tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post2175206656751711623..comments2023-11-22T06:35:25.251-05:00Comments on POE'S DEADLY DAUGHTERS: Characters I'm (very) tired ofJulia Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10270211923343731659noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-19388177761731494052011-08-29T13:49:07.688-04:002011-08-29T13:49:07.688-04:00@Mike Dennis, who wrote "6. The corporate CEO...@Mike Dennis, who wrote "6. The corporate CEO who is totally evil, along with his ultra-showy wife."<br /><br />I can't ever remember reading a corporate CEO good guy (outside of Nevil Shute, anyway). There's a story idea right there.Dana Stabenowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15493173907957654118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-25444088556548917452011-08-27T23:56:42.780-04:002011-08-27T23:56:42.780-04:00Can I take back my peeves? I just realized they ar...Can I take back my peeves? I just realized they are off the TSTL topic.Caseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-18071910124277776702011-08-27T23:55:15.308-04:002011-08-27T23:55:15.308-04:00Sigh...... I guess I'll just have to give up...Sigh...... I guess I'll just have to give up reading mysteries. But before I leave, two of my peeves (I have several but many have already been mentioned) are: (1) functioning the safety on a revolver or loading a semi-automatic with a clip; and (2) giving me endless descriptions with each and every street name while driving to a destination that takes longer to read than the trip probably Caseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-88291122063772514692011-08-26T22:36:00.353-04:002011-08-26T22:36:00.353-04:001. The wacked-out Vietnam vet.
2. The "crust...1. The wacked-out Vietnam vet.<br /><br />2. The "crusty but benign", noble WWII vet.<br /><br />3. The wife/girlfriend of a sensitive musician/writer/artist who constantly nags him about getting a "real job".<br /><br />4. The wisecracking pre-teen (who REALLY needs a good rap on the head).<br /><br />5. The black guy who's the demolition expert in a commando team, and isMike Dennishttp://mikedennisnoir.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-39701184888527794292011-08-26T21:39:22.269-04:002011-08-26T21:39:22.269-04:00My pet peeve - well, pets.
Using them to show a ch...My pet peeve - well, pets.<br />Using them to show a character has a soft side just doesn't do it for me. Show the character being nice to a person, please.<br /><br />Adults talking to pets -- I'll leave it at that.Camille Minichinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04701150885595400018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-11712285408248396032011-08-26T21:20:19.306-04:002011-08-26T21:20:19.306-04:00Karen, your journalism-based series was terrific. ...Karen, your journalism-based series was terrific. I was sorry to see it end.Sandra Parshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17403144248962124138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-31223516574091618432011-08-26T21:07:28.897-04:002011-08-26T21:07:28.897-04:00In response to Poodlebugz, yes, there are a couple...In response to Poodlebugz, yes, there are a couple of publishers who make their living on this type of "hobby" amateur sleuth mystery. I've written four in a tattoo shop mystery series, which is so ridiculous if you think about it. But I have tried very hard not to fall into the traps described here, even though sometimes it's just inevitable. The nature of the beast, so to Karen Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05867709664100997228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-64458245553384387852011-08-26T15:35:36.403-04:002011-08-26T15:35:36.403-04:00I'm getting jaded about mystery series that se...I'm getting jaded about mystery series that seem to be seem to thinly hinge on the amateur detective's occupation, complete with recipes, patterns, etc. <br /><br />Don't get me wrong--I do enjoy mysteries where the protagonist has an interesting job, and I can learn something about said profession or get a recipe or two. However, it seems like there is a factory churning out littlePoodlebugzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-87563708525991615082011-08-26T13:56:08.028-04:002011-08-26T13:56:08.028-04:00The cop whose boss appears to be completely stupid...The cop whose boss appears to be completely stupid and blocks any sensible approach to the investigation. Please, he/she (can't think of a she, but there muse be one somewhere) didn't get fired for incompetence on the way up the ladder. Again, can be done well, but seems to be done far too routinely. Must the detective be alone because he/she is distrusted? What about because they Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-72213005441543740792011-08-26T13:32:39.648-04:002011-08-26T13:32:39.648-04:00I agree with all of your comments. No room for dep...I agree with all of your comments. No room for depressed, alcoholic, drug abusing cops in today's real world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-9583471185238114542011-08-26T12:55:00.264-04:002011-08-26T12:55:00.264-04:00Sick to death of precocious kids. Period. The only...Sick to death of precocious kids. Period. The only person who got the kidness of a kid right in the last few years is the fellow who wrote Christopher in "The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime".Janicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06622769079847473151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-54065227029039886242011-08-26T12:52:06.957-04:002011-08-26T12:52:06.957-04:00For me, it;s the amateur who thinks she's (alw...For me, it;s the amateur who thinks she's (always a she) smarter than the cops, and gets information the cops don't have and keeps it to herself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-30193837094565981172011-08-26T12:49:17.554-04:002011-08-26T12:49:17.554-04:00I have stopped reading 2 or 3 series because the c...I have stopped reading 2 or 3 series because the craft/bakery/book shop owner in the small town accuses everyone in town, one after another, of being the murderer. He/she then behaves toward those accused as if nothing is wrong. The "I thought you were a killer yesterday, but let's have lunch today because now I think someone else is the killer" plot. I mean, really....Janethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06764224854845003523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-25322194870379211372011-08-26T12:41:40.239-04:002011-08-26T12:41:40.239-04:00I agree totally with you. However I have to point ...I agree totally with you. However I have to point out that if we were to dispense with all of these hackneyed characters/protagonists the publishing business would fall apart. IMHO there are way too many "authors" and I use the term loosely who sort of develop a character and then rely only on the quirkiness/disfunction/one dimensionality of said protagonist to flesh out the mystery. Sobookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398814026504653111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-79985771497526739962011-08-26T12:13:30.380-04:002011-08-26T12:13:30.380-04:00I am sick of dumb investigators, pro or am.
