As for Valin's books, you know, Reed, you're probably right.
The last
few Stoners have been okay, not certainly not as memorable as
some of
the others. But after reading several books in a series, I
tend to be
less critical, and willing to accept weaker efforts. And
often I'm
rewarded. I felt Greenleaf had gone into a bit of a slump,
and then he
came back with his last three, which I really enjoyed. It was
like
seeing an old friend again, who'd been through a lot, finally
getting
back to his old self.
In fact, series characters do become friends, in a way. It's
always such
a pleasure to see them again, we often tend to ignore their
faults, be
they bad haircuts, new wives or weak novels. Which may
explain why some
series manage to survive. People have come to really like
these
characters, and a new book, or story, is a chance to spend a
few hours
with an old pal.
And what's this "reading by sex?" Certainly sounds a lot more
fun than
just sitting there in a chair holding a book, or listening
to
books-on-tape. Tell us more....
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin Smith
The Thrilling Detective Web Site
http://www.colba.net/~kvnsmith/thrillingdetective/
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