There are authors who can genuinely write - it's not so much about the stories that they tell, but in the way that they tell them. These are the guys who can give you a description of an empty restaurant and make it one of the most compelling things you've ever read. You might not be that wrapped up in the actual story, but the telling of it? Well, that's got you hooked.
Then there are them what can plot out a tale - a fabulous complex twisty tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat; who keep you up past your bedtime because you just can't stand the thought of not knowing what happens next. These guys often seem to be writing to a 3rd grade comprehension level (Grisham? Patterson? I mean you!) but you forgive that fact because the story itself just will not let you go...
And then, if you're lucky - if you're really really lucky? You stumble across someone like Thomas Lakeman. Lakeman can not only write like a house on fire (man, oh man does this guy have a stunning way with language!) but he can plot out a tale that is absolutely impossible to put down. He did it in "Chillwater Cove" and he's done it again here...
"Broken Wing" is a force with which to be reckoned - as is its protagonist, Mike Yaeger. There are a number of "wow! didn't see that one coming..." plot twists - some of which are really out there, coming just thisclose to the line of implausibility, but always, ALWAYS staying on the right side of it. (This, I believe, must be much trickier than it seems - so many novels of suspense tromp all over that line. I imagine it's done to make the narrative fresh and unexpected - but I always feel cheated when something is too far out there in terms of believability...)
My hat is off to Mr. Lakeman - and I eagerly look forward to what he writes next..
