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Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn: A (Relatable) Revenge Fantasy Full of Heart and Panache

Mrs. Plansky's RevengeMrs. Plansky’s Revenge

by Spencer Quinn

DETAILS:
Publisher: Forge
Publication Date: July 25, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 291 pg.
Read Date: September 4-5, 2023
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“…there’s also what you might call a demotivating factor.”

“Which is?” said Mrs. Plansky. For some reason she was now finding Agent Gatling easy to understand.

“From our point of view the scammers are bad guys, end of story. But to the elite running the show over there the scammers are bad guys who also have a nice little industry going, bringing in the Yankee dollar and lots of ‘em. And to the everyday Joe they’re punching up, the kind of outlaw people have a soft spot for.”

“Like Robin Hood.”

“You got it.”

They gazed at each other. The message was in his eyes, Mrs. Plansky voiced it.

“You’re telling me to lose hope.”

“Not in so many words.”

What’s Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge About?

Mrs. Plansky is enjoying her retirement (however much it’s tainted by the semi-recent death of her husband). Her hip replacement’s healed enough that she can play tennis, and she’s practically back at the level she was before the surgery. Her kids are established in their lives, her grandchildren are doing okay (although she has some concerns about her grandson’s friends and associates). Things are as good as she could’ve wanted.

Then one day, she’s scammed by someone claiming to be her grandson who needs some money for bail. We’ve (probably) heard about versions of this scam—they don’t just get the bail money, they get enough information from her to empty her accounts.

She’s devastated. How is she going to live? How’s she going to help her father, her children, or her grandchildren? Is she going to be able to convince them that they don’t need to worry about her emotional stability or soundness of mind? And what can she do when even the FBI seems to be giving up before they’ve even started?

Well, Mrs. Plansky does what she’s always done—put her nose to the grindstone and get to work. The FBI said something about some small Romanian town, why not start there? So she sells a very nice piece of jewelry and buys a plane ticket. It may be a fool’s errand, but little ventured, little gained, right?

Norm and the Mrs.

Throughout the book, Mrs. Plansky is identified as “Mrs. Plansky.” Not “Loretta” or “Plansky” as most writers would do after establishing the protagonist’s name. This is how she thinks of herself (although she tells people to call her Loretta all the time). Now, you could come at this with some sort of feminist critique about how her personality/identity has been swallowed by her husband’s or something along those lines. And in some books that would be valid.

But I don’t think that’s the case here (Mr. Quinn, feel free to correct me on this). She just thinks of herself as Norm’s wife. And, I expect, that were he still with us, Norm would think of himself as Loretta’s husband. He’s constantly on her mind as she goes through all this. They had a strong marriage, built a business together (each displaying their own strengths), raised a couple of kids together, and enjoyed a life together (made all the more pleasant by the business taking off and giving them a very comfortable life).

The fact that after his death she still thinks of herself in this way I found particularly sweet. They may have been parted by death, but in many real and tangible ways, they’re still married. It’s a great character point and tells us so much about her without Quinn having to do so. This is not to say that Mrs. Plansky might not consider future romantic entanglements, but she’ll always be Norm’s wife in some sense.

Mrs. Plansky’s Other Opponent

She closed her eyes, resting them, in fact. Giving her eyes a little rest from time to time? That was new in her life. Her eyes had gone along for more than seven decades content to take their rest when the rest of her was resting—team players, the pair of them—but now they were making demands.

Related to that—Mrs. Plansky’s no spring chicken. She’s in great shape for someone of her years and will surprise herself by some of what she’s able to do physically (for example, on the tennis court). At the same time, she’s having to come to grips with the effects of aging—her strength and endurance isn’t what it was, her attention slips from time to time, and her recall might struggle a bit. Everything, basically, is a little more difficult than it used to be. I appreciated the way that Quinn depicted this—not that everything’s falling apart, or that with grit and determination she’s triumphing against the effects of aging, she’s simply noticing and adjusting.

There are moments here and there where this makes Mrs. Plansky (rather, a close third-person narration) slightly unreliable. But Quinn’s spent years writing from the POV of a dog who doesn’t fully understand what humans are doing, and he’s great at depicting that without casting doubt on everything going on and getting the reader to understand things that the protagonist missed.

The Tone

Overall, the book has a lighter and optimistic tone. Most of that comes from Mrs. Plansky’s character and frame of mind.

But (to go with that character), not all of it is light. There are some dark moments, some real despair and worry. For example, I knew the premise of this book months ago, back when Quinn first announced it. Yet when Mrs. Plansky’s on the phone with the scammer and is giving away too much information, I was reading with one hand over my eyes. Similarly, as she comes to grips with just how bad things are for her—and takes in Agent Gatling’s message about how little hope she has to recover the funds…you can’t help but feel for her.

But when she comes up with a plan and begins to execute it—and enjoys doing so. It’s impossible not to catch that optimism and lightness.

So, what did I think about Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge?

This is a very different flavor than I’ve seen from Quinn before—yes, it shares some elements from his other work (The Right Side and the Chet and Bernie books in particular), but overall, it feels like a new and welcome direction. I mean, it’s welcome here as long as he comes back to Chet and Bernie. There’s a depth, a perspective, and a different kind of character than I’m used to. And a total dearth of animal companions, which is just strange.

I loved most of the characters (even the bad guys). And even (in the case of her children, for example—a sure sign that Mr. and Mrs. Plansky weren’t great at everything) when I didn’t like the characters, I appreciated the way Quinn wrote them. The one exception is her father, who lives in a nearby assisted living facility. I’m not sure that we needed Mrs. Plansky’s father as a character—I think he was supposed to be both comic relief and just one more source of financial pressure for her. I don’t think the comedy worked all that well—and Quinn could’ve given us another source for the pressure.

One quick aside, I’m just curious—between this book and Osman’s Thursday Murder Club books, I’m wondering if there’s a surfeit of charming Eastern European men with a “flexible” understanding of the law running around. Can anyone confirm that?

An implausible, but great story. A revenge fantasy that many people will have had, taken on by a relatable character that you can’t help but root for. There’s plenty of heart to go around, and it’ll just leave you feeling good (as long as you don’t put it down while she’s being ripped off).

If you’ve tried Quinn before and he hasn’t clicked with you, try this one. If you haven’t tried him before, try this one. If you’re not sure you want to read a dog-less book from him, try it. If there’s anyone I haven’t covered in this paragraph—try it.


4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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When Archie Met Lily

According to Some Buried Caesar, 85 years ago today, Archie Goodwin—one of my top 5 All-Time Favorite Characters—met the only woman who could keep his attention for more than a few months, Lily Rowan. Lily shows up several times in the Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin series and threatens to steal every scene she appears in (and frequently succeeds). Check out this post from Today in Mystery Fiction for the details—one of my favorite scenes, from one of my favorite books in possibly my favorite series—(I think I have 3 or 4 copies of it), so I had to say something.

