I recently pre-read a series by a local author. Most of the characters in the 6 books were unique. The main characters in each book knew each other since they worked at the same police station but in different divisions. The investigations in each book were separate and did not depend on other books in the series. I received the books to read and give some feedback (formatting, typos, continuity, etc.) on before they are published.
Sadly, the books were close to 10 finger exercises and very predictable (formulaic plots, lack of character development). The feeling I had was that the author had written the same book 6 times. Major Crimes instead of Homicide, swap between a male and female officer as the lead. The bad guy/gal from the first chapters was not the person responsible for the crime but would end up as the police officer's love interest. Clichés R Us.
While Agatha Christie could commit similar sins with predictable plot twists and characters, her books were interesting to read and she created many of the clichés she used.
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