Monday, March 27, 2017

Collecting the Dead by Spencer Kope

Special Tracking Unit book 1

4 stars
R- 1
Reader's Choice

So if Criminal Minds.... and the X-Files..... had some sort of love child....

It would maybe be this.  

But without the 90s cheese.

Let's call it a police procedural thriller with paranormal overtones.

Anyway.

Cool premise, good story.

One detail that snagged my brain, dragged me out of the story, and made me crazy for days:  there is an ENTIRE PAGE dedicated to cursing the Nevada heat.

In June.

In NORTHERN Nevada.

I got news for you, folks.  I grew up in Northern Nevada and there ain't nothing to curse.

Sure it gets hot.... and it's not completely outside the realm of possibility for it to have been 94 in June... but that would be a crazy hot day.

They were at Washoe Lake, and I checked-- the average high in June is around 80.

The character does feel grateful that he's at a higher elevation and therefore it's cooler than Reno to the north or Las Vegas to the south.

Let me tell you how many things are wrong with this statement.

Reno (average June high temp is 83, by the way) is 30 miles north of Washoe Lake.

Las Vegas is FOUR HUNDRED THIRTY SEVEN miles south.

Not all of Nevada is Vegas, my friends.  (Which was annoying growing up in Nevada.... people ask where you're from and you say Nevada and they assume Vegas... it's a big state guys.)

This is like comparing DC to Baltimore in the north and Myrtle Beach, SC in the south.  It's just slightly ridiculous.  (Note that my husband pulled out that comparison without checking and was within like 6 miles.  He's a freak that way.)

Anyway, it's a dumb detail and has no bearing whatsoever on the actual story, but it made me nuts.  A passing reference to the heat would have been one thing, but if you're going to spend so much time on it maybe check to ensure that you're believable first.

Other than that (sorry about the long rant, lol) I did enjoy it.  It's the kind of story I maybe prefer to have all wrapped up in a 45-minute episode, but I'll definitely be on the watch for book 2.

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