Besides, it’s not like I have a long list of dates associated with fictional events to commemorate (but I really should work on one).

How they met 85 years ago, when Archie’s only in his mid-30s, is beyond me. But Math was never my strong suit, I’m sure it makes sense, surely Charlie Epps could explain it to me.

Regardless, it’s a great scene—the first of many between the two. Lily will go on to have great scenes with Mr. Wolfe, as well–one of the more memorable happens at a crucial point in In the Best Families where she does something that no one else does in the Wolfe/Archie books.

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Hansel and Gretel by Neil Gaiman, Lorenzo Mattotti (Illustrator): Bill McNeal Gave Us the Word “Adequacivity” for Books Like This

Hansel and GretelHansel and Gretel

by Neil Gaiman, Lorenzo Mattotti (Illustrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Toon Books
Publication Date: October 28, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Length: 56 pgs.
Read Date: August 12, 2023
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What’s Hansel and Gretel About?

This is the story of Hansel and Gretel almost straight from the Brothers Grimm—given a quick shine by Gaiman. There’s nothing particularly Gaiman-esque about the writing or the approach to the story. It’s a pretty decent and straightforward approach to the story.

The Art

In the spirit of “If you can’t say anything nice….”, I’m tempted to leave a few lines of blank space here and move on. I don’t get it. Really. I just don’t understand what Mattotti was going for here. The pictures are spread over two pages, and most of those pages are black. There are bits of white to help you get an image or the shadow of an image, but again—it’s just black. The kind of black that would’ve threatened to bankrupt printers just a couple of decades ago.

Maybe a quarter to a third of each two-page spread was interesting—but the rest. Ugh.

Call me a Philistine here…but I just don’t see why someone would bother.

I’ve looked at Mattotti’s website, and I like a lot of what I saw there…but this was a swing and a miss.

So, what did I think about Hansel and Gretel?

So, the text was okay. The art was disappointing. Overall, I give this a “meh.” If this were a person’s first exposure to the story—it’d work well. And honestly, if that’s what someone uses it for—I’d probably rate this higher.

But for someone wanting a little bit of that Gaiman magic applied to this familiar tale? It just doesn’t deliver.


2 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Some Disorganized Thoughts on the Excellence that is Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

Light BringerLight Bringer

by Pierce Brown

DETAILS:
Series: Red Rising, #6
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Publication Date: July 25, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 672
Read Date: August 14-24, 2023
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This Post

Yeah, this isn’t going to be my typical kind of post. I know deep in my bones, the way you know about a good melon, that if I tried my typical approach I’d probably finish this in December. And since I don’t have that kind of patience—and this book was due back at my library on August 19. I’m in deep sh…aving cream already.

So, I’m just going to mention a few things I think are worth saying—and hopefully think of a conclusion to wrap it all up (but no promises).

bullet I need to start with the fact that I went into this with a wrong assumption—I misunderstood something I saw Brown say on Twitter some months ago and thought that this was the finale of the series. I started wondering pretty soon how that was going to be the case, but it took me far too long to admit that I misunderstood him and shouldn’t expect any kind of bow to be put on things by the end of Light Bringer. Once I gave that up, most of my lingering questions about pacing and character went away.

bullet Lyria. If Brown had done nothing else impressive with the post-Morning Star books, what he’s done in creating and growing this character would justify the time reading them. I just cannot get over her. At this point, I enjoy her more than Darrow, Virginia, or the rest. Kavax and Sevro are the only characters that compete with her for my affection. Also, Brown did an excellent job of faking the reader out when it came to her character arc after the last book.

bullet Darrow grows more in these pages than he has since…maybe The Institute. Or probably with Lorn. And a lot of that has to do with the right book being given to him at the right time in his life. (maybe my libro-fixation makes me focus on that part, but, I’m right). I want to see this change in action more—but what Brown does here gives me a lot of hope for our hero. Assuming The Reaper is our hero by the end.

bullet I really, really, really, really want to know how long Brown has been plotting out the major events of this novel—has he been building up to them since Iron Gold or before? Or were they things that came into focus when he started planning Light Bringer? It won’t change what I think of them (devastating, brilliant, etc.)—it’ll just help me understand how he works.

bullet The bonds between so many of these characters are fantastic. Particularly between the classmates turned colleagues turned friends turned enemies turned uneasy allies turned brothers. (or relationships that follow similar paths) How these people can be bound up so tightly with each other after all they’ve gone through is something else. So many times I start off thinking, “There’s no way that Darrow/Lysander/Victra/Whoever is going to trust them is there?” And then they do—and I buy it every single time, just the way that Darrow/Lysander/Victra/Whoever does. And I’m caught as off-guard as they are in the significant percentage of times they end up getting betrayed.

bullet I cannot believe how often these people make me laugh—genuinely laugh. In the midst of all of the death, destruction, revenge, societal upheaval, and uncertainty—there’s a core humanity at work in them all.

bullet After all these thousands of pages (especially when I count re-reads and audiobook listens)…how can Brown completely surprise me the way he does? I can’t even count how many double-crosses that become triple-crosses then go awry and end up becoming alliances that are quadruple-crossed in this book alone. (And that’s not a spoiler, if you’ve read the series, you know that’s going to happen—and I likely left off at least 5 backstabbings).

bullet Speaking of stabbing…Brown’s action scenes—particularly when it comes to small groups of people fighting—one on one, two on two, one on five, etc.—are just great. He’s never been shabby at this, but it felt like he topped himself here. (as he has in each successive book).

bullet Sevro, Sevro, Sevro…I felt so bad for him through so much of this book. Even before he inadvertently found out what happened to his family in Dark Age. But you never want to count the Goblin out, right?

bullet Although, the fox Sophocles just might have done a better job of breaking my heart. Not that it’s a competition.

bullet There’s a fantastic potential spin-off series introduced around the mid-way point. I hope Brown doesn’t give it to us (although I’ll read it if he does), I think I’d prefer my imaginary version of it.

bullet The bond that I referred to earlier is seen in loyalty, forgiveness (and the ability to work together when that forgiveness hasn’t been granted), and best of all, a humor based on shared experiences and attitudes. The humor in this book is almost never situational (too grim for that), or physical (outside maybe of Sophocles)—it comes from old friends being rude to one another, making a joke in reference to something that happened a decade or more ago, etc. And it works—you can’t help but chuckle alongside these men—even when they’re likely saying goodbye for the last time, they can make you laugh. Well done, Mr. Brown.

Let’s See If I Can Wrap This Up

I really think I could just keep going flipping back and forth through the pages of the book and coming up with more and more bullet points to ramble about. But who wants to read that? (especially now that I see that I’ve repeated myself)

I really wish I spent time in discussion groups, fan sites, etc. for this series, so I’d have known that this wasn’t the ending before I started. That preconceived notion really skewed things for a while. Oh well. Like I said before, once I started thinking of this as penultimate—everything clicked.

