Official Review: Deadline for Murder by John L. Evans

CaitlinGonya · Post by **CaitlinGonya** » 27 May 2018, 15:58

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Deadline for Murder" by John L. Evans.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Deadline for Murder by John L. Evans is a crime novel that portrays lust, murder, infidelity, and lies. John Kendrick, a renowned lawyer, is discovered shot to death inside his Cadillac. Detective Kellerman is assigned to the case and initially believes it is related to one of the lawyer’s cases. However, as the list of suspects, including the victim’s wife and an outside the lines cop, Detective Kellerman might have more than just a murder to keep him busy.

I found it quite difficult to connect to the novel. There was so much going on that I felt like I was developing whiplash. I couldn’t grasp what kind of man Detective Kellerman was, and the novel seemed to lack the in-depth delicate touch. The novel read more to me as fact based, and less like a narrative. There were also a couple of scenes where the characters seemed to go off script from how law enforcement would act with a suspect. This turned me off the novel as I would expect more professionalism as well as common sense.

It was obvious from the beginning who the killer was and what the motive was. Then it felt like the added scenarios were placed there to make the novel progress more. It felt like some of the scenes were disconnected with the novel over all. Frank Russo and the interaction with his wife, for example, seemed out of place and unnecessary. I couldn’t follow as to why this communication was necessary to the story at all.

There were also a few grammatical errors. On page 70, “Tears were welling up is Ms…”, the word should be “in”. Page 89, “always thought of itself was…”, the word should be “as”. While these seem inconsequential I did find them distracting. Mainly because there was so much going on, that it made the errors even more noticeable. One thing I feel I must say that I did enjoy about this novel was the level of description of the people and the places. The author’s use of language made it easy for me to picture the various places in Southern California, and what each person looked like.

Unfortunately, I feel I must rate this novel 2 out of 4 stars. If I had been able to connect with the characters, then I would have given a higher rating. I did enjoy the author’s use of description, and the plot seems like it needed to be fleshed out just a little more. Maybe take a scene or two and place them into another novel.

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Deadline for Murder
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Kemunto lucy · Post by **Kemunto lucy** » 29 May 2018, 05:36

The book title is attractive but the fact we know the killer at the beginning is a put off.Thanks for the honest review.

Post by **bookowlie** » 29 May 2018, 08:34

Great review! The title caught my eye so I am disappointed to learn the book doesn't live up to the interesting title. I don't think I would want to know who the killer is and the motive so early in the book.

crediblereading2 · Post by **crediblereading2** » 29 May 2018, 11:09

Thank you for your detailed and honest review. The plot sounds fascinating, however, having prior knowledge of who the killer might be is, takes away from the intrigue.

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 29 May 2018, 11:33

Great review! This sounds like an interesting read, pity about the plot, which does not seem to be well-thought out.

Adinoyi 25 · Post by **Adinoyi 25** » 29 May 2018, 17:14

Your review is captivating. The book would have been more interesting if it was full of intrigue and suspense

Jackie Holycross · Post by **Jackie Holycross** » 29 May 2018, 18:57

I love crime fiction. Too bad this one didn’t deliver.

Ginnamassa19 · Post by **Ginnamassa19** » 30 May 2018, 09:11

A murder mystery that doesn't keep you guessing? Doesn't sound amazing

Coupled with editing errors and filler arcs, this doesn't sound like something I would pick up! Thank you for your review, though--it was very informative and very helpful

Hope your next book is better!

Samantha Simoneau · Post by **Samantha Simoneau** » 30 May 2018, 12:21

It's so disappointing that the "who" and the "why" are so obvious at the beginning. That in itself puts me off from reading it. Add that to the myriad of other issues you've described and the result is a novel I will not be adding to my "want to read" shelf. Thanks for the honest review!