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An Automatic No
Tuesday, July 29th, 2014 08:40 pmOh, Timothy Hallinan. You were so, so close to an outstanding book. I was really regretting that Crashed was released as a $15 trade paperback, because I was thinking this series was something I wanted my very own copies of and that's more than I'll generally pay for a book. Engaging characters, interesting plot, and a really compelling writing style. And then you blew it.
Because no, your character doesn't have a 9mm automatic that he keeps in a tackle box, as you described. He certainly didn't fire one, as in single, as in a lone solitary bullet, shot into the bad guy's shoulder from an automatic in the manner you related. And he sure as bloody hell definitely did not acquire an automatic by staking out a gun store until somebody bought a new firearm and then following the guy home and stealing it from him.
Shame on you. And shame on your editor, who you kindly credit with making the book what it is but who clearly didn't pick up the basic fact-checking that you dropped the ball on. Because that word "automatic" isn't just a cool-sounding word to throw around about a gun; it means something -- and it's not what you evidently think it means.
I may still read the rest of the series, courtesy of my local library, because the writing style really is compelling. But I'm relieved of my dilemma over the price, because a book with a screw-up like that in it is not a book to devote shelf space to so I can have it handy to pull out and re-read.
Because no, your character doesn't have a 9mm automatic that he keeps in a tackle box, as you described. He certainly didn't fire one, as in single, as in a lone solitary bullet, shot into the bad guy's shoulder from an automatic in the manner you related. And he sure as bloody hell definitely did not acquire an automatic by staking out a gun store until somebody bought a new firearm and then following the guy home and stealing it from him.
Shame on you. And shame on your editor, who you kindly credit with making the book what it is but who clearly didn't pick up the basic fact-checking that you dropped the ball on. Because that word "automatic" isn't just a cool-sounding word to throw around about a gun; it means something -- and it's not what you evidently think it means.
I may still read the rest of the series, courtesy of my local library, because the writing style really is compelling. But I'm relieved of my dilemma over the price, because a book with a screw-up like that in it is not a book to devote shelf space to so I can have it handy to pull out and re-read.