I do think it’s time for Brown to tie this up—as much as I love this series, readers can only take so many Master Plans that go awry when they meet other Master Plans only to uncover someone else’s Deeper Master Plan working against both.

But it’s been—and will be—quite the ride. These characters are so full of honor, and nobility (of various types), that even when they’re “on the wrong side” it’s hard to think poorly of them until they’ve turned into hypocrites or something. Brown gives us a great picture of so many people working for the common good—if only they could agree with what that is. Chess masters vying against one another to help their picture of the best for society to come about. Sadly, their moves aren’t made with game pieces, but with thousands or millions of lives at a time.

I’m, of course, ignoring the few giant vacuums of decency with a hunger for power and destruction that are also running through the pages.

In Dark Age (and I’m going to be vague just in case someone hasn’t read it yet)—there’s a scene when someone holds down a dying foe, cuts out two giant strips from their back to reveal their ribcage and organs—and pour salt on the wounds. There are a couple of scenes in this book that felt like that. (except for the fact that I was in my recliner sipping on something cool while reading). And with at least one of those scenes the person I was having my heart torn up about was a character I either was bored by or didn’t bother to form an opinion of until this book. But over the course of the novel, Brown’s able to get every one of these modified humans to become a person practically as real as any flesh and blood creature you run into.

It took me less than 50 pages into Red Rising to be awed by Brown and thousands of pages later, he’s still doing it to me.

Go read this series.

5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Opening Lines: The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

Head & Shoulders used to tell us that, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That’s true for wearing dark shirts, and it’s especially true for books. Sometimes the characters will hook the reader, sometimes the premise, sometimes it’s just knowing the author—but nothing beats a great opening for getting a reader to commit. This is one of the better openings I’ve heard recently. Would it make you commit?

Here’s the thing about waking up with no memory in the middle of the night, in the middle of the street, in the middle of Paris: at least you’re waking up in Paris. Or so the woman thought as she lay on the cold ground, staring up through a thick layer of falling snow at the Eiffel Tower’s twinkling lights.

She didn’t know about the bruise that was growing on her temple.

She didn’t see the drops of blood that trailed along the frosty white ground.

And she absolutely, positively didn’t remember why she was lying in the street like someone who had tried to make a snow angel and fell asleep midswoop.

I should finish my angel, she thought.

I should get up.

I should go home.

But she didn’t actually know where home was, she realized. So why not take a nap right there? It seemed like an excellent plan. After all, the snow was fluffy and soft, and the world was quiet and still; and sleep was such a wonderful thing. Really, the best thing. She didn’t know her own name, but she was certain that sleep had to be her favorite hobby ever, so why not close her eyes and drift off for a little while? Really, no one would blame her.

from The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter
The Blonde Identity Cover

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Even More Quick Questions With…Matthew Hanover

Matthew Hanover’s newest book, Not Prepared, really wowed me and I’m so excited to share this Q&A about it today. Hanover’s no stranger to people who’ve read this site for any amount of time. I’ve blogged about all of his books and this is the fourth Q&A he’s participated in about his writing—plus a Q&A about Self-Publishing.

Here’s the latest with him—and the latest in my campaign to earn him some new readers.


In the past, your protagonists have been in roughly similar places in their lives/careers/emotional development. With Not Prepared, you’ve moved to an older, more mature character well-established in his career. Is this because of where you are in life? You just needed a change of pace, or something else?
After three books with 20-somethings as protagonists, I was more than ready to explore a story with a character at a different stage of life, closer to where I am. It may reflect my age or my growth as a writer, or just the fact that Neil had to be the age he is to make the story work. I started working on Not Prepared before I’d even finished Not Awkward because I’d come up with the idea and stuff just started pouring out.

Are you sticking with men at this stage of life or are you going to bounce around some more? (or have you even thought that far ahead?)
Writing for younger characters is increasingly difficult for me, but I won’t say I won’t ever write about 20-somethings again.

For Not Prepared, the story really dictated what the characters had to be. Chloe’s age came first because she had to have a certain level of maturity and resourcefulness, but also be right for coming-of-age story elements that would make their living situation ripe for comedy. Once Chloe’s age was established, that really helped establish what age Neil had to be. He couldn’t be in his twenties because he had to be a father figure, not someone who could have been her brother.

That makes a whole lot of sense—I focused on Neil because he’s the protagonist, but yeah, you need to start with Chloe and do the math from there for everything to work.
Exactly. Neil may be the protagonist, but Chloe is very much the main character of the story. She’s the one who drives the story forward. Neil’s romance with Jenna is incredibly important, obviously, but the most important relationship is between Neil and Chloe.

Speaking of careers for your protagonists (and/or other characters in the books), do you spend a lot of time thinking about those and what they say about your characters?
Sometimes, a character’s profession is based on what is most helpful for the story. In Not Famous, Nick was a self-employed web designer because his schedule needed to be flexible to make the story work. In Not Dressed, which is half a workplace comedy, I really had to find a profession that people think is really awesome, but isn’t so great in reality, so Jake became an architect. In Not Awkward, Scott’s profession was less important because was unemployed for the main action of the story because it enabled him to participate in the main arc.

What kind of research—if any—do you do to depict them? Let’s use Neil’s wedding photography biz as a case study, but feel free to use anyone else, too.
The most research I did was for Not Dressed because so much of the story took place at Jake’s place of work. I had to get insight from people who are or were in the field to get some of the technical details right. For Not Prepared I had to research a lot of professions to figure out what would be best for Neil, and a wedding photographer worked out great because it meant he could be home a lot during the week with Chloe, because of the awkwardness of their living together is really what drives the story. It took a lot of research to understand how these photographers work, what they charge, how they can make a living for a job that is generally occurring on weekends, how they keep money flowing in, what they do when they’re not actually shooting a wedding, etc.

Do you remember any professions that you considered for him and decided against?
I came up with the wedding photographer idea quite early, and once I thought of it, I knew that was the answer and stopped considering other ideas. Perhaps what I liked most about it, is how ironic the job is for him because he’s a guy who’s essentially resigned himself to being single, yet he’s constantly documenting weddings.

Neil and Jenna both have pretty serious anxiety issues, I think it’s safe to say. At what point did you decide that their anxieties were going to be a significant part of this book, or did that just come up as you write? What kind of thought/research did you have to put into them to make sure you depicted them right and/or they were good for the story? Did you start (with either of them) having a different kind of anxiety and have to backtrack and rework?
Neil’s hypochondria was perhaps one of the first ideas I had for the story. One of the things about writing an older character is that they are not only in different places professionally, but also have different attitudes about their own well-being. As you get older, you start getting screened for various diseases, and you’re more tired and prone to aches and pains. Giving Neil health anxiety was just the perfect way to exaggerate that.

As for Jenna, at some point, it made sense to me that what would make her and Neil a great couple is that they both have neuroses that have made them unlucky in love before, but allowed each of them to see beyond those issues and make their relationship work. Figuring out the right anxiety for Jenna took a lot of research. I wanted her to exude all the qualities of a strong, confident, professional woman, but to have a phobia that was not only real but something that most people would consider completely irrational.