Like...I am sick of dumb investigators, pro or am. <br /><br />Like the one who's necking in a parked car on a lonely back road in the same area where she's looking for a serial killer whose victims -- you guessed it -- are couples necking in parked cars (and no, it's not a trap, it is or is meant to be overwhelming sexual attraction). Or the detective investigating the sexual mutilation Dana Stabenowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15493173907957654118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-3633814311203096552011-08-26T11:19:45.465-04:002011-08-26T11:19:45.465-04:00I agree. These characters are getting old. Yet TV...I agree. These characters are getting old. Yet TV seems to still be putting many of them out there, especially the "Kick-Ass" woman with the new show starring Maria Bello. Looks stupid.<br /><br />Richard Brawer<br />www.silklegacy.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-87224179808281246222011-08-25T22:47:32.838-04:002011-08-25T22:47:32.838-04:00So true, excellent post. I read mostly amateur sle...So true, excellent post. I read mostly amateur sleuth mysteries, and I'm getting very tired of 1) characters who are newly separated or divorced from their husbands. Enough already. Also 2) boring characters. They're not memorable in any way. They could be anyone I meet on the street. What gives with publishers these days?Nancy Lauzonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394369257154940270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-892929587829398182011-08-25T21:01:08.357-04:002011-08-25T21:01:08.357-04:00Sandy, not exactly a type of character - annoys m...Sandy, not exactly a type of character - annoys me - but the style many current writers use when they give the reader a creepy insight into the mind and thoughts of a nasty villain, who we don't know and can't care about - and then finally reveal who he/she is - and we still don't care about that creep!! ThelmaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-88549400009408189132011-08-25T08:55:42.235-04:002011-08-25T08:55:42.235-04:00Precocious kid detectives. There are a couple of p...Precocious kid detectives. There are a couple of popular series that aren't YA. Nor am I fond of animals detectives. Since these are popular, it's me who's out of step. Oh well...I'm not fond of YouTube kid singers, either.Gerrie Ferris Fingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17550926331044401955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-36204899991471566262011-08-25T06:41:55.763-04:002011-08-25T06:41:55.763-04:00How about the sick, disgusting loser who murders s...How about the sick, disgusting loser who murders somebody even sicker? Maybe I've been reading different stuff ...Jack Getzehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09516237388744739669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-8182044829899095842011-08-24T20:00:00.704-04:002011-08-24T20:00:00.704-04:00Rosemary -- LOL! You'd think that scenario wou...Rosemary -- LOL! You'd think that scenario would be pretty uncommon, but it keeps popping up. (Folks, the kids in the woods thing has been done. Give it a rest.)<br /><br />Amateur sleuth novels have a built-in credibility problem -- I mean, how many booksellers and knitting clubs actually go around solving murders? -- so you if you're going to read them (or write them), you have to let Sandra Parshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17403144248962124138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-45629185612750042452011-08-24T19:45:45.073-04:002011-08-24T19:45:45.073-04:00I love this post...you are SO right!
How about t...I love this post...you are SO right! <br /><br />How about the little kid that has the clue? Or the secret baby? (Oh, wait, I used that. I'm in a time out with Coco, I guess...:-))Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-84936191119676894072011-08-24T18:46:42.368-04:002011-08-24T18:46:42.368-04:00Wow, I think all of my pet peeves have been mentio...Wow, I think all of my pet peeves have been mentioned but one:<br /><br />What about the annoying cop who is always telling the amateur sleuth to butt out of police business? Yes, that's exactly what would happen in real life, or the persistent amateur sleuth would be arrested for interfering with an investigation. For some reason, this really bothers me in fiction. I want the amateur sleuth The Cat Bastethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08766507614966971022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-30280816517614564952011-08-24T18:33:35.921-04:002011-08-24T18:33:35.921-04:00I don't like unlikeable protagonists -- mean p...I don't like unlikeable protagonists -- mean people. I also don't like the mysteries (t.v. shows usually) where they throw the gun down and finish off with a fist fight.<br /><br />While I liked some of Inspector Frost, it was very uneven in several ways. We skipped most of Season 7 of Frost because he was so uncaring about someone's dead cat. Then it seemed a cat-killer with a Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-42818796594251668012011-08-24T18:30:42.976-04:002011-08-24T18:30:42.976-04:00Of course, any of these done well can make for a g...Of course, any of these done well can make for a great book...but I'm pretty tired of the group of teenagers who go into the woods - and then they don't all come out! OMG! What happened?? And why does it take them 20 years to find out?!Rosemary Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08033747422699443024noreply@blogger.com