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A review by davramlocke
Kissing the Beehive by Jonathan Carroll
1.0
When I first heard of Jonathan Carroll, it was from a blog post a few days ago by Neil Gaiman. He said Carroll was not to be missed, that he was great, etc. etc. I did a little research and saw Carroll's name mentioned alongside names like Murakami. What other proof did I need that I should read the works of this man?
Unfortunately, I was misled. Carroll is no Gaiman, and he is certainly no Murakami. His writing is perhaps a notch about a Harlan Coben or a James Patterson. Kissing the Beehive is a third-rate mystery novel with a completely unsatisfying ending and a cast of characters that border on caricatures. It's only saving grace is that the writing is simple enough that one can make it easily to the end of the book in a kind of mindless stupor. I literally can't remember the last time I was so disappointed in a novel. I kept waiting, after every page, for something interesting to happen, or for some transformation to occur. It never happened, and I am left somewhat haunted by the hours I spent wasting my time with this. I suppose not every recommendation will fly. I'm just sad that this one sunk so heavily.
Unfortunately, I was misled. Carroll is no Gaiman, and he is certainly no Murakami. His writing is perhaps a notch about a Harlan Coben or a James Patterson. Kissing the Beehive is a third-rate mystery novel with a completely unsatisfying ending and a cast of characters that border on caricatures. It's only saving grace is that the writing is simple enough that one can make it easily to the end of the book in a kind of mindless stupor. I literally can't remember the last time I was so disappointed in a novel. I kept waiting, after every page, for something interesting to happen, or for some transformation to occur. It never happened, and I am left somewhat haunted by the hours I spent wasting my time with this. I suppose not every recommendation will fly. I'm just sad that this one sunk so heavily.