My mother has a strong (very strong) preference along the lines of Jenna’s, so that’s the way I was raised (although my father tried his best to negate that influence). So I’ve got to say I get where she’s coming from, my feelings aren’t as strong as hers, but I sympathize with her. I can see where a full-blown anxiety like Jenna’s would be a real hindrance to a new relationship (friendship/romantic) with some people.
For sure. It was a fun thing to research because I really had to get an understanding of the phobia and research how people who have it get around it. It really made her character so much more interesting.

You’ve never shied away from some serious things in the pasts of your characters, but Chloe’s backstory and the events that brought her to Neil’s door are a few degrees “darker” (for lack of a better term) than you typically go. Was this a deliberate thing for you, “I need/want to start going deeper/darker,” or was it just what was needed for Chloe?
Chloe’s backstory was something I struggled with, and changed a few times during the writing process. Believe it or not, it was actually darker than the final version, but it never felt right for a comedy. I really wanted to focus on the struggles of her imposing on Neil’s bachelor life while dealing with the awkward challenges of growing up. To me that allowed for a lot of funny moments that were also realistic.

Dark-but-not-too-dark is a great way to think about it. Because, yeah, if you’d taken a step or two in either direction it would’ve been inappropriate for a comedy, or too light for it to seem real.
Exactly. And it worked out well. At first, it appears that Chloe is quite resilient and seems generally unaffected by the abandonment, but as time passes, it’s clear that it has had an impact on her. Had she endured more than mere neglect and abandonment, I doubt she’d have been as socially functional or emotionally stable to make the story work.

Let’s step away from Not Prepared for a bit before I end up asking you to break things down chapter by chapter (and don’t think that’s not a danger). Have you been reading anything lately that’s got you excited? Or do you have anything on your radar you can’t wait to get to?
I find it very difficult to read when I’m writing because I don’t like to feel too influenced by other work. So, I have a rather large pile of books to read that I gotta get cracking on. That said, Brian David Floyd has just finished the first draft of his next novel, and I’m looking forward to that. There’s more coming from Ian Shane and Wesley Parker that I plan to get into when they’re out as well.

My upcoming list looks similar—I’m waiting for an ARC for that Shane book to arrive soon—and cannot wait for that new Parker (it hurt me to decline a beta copy due to time). I’m off to look into Brian David Floyd as soon as I schedule this post…

But that brings up another question—when you’re writing, how do you spend your non-writing/not-work downtime? How does Matthew Hanover relax?
Well, right now I’m trying to enjoy the summer the best way I can. But, my best downtime is just chilling out at night binging my favorite shows from my youth.

When we talked about your previous book, you said that you’d written a bit of book 5—is that what you’re working on now, or have you changed to something else? Can you say anything about it and your timeline for releasing it?
I actually have two more books in various stages of development right now. One is the next book in the Wallflowers series, and another more experimental novel that will be set in the universe, but not part of the series. I’m not sure which will get finished or published first at this point.

That could easily lead to another batch of questions…but I’ll save those for later. 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to answer these—and for Not Prepared—I loved it, and hope others find it soon.


A Few Quick Questions

Real Tigers by Mick Herron: Things Hit Close to Home for the Slow Horses

Real TigersReal Tigers

by Mick Herron

DETAILS:
Series: Slough House, #3
Publisher: Soho Crime
Publication Date: January 19, 2016
Format: Hardcover
Length: 343 pg.
Read Date: May 21-June 2, 2023
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Real Tigers‘ Flap Copy

I don’t like what I’ve come up with to describe the book, so I’m just going to use the flap copy:

London: Slough House is the MI5 branch where disgraced operatives are reassigned after they’ve messed up too badly to be trusted with real intelligence work. The “Slow Horses,” as the failed spies of Slough House are called, are doomed to spend the rest of their careers pushing paper, but they all want back in on the action.

When one of their own is kidnapped and held for ransom, the agents of Slough House must defeat the odds, overturning all expectations of their competence, to breach the top-notch security of MI5’s intelligence headquarters, Regent’s Park, and steal valuable intel in exchange for their comrade’s safety. The kidnapping is only the tip of the iceberg, however—the agents uncover a larger web of intrigue that involves not only a group of private mercenaries but the highest authorities in the Secret Service. After years spent as the lowest on the totem pole, the Slow Horses suddenly find themselves caught in the midst of a conspiracy that threatens not only the future of Slough House, but of MI5 itself.

The Introduction

I absolutely love the way that Herron introduces Slough House and its denizens in each book. It reminds me of the way that Rex Stout’s Archie gives the rundown of Wolfe’s Brownstone and the routine in each book. But Herron’s unique approach to each introduction has really clicked with me and I look forward to this part of the books.

I can see just opening up one of these at random from time to time, reading the description of Slough House, and moving on with just a quick refreshing hit of Herron’s magic.

Roddy Ho

Roddy Ho is a great hacker—that’s clear. He’s probably almost as good as he thinks he is. The level of delusion he has about his desirability to women outdoes even Crais’ John Chen (and that’s saying something)—it’s a fun character trait, even if it is hard to believe that someone can be that clueless about themselves.*

* 5 minutes on social media reminded me of the power of self-delusion. Never mind.

That said…it’s easy between books to remember how fun it is to see him getting verbally smacked around by Lamb or River pressuring him to work, and how good he is at the technical stuff, etc.—but to forget just what wholly unpleasant person he is. I mentioned John Chen before, Chen is helpless and harmless (while being a misogynistic creep). Roddy doesn’t have that veneer of hapless charm that Chen carries—and is a bigger misogynistic creep. I just want to wash my hands after a scene focused on him if it shows him thinking or talking about women. He probably belongs in prison and would’ve ended up there if not for being employed by MI5.

Team Building?

I will say, for a bunch of misanthropic individualists, when it comes to one of their own, the Slow Horses are really good at teamwork. They spend so much time on their own, regretting their own mistakes that landed them in Slough House, dreaming and scheming their way back to Regent’s Park, etc. that they all have a serious bit of tunnel vision. They’re all focused on themselves to the exclusion of pretty much everyone else—but they’re becoming closer to a true team—particularly when one of them is in some sort of jeopardy.

It’s nice to see—and generally funny, because they’re so bad at teamwork. But the bits that they get right—either on the job or off—are heartwarming to see.

As heartwarming as this series gets, anyway.

So, what did I think about Real Tigers?

The way that this book deals with the Dead Lions-aftermath is the best part for me. Obviously, most of that has to do with Lousia, but it’s there for everyone to one degree or another. Yes, these books can be read as stand-alones, but there’s an impact to be felt from the previous novels. The MI5 and political machinations behind all the actions—the twists, double-twists, and triple-twists. I know that’s part-and-parcel for this series, so I’m not complaining about that. It felt off…overdone maybe? The Slow Horses doing their thing was entertaining enough. But the package as a whole felt like a letdown.

