“These stories are EXACTLY what I like to read, and I don’t say that lightly. So many books today are all plot with little description and minimal character development. Jane Thornley writes “old school”. You understand her characters and their motivations. You see the exotic locations. You taste the food and feel the breeze. You have no idea what’s behind the mystery until it all comes together at the end. Oh, and you’ll need a vocabulary that exceeds fifth grade. These books are chock-full of adventure, romance, and mystery…and knitting, but you don’t have to be a fiber-fiend to enjoy them (I’m not). Can’t wait to read more from Jane Thornley! –Maria Romana, Romantic Suspense author
Once in awhile, I troll through my reviews, re-reading each one, searching for pithy lines that illuminate problem areas or places where I seem to have hit my stride. I came across the review above not long ago and was floored. I do not know this author, I hasten to add, but I’m very grateful to her for illuminating something about my writing that hadn’t occurred to me before: I’m “old school”.
So what does that mean? You see, since I write a form of thriller, I frequently attract criticism that my novels are slow-starting, meaning that I ease the reader into the lives of the characters before hurling them along the Amalfi coast, plunging them into ancient tombs, and otherwise accelerating the action into breathless. I don’t shy away from description; I want you to feel that sense of being there. I also want you to get to know the characters, and become a part of their lives before the thrills begin. OLD SCHOOL. And, my friends, please note her comment that “…you need a vocabulary that exceeds fifth grade.” My readers are literate. Thank you for that, everybody. Hey, I’m okay with all of it, in fact.
So, book four of the Greater of Two Evils is ready to roll, and you’ll have a bit of time to spend with the characters you love while the suspense thickens. though I’m still holding off until my return from Italy (more research) in November. In the meantime, I have a riddle for you: what does knitting socks have to do with Ivan the Terrible and Phoebe McCabe? Ah, there’s the dilemma. Of course, Russian rulers wore socks in the 15th century–this was Russia, after all–but Phoebe doesn’t knit socks. That’s more Sir Rupert’s domain. In any case, those seemingly diverse elements come together in book four of Crime by Design in a way that will keep you at the edge of your seat and in stitches. In the end, I aim to thrill and surprise.
Remember that, as well as being available on all online vendors, the Crime by Design Series is available as REAL books in paperback format, too, for my old school readers.
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