Negative Positive
Title: Simply dreadful
Review: I always thought the idea behind successful fiction was suspension of disbelief, and I'm usually willing to make allowances and accept improbable plots or wooden characters if the writer makes me believe the story he/she is telling. In the case of Sloan's book, however, she has managed to mix an improbable plot and wooden characters together with a prose style that is, frankly, amateurish. I didn't buy it. Furthermore I wonder if she is really at all interested in spinning us a good yarn, or is there some sort of murky political agenda here? I can even accept agendas if they're presented well, I would even be inclined to sympathize with this one, if it's there. But it's all so over the top, and she leaves too many loose ends in the plot: the most glaring is why the teacher's car was seen at the murder site (she's managed to eliminate every similar car on the island, so it must have been his). Maybe Sloan should try another line of work.
Is the review positive or negative? 