Still, I loved reading this book. Herron can put together a sentence like no one else. I can’t imagine there’s something I wouldn’t want to read him describe. Even when I didn’t really connect with the story, I couldn’t stop reading—that’s all down to Herron’s skill and the fantastic characters he fills his books with. I’m not just talking about the Horses, even the characters that you’re going to see for 1-2 chapters feel like they’ve got a depth to them that could sustain a novel.


4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

The Inside Scoop—A Q&A with JCM Berne About Self-Publishing

Inside Scoop logo
I’ve talked about him all week, and now it’s time to hear from the man himself, JCM Berne. Without his help, there’d have been a lot less for you to read and me to post this week. And as anyone who has read his fiction, watched his Youtube videos, or has interacted with him in any way will expect, this particular entry in the series is as fun to read as it is useful and informative. Without further ado:


Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
I am JCM Berne. I write superhero stories. For grownups. No, they’re not silly. No, they’re not deconstructions. Or anti-heroes. Or gritty. Or hyper violent. Yes, they’re for grownups, I said that already. Yes, I’m serious. Yes there are bears, and sentient space stations, and giant bug monsters. No, really, none of it is silly.

It’s a story about regret and redemption, humor and happiness, coffee and donuts. Some people call it slice-of-life, but there are some war crimes and mass murders, so it’s not exactly cozy fantasy.

My website: jcmberne.com (shocking, I know!)

My books can be found at: https://a.co/d/5LoNrHZ

Best place to talk to me is twitter (my DMs are open!): @joeberne1

What are some of the biggest misconceptions you find that readers have about self-published books?
I’ll summarize it like this: people know that in, say, fantasy, Tor, Baen, Orbit, and whoever else you consider the ‘real’ publishers are releasing a certain number of books each month. People imagine that those companies are actually getting the BEST books. That if those companies release 50 books, the BEST indie book that month is, at most, the 51st best book being released globally.

That is incredibly far from the truth. The major publishers are finding, at best, a fraction of the best books according to their own editorial taste.

If your taste doesn’t exactly align with the Tor (or Orbit or Baen) staff (and it probably doesn’t), the BEST book for you that month might be one that those companies have all passed over. Maybe you want something more original. Or less original! Or litRPG. Or a non-ironic superhero story! The big companies are only releasing books in a very narrow window of genre and style.

Additionally, the process of getting a book through slush piles and into an editor’s hands is so onerous and so luck-dependent that there’s a good chance the best book in any given month was never even looked at by an agent, let alone an acquiring editor at Tor.

If you can find review outlets that you trust, you might find that THEY find better books than Tor can ever manage.

The second set of misconceptions is that self-published books are low quality – more typos, ugly covers, poor editing, etc. This is absolutely true some of the time, but it’s not hard to find self-published books of higher objective quality than trades. It just varies more (the worst self-published books are much, much lower quality, because there’s no gatekeeping at all).

What kind of costs are associated with self-publishing a book? Do you hire one or more editors, or one editor for a couple of passes? Cover artist? Anyone to help with layout, design, etc.? Beta readers? Or do you take it all on yourself? Are you actually making any money at this, or are you still focused on breaking-even while building an audience?
Cover: as low as $50 – but you’d have to be very lucky to find one that cheap that matches your book and still looks decent. Really good covers are very findable in the $1000 range. I spend over $4k on mine (which is probably a really poor investment, but I’m not a smart businessperson).

Editing: Varies. Most self-published authors writing GOOD books are hiring a line editor and copy editor and getting some developmental editing done (I am an exception, I don’t use developmental editors, because I’m just that arrogant). Minimum $1000 for a book and usually closer to $2-4k.

Layout and design – some people hire this out, but there’s software like Atticus ($100 lifetime purchase) that make it really easy to do.

Beta readers – people do hire beta readers, who cost a lot less than editors (usually under $100 for a beta read). Hiring beta readers is a lot less common than just trading with other writers.

Audio narrator: some people do this themselves, but a good audio narrator is around $200+ per finished hour. My book, for example, was about 13 hours. You can go higher.

Marketing: That’s the open-ended part. Blog tours, ads on amazon, newsletters, etc. You can spend absolutely any amount.

I am not making any money at this. Some indie authors are. Some support themselves doing this – more often those in high volume genres, like romance. I hear about indie authors hitting seven figure incomes (I assume that’s US dollars, not rupees or anything). I personally am eager to one day come close to recouping what I’ve already spent (nowhere near it).

Are there tools, mentors, websites you’ve found to help you through this process? Or did you stumble through blindly on your own?
I figured out a lot of it myself. I had early mentors in Ande Li and Maurice Alvarez, who I talked to because they’re friends in real life who had been publishing books for a while!

Once I got a foothold in the community, I got a LOT more help from authors on various Discord servers. I’ve found self published authors very willing to share advice and strategies. It’s a bizarrely supportive community.

How do you juggle marketing/PR/etc. with writing new work? (along with day jobs, family, hobbies, etc., etc.)
I keep telling myself it’s cheaper, and less time consuming, than a drug addiction. Not sure it’s true, but that’s what I tell myself. (that’s the second time someone’s said that—or words to that effect—today. I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad sign that multiple people think this way)

What made you decide that self-publishing was the direction you wanted to go? How often do you question that choice? How do you get through the self-doubt?
Honestly, I spent a small amount of time trying to find agents that might be interested in my book and got nowhere. It’s possible that some are out there and I just couldn’t find them. Believe me, if I thought I could have gotten a contract from Tor, I would have. I also feel my particular book doesn’t pitch well. I’ve never been able to come up with a brief (1 sentence) description that sounded anything other than a bit dumb. My strength obviously isn’t marketing!

I almost never question that choice, in the sense that to this day I still can’t come up with a good pitch for my book, and I don’t think there’s a route to a traditional contract that would have ever worked for me.

If I had held out for that, I’d be waiting still, and I wouldn’t have the readers I have, who I treasure.

Have you thought about trying to get a deal with major (or indie) publishers for upcoming works, or are you planning on sticking with self-publishing?
I have an independent book coming soon that pitches well (Taken, if it starred Michelle Yeoh and was set on Cradle – a retired monster hunter wrecks a continent when her children are kidnapped.) I tried to get a deal and failed. I’m not sure the patience for that anymore – especially when I’m in a position where I can get literally hundreds of people to read my next book with a few tweets.

Odds are, you’re doing this from love/passion, not to pay the bills. What keeps you going? I’m assuming there are more “who”s than “what”s, actually—who is it?
It creates plenty of bills… not paying any of them yet! While I do dream of making a profit at some point, I’m pretty happy with what’s going on right now.

I love to tell stories. I love crafting them, the slow reveal, figuring out ways to change the emotional impact. I constantly make up stories, even if it’s just in my own head.

