Let me begin by saying I respect John Briant’s 20-odd years of experience as a NYS Trooper, but then let me add that all the law enforcement experience in the world cannot make a person a good writer. And unfortunately that is the case with The Adirondack Detective. The book reads like a collection of stories Briant might have reminisced about with his trooper buddies over a couple cold ones in a little mountain bar. The writing is juvenile at best, and, well, just plain bad at it’s worst. The dialog is stiff and disjointed, the descriptive passages are awful, and the story is boring and tiresome. I am so disappointed.
I borrowed this book from the Brockport Library so I could read it before I bought it for Ogden. I’m glad I did, because it would have been a waste of money. What I don’t understand is how this guy has had so many books published. I’m going to have to get one of his more recent books and see if the writing has improved. The reviews on Amazon are all pretty good…so maybe Briant has gotten better. I will let you know….
It's All About the Book 