Andrew Nance

I thank Red Adept Publishing for providing a copy of Andrew Nance’s Red Canvas, in exchange for an honest review.

A serial killer is murdering single women and arranging them to depict a famous work of art. The Dying Niobid, a sculpture rendering a scene from a fifth-century BCE Greek mythology, and The Little Mermaid, a bronze sculpture that sets in the harbor in Copenhagen, Denmark, depicting a character in a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen are the first. The police call in Analise (Lise) Norwood as a consultant. Lise is a private investigator with a background in art history. They ask her to identify the works of art the killer is modeling.

Red Canvas is a workman-like novel that needs something for extra oomph. The premise is interesting, but the plotting was pedestrian. The author failed to capitalize on the premise to produce a novel story fitting the unique protagonist. There is some imaginative language (e.g., horizontal tango), but the scenes themselves are stock. Consequently, the book didn’t sustain my interest, and I read it a few chapters at a time. The conclusion was so naively amateurish I ended the novel feeling let down.

I was not informed that the copy I received had not undergone final editorial review but there were several errors in the copy I received. Most of them were due to a missing word (e.g., I’m going store). I also saw errors using the wrong verb tense. I think readers can assume these problems will be corrected in the final version.

In conclusion, the premise is interesting, but the novel is mediocre. I might read another novel by Nance, but only out of curiosity to see how he takes advantage of the protagonist's unusual background.… (mehr)

"Klassisk rysare om fem ungdomar som blir finalister i en skräcknovelltävling, utlyst av en känd författare. Ungdomarna ska tillsammans med författaren tillbringa en natt i det hemsökta huset Daemon Hall. Under natten ska de berätta skräckhistorier för varandra. För varje historia måste de släcka ett av de få stearinljus som är deras enda ljuskälla. Den som står ut in i det sista, i mörkret, vinner tävlingen. Men Daemon Hall är fyllt av ondska och tänker inte låta dem slippa levande ut igen. "… (mehr)