Writing is, for me, incredibly fulfilling for that reason!

I tell people this: if you don’t have to write, don’t. It’s frustrating, time consuming, and difficult. If you aren’t driven to do it, don’t punish yourself! But if you’re compelled to write, then by all means, become an author. Just don’t quit your day job!

Self-publishing tends to have fewer external deadlines keeping one accountable. How do you maintain your work process or work ethic?
I have a system.

I book slots with my line editor, who usually fills her schedule 4-6 months in advance. Then I am forced to finish my books to get them to her.

Because I love my line editor (she makes my books more authentically mine than I can manage on my own), I am deeply afraid of disappointing her, so it works!

I do not recommend this system. Do as I say, not as I do.

If you were to start the process over with the experience you have now, what would you do differently?
I would probably write a different genre. Superheroes are a tough sell, much tougher than I expected, and getting readers to take my books seriously is hard (I’m surprised you read it, HC, given what you generally review) [Really? I loves me some good super-hero stuff, I need to do better at talking about that]. On the other hand, this genre is what I really love, so maybe I’d have decided to go with it regardless, and just had lowered expectations.

Maybe that’s what I’d do differently: moderate my expectations.

How do you decide a book is finally finished and ready? (or how do you avoid “perfection as the enemy of good”?)
This is the tricky thing!

I set a deadline – usually announcing things on twitter, or booking a slot with my line editor – and just try to get it as good as it can get before then. But you have to couple that sort of process with a willingness to bail (and eat the editorial cost, or kill some of the buzz you’ve generated) if the product you have really isn’t up to par.

So far, I haven’t done that. It helps that my goal is a really fulfilling series, not a really fulfilling book, and I remind myself that every series has some subpar entries. But really it just takes an enormous amount of confidence, earned or not, to release a book, and you just have to do it.

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it! And do know that there are many of us out here who appreciate and applaud what you do (and our number is growing)!
Thank YOU so much! Reviewers and influencers are all that stand between relative obscurity and complete obscurity for us authors! (Sorry, I wrote that sentence wrong, then read what it said, and it’s too funny for me to fix). Writing is inherently communicative. Having readers who really understand what I was trying to do in my books is what makes writing them worthwhile, and to be honest, I only KNOW they ‘got’ the meaning when I can read an actual review. Not that a buy or a star rating aren’t great – they are – but it doesn’t mean as much.

Be sure to give The Hybrid Helix (and anything else Berne puts out) a try!


Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

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The 2023 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

PUB DAY REPOST: Not Prepared by Matthew Hanover: This’ll Melt Your Heart and Bring a Smile to Your Face

So this isn’t technically part of my Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week posts, but it could be. I just would’ve posted this today no matter what else was going on around here because it’s Publication Day! Here’s your chance to show your appreciation for this particular self-published author and give this a big push right out of the gates—you’ll come out ahead if you do this, it’s such a great read. Later today, I will have a Q&A with Hanover about Self-Pulblishing—ycome back for it.


Not PreparedNot Prepared

by Matthew Hanover

DETAILS:
Series: Wallflowers, #4
Publication Date: July 25, 2023
Format: eARC
Read Date: July 7-10, 2023

The Series

Let me start with this—I’ve labeled this as the fourth book in the Wallflowers series (I prefer to think of it as the Alli-verse, but whatever, I’ll go with Hanover’s title). This does not mean you need to read the other three first. There’s only the thinnest little thread tying these together and there’s no reason not to read them all as stand-alones.

What’s Not Prepared About?

Our protagonist, Neil, is a single photographer approaching 40. He’s fairly successful and comfortable with his life—which is primarily about his work and staying healthy. He enjoys a few romantic dalliances but stopped pursuing anything serious some time back. He’s fairly free and likes his life—outside of some family he rarely sees (largely due to circumstance, not preference), he really has no ties. Well, there’s the daughter of his childhood friend—Neil was named her godfather when she was born a little over a decade ago, shortly before his friend died. He’s seen her a few times over the years and babysat her occasionally, but that’s about it.

One night, the now 12-year-old Chloe shows up on his doorstep. Chloe says her mom dropped her off on her way out of town for a few days and that she needs to stay with Neil. It’s not really the most convenient or thoughtful way to do this, but Neil doesn’t begrudge Chloe for it—her mother, Sara, has never been thoughtful or responsible so it fits.

The next day, Neil takes Chloe to get some clothes—Sara left her without any. He’s not crazy about this, but it needs to happen. Neil’s really not crazy about helping her find underwear or a training bra. Thankfully, there’s a woman near them in the store who sees Neil’s predicament and comes to his aid.

Naturally, because it’s this kind of book, there’s a spark between this woman, Jenna, and Neil. A couple of days after their meet-cute, the two meet for coffee. The sparks are still there—and Jenna’s able to give Neil a hint or two about dealing with Chloe.

Neil’s going to need more than a hint or two because Chloe eventually comes clean with him—she has no idea where her mom went and when/if she’ll be coming home. Chloe’s looking for a new home and family, and she’s picked Neil (and would like Jenna to be part of it, too).

This is the last thing that Neil bargained for, but he’s drawn to the idea (about both Chloe and Jenna). Now the question is, can they make it work?

Chloe

When I posted about Hanover’s first book, Not Famous, I spent a lot of time talking about the protagonist’s younger sister. She wasn’t that integral to the plot, but brought out aspects of the central characters you wouldn’t have seen otherwise—but more than that, she’s a perfectly charming character that you wanted to see more of. In Not Prepared, Hanover takes a very similar character and makes her the focus of the novel.

If that’s all he did, I’d be a fan of the book—thankfully he does more (some of which I’ll talk about in a minute). But let’s focus on Chloe for a moment.

So, obviously, she’s a mess. Her mother abandoned her and it’s pretty clear that before she literally abandoned her, Sara put the minimal amount of effort (at best) in before that. She’s not used to being cared for, for having limits placed on her, for having a reliable presence of any kind—once she’s given those she responds well to them and flourishes (probably responds a bit too well, but we’re not looking for gritty realism here).

Chloe’s also obviously an intelligent and resourceful girl who sees her opportunity and seizes it. Not simply for her physical needs—but she’s long had an emotional tie to Neil and she makes the most of her time with him to feed and nurture that bond. It takes Neil a bit to understand just what he’s meant to her for so long, but once he does he reciprocates.

It’s both the portrayal of Chloe and the depiction of their relationship—in all of its ups and downs, flaws and strengths—that makes this book so strong

A Meeting of Anxieties

Neil suffers from health anxiety—a term he (understandably) prefers to hypochondria—which leads him to spend a lot of time in hospitals and doctor’s offices. He’s both very aware that he’s very likely completely healthy and yet he’s frequently convinced that he has any number of undiagnosed conditions or ailments, frequently exasperated by news reports or pharmaceutical commercials. This is something that’s impacted his life as long as he can remember—and having a dear friend die at a young age likely didn’t help. As a result of this, he’s rather health conscious, particularly when it comes to the food he buys and prepares. Which is exactly what a 12-year-old doesn’t want to hear or experience.

