Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The Millstone Prophecy was loaned to me by a friend who asked for my honest opinion on the novel. Criticizing anyone's creative work is never a joyful task. In the author's defense I understand how difficult it is to 1) write and 2) write well. However, not offering an honest criticism in the face of twenty-four 5-Star ratings would be doing future readers and the author a disservice. I wouldn't buy a boat, find that it leaks, and not tell the boat builder his work is flawed. I'll keep this simple: the storyline of Millstone Prophecy is weak, predictable and rife with clichés and stereotypes. The hero 9/11 cop, lesbian detective with attitude and pervert priest is the stuff of made for TV movies. The characters are thin and lifeless; I honestly could not like, dislike, sympathize or otherwise identify with any of the characters because the author didn't take the time and effort to develop them. Too much energy was put into trying to make each chapter akin to a Fox News Alert with little or no attempt towards character development. What is more, the protagonist's morphing into a famous literary detective is bizarre and more fitting for a 1980s Leslie Nielsen spoof film than a serious attempt at fiction. From a technical standpoint the novel is flawed, and in some cases terribly flawed. Apparently, the author did no research on his alleged home town (MY home town), or how real NYPD detectives work. I question the credentials of his NYPD technical advisor. All that being said, I do applaud the author's effort. I think I see where he was trying to go with this novel; a sort of Dan Brown meets Clive Cussler meets Lawrence Sanders mix. He didn't pull it off. In short, reading Millstone Prophecy was like ordering a hard-boiled egg and finding, once I cut into it, that the inside is runny and undercooked. Lastly, this is a self-published work, which raises my antennas from the starting gate. Perhaps if the book was published through traditional means versus self-publication it would have met with more critical review before/IF it hit the presses and, more importantly, given the author greater guidance on how to perfect his craft. Good fiction does not come easy. Like the undercooked egg, more time in the pan could have led to a more desirable finished product. Footnote: an article that I read this morning in the New York Times [...] discusses vendors who commission false 5-Star ratings for their products on Amazon.com in an effort to boost sales. I certainly hope that book reviews are not included in this practice.