings that kept them guessing. 

I also often mention if I have read other books by the author or in the series. Readers want to know, if this is book six, do they need to read books 1-5 first? I feel that if you are reading for the mystery, you can read my books in any order. But if you want a real sense of the growth of the characters, then I suggest reading in order. A character like Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot, however, don't change from book to book so there's no reason to read Agatha Christie in order.

I used to write book reviews for the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, among other places, so I had to hone my skills, because often I only had 75 words for the review!