Jenna struggles with brumotactillophobia (a form of OCD relating to foods touching each other), which sounds like something to chuckle over, but for Jenna, it’s a serious and frequently embarrassing issue.

Neil’s lost relationships—short-term and incredibly serious—because of his anxiety. Jenna has, too—the number of first dates she’s had that have ended in disaster is the kind of thing to make anyone into a social hermit. Because they can relate to each other’s hardships—and because they’re basically decent people capable of empathy—both of them can understand and accept the other. In fact, it’s an early way for them to bond. There are points throughout the novel where they’re able to help each other with their anxiety, which just made me love them as a couple and like the book even more.

Chloe’s better for spending time with both of them and seeing how they cope and deal with their anxieties—she’s better than any of the characters in the book at supporting them through bumps in the road. As I type this, I realize it’s due in part to her having spent her entire life taking care of her mother, so maybe it’s not as heartwarming a point as I initially thought. Still, it endeared me to her.

Alli Conwell

For years, one aspect of Marvel (and related) movies that was a sure-fire pleaser was the inventive way that Stan Lee would show up in some sort of cameo. Hanover’s not quite at that point with the singer-songwriter that was at the center of his first novel, Not Famous, but it’s in sight.

I do enjoy seeing how Alli will pop up in the various books. And somehow—don’t ask me how, I’m worried it’s a sign of cognitive decline—when she does pop up I’m surprised.
Me: Oh, wow! That was great that he tied Alli into this.
Voice in My Head: You mean like he always does? Why weren’t you looking for it?
Me (grumbling): Shut up.

In a way that won’t bother anyone who’s never read a Hanover book before, her presence is felt throughout the novel, beginning with one of my favorite lines of the book.

Post-Credits Scene?

If Marvel (and other) movies* have taught us anything in the last 15 years, it’s that you don’t leave the movie theater until the credits have stopped rolling and all the lights have come up. Period. Sure, you’ll get a complete story if you do, but you’ll be missing something.

Hanover has provided his readers with a “post-credits” chapter—a bonus chapter that you can access for free. Now, if you don’t, you will get the entire story and you should be completely satisfied (I sure was). But the bonus chapter? That will make you happier and give you a better idea of what will happen to our characters. My ARC didn’t have the entire bonus chapter—but it had enough to give me that boost that a good-post credits scene does (and it gives me a reason to actually open the version I pre-ordered, so I can access the rest of it).

* That’s entirely too many Marvel movie references for a post here—particularly for a book bereft of super powers. Oops.

So, what did I think about Not Prepared?

This is the best thing that Hanover has published—it’s also my favorite so far. Any of the three central characters would be enough to qualify the book for the latter—but you throw them together, and it’s a lock.

Jenna is an independent, self-assured woman who knows her limitations, has a strong sense of self and her morality, and because of that, is able to let herself be vulnerable and open to those she wants to be vulnerable and open to. She makes room for Neil and Chloe because it’s her choice, not because she’s driven to, or needs something.

I’ve said enough about Chloe at this point that any more would be overkill—so I’ll leave it with saying that she’s an adorable kid that I want to read a sequel or three about (but not really, because I’d rather imagine what happens after this than know).

Then there’s Neil—a mature narrator/protagonist, rather than the twentysomething still trying to figure out what kind of life he wants. Neil has his life, he’s responsible, his career’s in a good place. Somewhat by force and a sense of duty (with a twinge of guilt), but primarily because he wants to—he changes his life to accommodate Chloe. This will ultimately prove to change his whole life for the better.

There are no easy answers in Not Prepared, nothing works out just the way that any of the characters are looking for or expect (no readers, I’d wager). But there’s hope, there’s possibility, there’s a solid base for good things for them all. I think this is as good a sign for Hanover’s storytelling as it is for the book itself—there’s some mature writing at work here.

Possibly my favorite thing here is that while this book is at heart a Rom-Com, the romantic story takes a backseat to the love story between the girl who needs a family and a bachelor who didn’t expect one. There’s still plenty of “rom”, and a good amount of “com” of a handful of stripes (particularly when it comes to a single man being thrust into dealing with a young girl at the cusp of puberty)—but there’s a lot more, too.

It’s all told with Hanover’s trademark wit, charm, and grace—prose that moves so smoothly you don’t realize how long you’ve spent sucked into his book. He won me over starting at the prologue, and I don’t know if I stopped grinning throughout (well, except to chuckle or smile). The emotions are real and grounded—both positively and negatively. His depictions of anxiety really impressed me, and there are scenes between Chloe and Neil that got me choked up.

I strongly recommend this warm comedy about an unorthodox way to start a family.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this ARC by the author in exchange for this post. Which gave me something to opine about, but otherwise didn’t influence my opinion.


4 1/2 Stars

Not Prepared by Matthew Hanover: This’ll Melt Your Heart and Bring a Smile to Your Face

Not PreparedNot Prepared

by Matthew Hanover

DETAILS:
Series: Wallflowers, #4
Publication Date: July 25, 2023
Format: eARC
Read Date: July 7-10, 2023

The Series

Let me start with this—I’ve labeled this as the fourth book in the Wallflowers series (I prefer to think of it as the Alli-verse, but whatever, I’ll go with Hanover’s title). This does not mean you need to read the other three first. There’s only the thinnest little thread tying these together and there’s no reason not to read them all as stand-alones.

What’s Not Prepared About?

Our protagonist, Neil, is a single photographer approaching 40. He’s fairly successful and comfortable with his life—which is primarily about his work and staying healthy. He enjoys a few romantic dalliances but stopped pursuing anything serious some time back. He’s fairly free and likes his life—outside of some family he rarely sees (largely due to circumstance, not preference), he really has no ties. Well, there’s the daughter of his childhood friend—Neil was named her godfather when she was born a little over a decade ago, shortly before his friend died. He’s seen her a few times over the years and babysat her occasionally, but that’s about it.

One night, the now 12-year-old Chloe shows up on his doorstep. Chloe says her mom dropped her off on her way out of town for a few days and that she needs to stay with Neil. It’s not really the most convenient or thoughtful way to do this, but Neil doesn’t begrudge Chloe for it—her mother, Sara, has never been thoughtful or responsible so it fits.

The next day, Neil takes Chloe to get some clothes—Sara left her without any. He’s not crazy about this, but it needs to happen. Neil’s really not crazy about helping her find underwear or a training bra. Thankfully, there’s a woman near them in the store who sees Neil’s predicament and comes to his aid.

Naturally, because it’s this kind of book, there’s a spark between this woman, Jenna, and Neil. A couple of days after their meet-cute, the two meet for coffee. The sparks are still there—and Jenna’s able to give Neil a hint or two about dealing with Chloe.

