I'm currently reading New Orleans Mourning by Julie Smith. It's an Edgar Award Winner, the first in a mystery series... It's just taking me so long to get through. The last book it took me this long to get through (other than school books that I was on a schedule with) was The Godfather... and that was years ago... just after I saw You've Got Mail for the first time. 
I'd really like to put it aside except 1) I agreed to mail it already, so this is my chance, and 2) the second book in the series (this is the first) is on it's way to me already, and I prefer reading books in order.
So it's annoying me bc...
It's supposedly a cozy mystery, but has, so far, quite a bit of drug use and more language than I expect cozies to have. I was expecting a light, fun mystery and I'm getting a gloomy, somewhat deep mystery (which I wouldn't mind so much if I had expected it).
Also, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter books have always made me want to visit New Orleans. My jazz history class a couple years ago made me want to visit, even Stella Cameron's Bayou books interested me in the area plus commercials I've seen, etc. This book has some very detailed descriptions of atmosphere, sounds, smells, and social strata - and it's completely turning me off of visiting. The characters like it there, but it's not sounding like my thing. 
(BTW, just for background, this book was published in 1990) (and if you're from that area - feel free to chime in w/ how great it is bc I'm not even quite 1/3 of the way through the book and don't want to be completely discouraged by the end.)
The POV keeps changing, which works in some books (like The Historian), but is annoying me in this one. The heroine is doing dumb stuff. For instance, she's a cop, graduated first in her class, but she tells someone she had no business trusting that there was a film of the murderer being brought to her house (and hey, it's being brought to her house - as opposed to the police station - in the first place bc she want's to get ahead of the other two cops working on the case)? 
Keep in mind, I'm not even half way through yet, and she's already doing stuff that stupid.
So, now that I've gotten that out... I'll get back to the book, and please, let it get better soon.
Jo
ewwww....
*marking this one off any list to get* That scene about the evidence would just drive me utterly nuts!!
And yes, I'm with you... I wouldn't expect that from a cozy mystery either!
Actually, as I'm thinking about it... I think I tried to read this one awhile back and gave up. It sounds a bit familiar but since I don't track books that well, I'm not totally sure.
The D2K Paranormal Junkies 2008 Challenge
Oh ... that one sounds like one I'd have given up on ......
or maybe skimmed through to hopefully find some good parts and finally get the ending ..... and to think there is a sequel coming! .... yikes!
I sure hope it gets better!
~~ KatherineT ~~ I'm a Harlequin Addict, and I'm proud of it!
~~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog
I have a minor in forensic
I have a minor in forensic science so that evidence thing really bothers me. Not to mention it defies common sense.
There are actually nine in the series. The last came out in '03. And the author hasn't written anything since Katrina. I would hope the series gets better. But when I looked it up on Amazon, this one got mostly good reviews, and the second one got mostly poor reviews. Wish I had looked at that before I ordered it.
Jo
That is so annoying!
When I'm expecting a book to be a certain type ~ 'cause that's the way it's marketed ~ and it ends up being something completely different I tend to get a little squirrelly.... Yech!
You're a better person than I, Jo... I'd thrown it against a wall LONG ago!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
kalyko ~ Reading: One of life's little joys and a much needed reward!
*wince*
You have my sympathies. I couldn't figure out why everyone loved Moonlight from the first episode -- I just couldn't get past that, pretty much the first scene in the first episode shows the heroine -- a reporter -- walking BAREFOOT across a fresh crime scene, taking photos of the mostly naked body, and then publishing them. And getting praised for her great reporter skillz instead of being arrested for contaminating a crime scene and fired for a severe breech of journalistic ethics.
better than me
or is that I
I would have thrown the book against the wall long ago. I have a sufficient quantity of books in my TBR pile, plus there are books I would like to re-read, I no longer have patience for books with stupid heroines.
Nancy