I had the privilege of receiving a review copy of Dark Tide by Susan Sleeman. It’s the final book in The Justice Agency series.
In this book we once again visit the brothers and sisters that make up the Justice Agency, this time Derrick Justice is the star when the flame from his past who broke his heart shows up desperate for help. A killer is after her and she has a baby to protect. Here’s the back cover blurb.
MISSION: PROTECT BABY
Gina Evans knows her brother was murdered—even if the police won’t believe her. After catching a quick glimpse of the evidence her brother had gathered, the same criminals are after her and her baby niece. And Gina’s only hope is the man she left behind. Despite the painful memories, private investigator Derrick Justice won’t fail Gina and her baby. Yet now, the woman he never stopped loving and the baby he’s come to adore are in a killer’s crosshairs. But can Derrick trap the cold-blooded murderer before he strikes again?
The Justice Agency: Family and law enforcement go hand in hand
I really enjoyed Dark Tide and am sad to see the series end. This book held my attention from beginning to end, which has been difficult lately, lol—I actually finished this book! It was a fast read, and I never got bored with the storyline.
That all being said, do any of you ever have a hard time finishing a book, or maybe give up and set it aside? This is a rather new phenomenon for me, and I’m not sure what to think. I have noticed I’m much more likely to finish a shorter book than a longer one, no matter how well written it is. How about you. Does length matter in your decision to finish?
Award winning author Kimberly Rose Johnson married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance, romantic mystery, and romantic suspense that warms the heart and feeds the soul. Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
I read this series. I think that’s a big pull for me–returning to the same characters and slowly learning more about each of them. Pulls me in every time!
Shorter is definitely better in my book (pun intended). Which is an interesting tidbit for me, since I write longer books. It’s not an interest or attention problem, so much as it is a time issue for me.
Sometimes length is a determining factor in my decision to START! I do like series, though. Both reading and writing.
I agree, Susan. It’s fun to get to know each of the characters.
That make perfect sense, Cathy. I wonder if the time thing is what makes me impatient with reading longer books. That being said, I just finished a longer book, Mistaken, by Karen Barnett, and had no problem at all getting though it. :) But generally I shy away from a long book.
LOL! Yep, I hear that. :)
Kimberley, I agree with Val. I prefer to read books fast, and finding chunks of time to read longer books can be tricky. It frustrates me if I have to reread the beginning because I’ve put the book aside and forgotten the story. .
I haven’t read that series but it sounds wonderful. Since I write long, I tend to like to read long. When the short ones end, I feel cheated!! :) But I’ll read anything that’s a good story.
Now that you bring it up, Narelle I like to read books fast too. I don’t remember if I said it in the post, but I prefer to read short books. That being said, I do pick up a long one every now and then. :)
LOL, Stacy.
Kimberly, the trick for me is to read books by authors who have already proven to me they write stories I love. But when I’m trying a new author, sometimes I do have trouble finishing the novel. Maybe it’s me comparing books to ones I already know I like. Maybe it’s that the book is lacking in some aspect. If I read past the third chapter, I’ll typically read the entire book. If a book doesn’t grab my attention by the fifth or tenth page, depending on my tolerance and schedule at the time, then I usually set it aside. If I get past those first few pages, I give it a few chapters to really reel me in. But if, by chapter three, I’m uninterested in the characters, plotline, or there’s bunches of typos, I will put it in my take-to-Half-Price pile.
What really drives me crazy, though, is when I’m struggling to get through books by authors I enjoy. That usually only happens when they drastically change their writing style. There was one in the last couple years that did this, and I’m more hesitant to purchase any more of this author’s books because the style is less enjoyable for me.
Thanks for sharing about this intriguing series by Susan Sleeman. I haven’t read them yet, but you’ve got me curious about them!
Blessings,
Andrea
Proofreader/Writer
writingtoinspire.blogspot.com
Andrea, I hope you get a chance to read this series. In my opinion they are all can’t put down reads. :)
Kimberly, the length of a book has no bearing whatsoever on whether I choose to read a book or whether, once started, I continue reading it. I’m not predisposed to liking one type better than another. The quality–characters, plot and execution–are the key to my level of enjoyment. Flash fiction, short stories, novelettes, novellas, full-length…give me a good story and you’ve got my attention. Blessings.
Great point about the quality-characters, plot etc… JoAnn! Happy reading. :)
Interesting discussion. While I nave never failed to complete a book, I have on several occasions, had enough, screamed “ugh! Enough!”, and put the book down for a few days, to a few months, until I could stomach reading the reminder of the book. There were different reasons for this.
In one book, there was so much re-hashing of the details, so many trips to the buffet table, etc, that it served only to bog down the story…terribly. In my review of that book, which was a Christian mystery, I recommended the author choose 2 ways to give each set of new information, instead of ALWAYS using the 4 ways they had used. Yes, each new discovery was told in full detail, 4 times. I also mentioned that the characters spent way too much time describing their food. LOL
In another book, the male lead was such a colossal jerk to the heroine, I couldn’t take it any more. When I went back to complete the book, I realized that the author was simply too good at her craft. Why? At the end of the story, you find out the hero was instructed to act like a jerk for TV ratings. (the story was of a TV dating show/contest) Well…we were supposed to hate the hero, until after the contest was over, and the heroine saw his true nature. Sooo, my suggestion to the author was simply to give the reader a hint that the hero was acting under direction, so the readers understood why the heroine hated him, but the reader could still like the hero.
When I’m reading an author for the first time, yes, I like a shorter book. However, after I KNOW I love an author, I don’t mind buying their longer books. I just need to know a story will keep my interest through the entire book, no matter it’s length.
I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED The Justice Agency series. Like you, Kimberly, I was sad to see it end. Somehow the characters had become my friends. :) I just love it when that happens.
If you haven’t read them, I second Kimberly’s recommendation.
As for reading long or short books, I like both. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a shorter book because I want to finish quickly and get back to something else that I NEED to do, but don’t want to (books are my escape from those things called responsibilities). Long books sometimes take longer to “get into,” but not always. There are quite a few that have had me spellbound from the first page. Those are the worst because it’s too long to read in one day and I wind up dreaming about the story when I finally put it down at night to go to sleep. LOL
I know exactly what you mean, Ginger. When I pick up a long book and am hooked it occupies my, mind and all I want to do is read. :)
Brightflute, it never occurred to me to look for a short book from an author I am unfamiliar with, but it’s an interesting idea. :) I’ve discovered some amazing writers by taking a chance on longer stories, and I don’t hesitate to pick up one of their books.
Since I wrote this post I’ve read several books, all of which I’ve finished with no problem. LOL I accomplished nothing for three days because I HAD to finish them.
All that being said, I think I prefer a short read for time sake, but I’ve read some fantastic long books. :)
I prefer a short read, no matter how well written. If the book should be long then I’d like it split into a series. Just how I feel about it, though. I know a lot of people that LOVE long ones. *shrugs*