Neil’s going to need more than a hint or two because Chloe eventually comes clean with him—she has no idea where her mom went and when/if she’ll be coming home. Chloe’s looking for a new home and family, and she’s picked Neil (and would like Jenna to be part of it, too).

This is the last thing that Neil bargained for, but he’s drawn to the idea (about both Chloe and Jenna). Now the question is, can they make it work?

Chloe

When I posted about Hanover’s first book, Not Famous, I spent a lot of time talking about the protagonist’s younger sister. She wasn’t that integral to the plot, but brought out aspects of the central characters you wouldn’t have seen otherwise—but more than that, she’s a perfectly charming character that you wanted to see more of. In Not Prepared, Hanover takes a very similar character and makes her the focus of the novel.

If that’s all he did, I’d be a fan of the book—thankfully he does more (some of which I’ll talk about in a minute). But let’s focus on Chloe for a moment.

So, obviously, she’s a mess. Her mother abandoned her and it’s pretty clear that before she literally abandoned her, Sara put the minimal amount of effort (at best) in before that. She’s not used to being cared for, for having limits placed on her, for having a reliable presence of any kind—once she’s given those she responds well to them and flourishes (probably responds a bit too well, but we’re not looking for gritty realism here).

Chloe’s also obviously an intelligent and resourceful girl who sees her opportunity and seizes it. Not simply for her physical needs—but she’s long had an emotional tie to Neil and she makes the most of her time with him to feed and nurture that bond. It takes Neil a bit to understand just what he’s meant to her for so long, but once he does he reciprocates.

It’s both the portrayal of Chloe and the depiction of their relationship—in all of its ups and downs, flaws and strengths—that makes this book so strong

A Meeting of Anxieties

Neil suffers from health anxiety—a term he (understandably) prefers to hypochondria—which leads him to spend a lot of time in hospitals and doctor’s offices. He’s both very aware that he’s very likely completely healthy and yet he’s frequently convinced that he has any number of undiagnosed conditions or ailments, frequently exasperated by news reports or pharmaceutical commercials. This is something that’s impacted his life as long as he can remember—and having a dear friend die at a young age likely didn’t help. As a result of this, he’s rather health conscious, particularly when it comes to the food he buys and prepares. Which is exactly what a 12-year-old doesn’t want to hear or experience.

Jenna struggles with brumotactillophobia (a form of OCD relating to foods touching each other), which sounds like something to chuckle over, but for Jenna, it’s a serious and frequently embarrassing issue.

Neil’s lost relationships—short-term and incredibly serious—because of his anxiety. Jenna has, too—the number of first dates she’s had that have ended in disaster is the kind of thing to make anyone into a social hermit. Because they can relate to each other’s hardships—and because they’re basically decent people capable of empathy—both of them can understand and accept the other. In fact, it’s an early way for them to bond. There are points throughout the novel where they’re able to help each other with their anxiety, which just made me love them as a couple and like the book even more.

Chloe’s better for spending time with both of them and seeing how they cope and deal with their anxieties—she’s better than any of the characters in the book at supporting them through bumps in the road. As I type this, I realize it’s due in part to her having spent her entire life taking care of her mother, so maybe it’s not as heartwarming a point as I initially thought. Still, it endeared me to her.

Alli Conwell

For years, one aspect of Marvel (and related) movies that was a sure-fire pleaser was the inventive way that Stan Lee would show up in some sort of cameo. Hanover’s not quite at that point with the singer-songwriter that was at the center of his first novel, Not Famous, but it’s in sight.

I do enjoy seeing how Alli will pop up in the various books. And somehow—don’t ask me how, I’m worried it’s a sign of cognitive decline—when she does pop up I’m surprised.
Me: Oh, wow! That was great that he tied Alli into this.
Voice in My Head: You mean like he always does? Why weren’t you looking for it?
Me (grumbling): Shut up.

In a way that won’t bother anyone who’s never read a Hanover book before, her presence is felt throughout the novel, beginning with one of my favorite lines of the book.

Post-Credits Scene?

If Marvel (and other) movies* have taught us anything in the last 15 years, it’s that you don’t leave the movie theater until the credits have stopped rolling and all the lights have come up. Period. Sure, you’ll get a complete story if you do, but you’ll be missing something.

Hanover has provided his readers with a “post-credits” chapter—a bonus chapter that you can access for free. Now, if you don’t, you will get the entire story and you should be completely satisfied (I sure was). But the bonus chapter? That will make you happier and give you a better idea of what will happen to our characters. My ARC didn’t have the entire bonus chapter—but it had enough to give me that boost that a good-post credits scene does (and it gives me a reason to actually open the version I pre-ordered, so I can access the rest of it).

* That’s entirely too many Marvel movie references for a post here—particularly for a book bereft of super powers. Oops.

So, what did I think about Not Prepared?

This is the best thing that Hanover has published—it’s also my favorite so far. Any of the three central characters would be enough to qualify the book for the latter—but you throw them together, and it’s a lock.

Jenna is an independent, self-assured woman who knows her limitations, has a strong sense of self and her morality, and because of that, is able to let herself be vulnerable and open to those she wants to be vulnerable and open to. She makes room for Neil and Chloe because it’s her choice, not because she’s driven to, or needs something.

I’ve said enough about Chloe at this point that any more would be overkill—so I’ll leave it with saying that she’s an adorable kid that I want to read a sequel or three about (but not really, because I’d rather imagine what happens after this than know).

Then there’s Neil—a mature narrator/protagonist, rather than the twentysomething still trying to figure out what kind of life he wants. Neil has his life, he’s responsible, his career’s in a good place. Somewhat by force and a sense of duty (with a twinge of guilt), but primarily because he wants to—he changes his life to accommodate Chloe. This will ultimately prove to change his whole life for the better.

There are no easy answers in Not Prepared, nothing works out just the way that any of the characters are looking for or expect (no readers, I’d wager). But there’s hope, there’s possibility, there’s a solid base for good things for them all. I think this is as good a sign for Hanover’s storytelling as it is for the book itself—there’s some mature writing at work here.

Possibly my favorite thing here is that while this book is at heart a Rom-Com, the romantic story takes a backseat to the love story between the girl who needs a family and a bachelor who didn’t expect one. There’s still plenty of “rom”, and a good amount of “com” of a handful of stripes (particularly when it comes to a single man being thrust into dealing with a young girl at the cusp of puberty)—but there’s a lot more, too.

It’s all told with Hanover’s trademark wit, charm, and grace—prose that moves so smoothly you don’t realize how long you’ve spent sucked into his book. He won me over starting at the prologue, and I don’t know if I stopped grinning throughout (well, except to chuckle or smile). The emotions are real and grounded—both positively and negatively. His depictions of anxiety really impressed me, and there are scenes between Chloe and Neil that got me choked up.

I strongly recommend this warm comedy about an unorthodox way to start a family.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this ARC by the author in exchange for this post. Which gave me something to opine about, but otherwise didn’t influence my opinion.


4 1/2 Stars

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