To Kill a President book review
Ben eltons rip off of dan browns wildly successful book style
I was reading to kill a president -the first, of a now trilogy, of books - by Ben Elton when I was struck by the fact they used a writing style becoming ever more popular these days.
Interlinking multiple characters stories lines is a technique popularised by hugely successful author Dan brown in the majority of his thrillers. Principally it allows him to end virtually every chapter with a cliff a hanger, keeping you hooked.
The structure goes: one chapter- end on cliffhanger, second chapter- keep reading to reach the point of the initial cliff hanger- end this chapter on another cliff hanger. Then repeat.
By the time the cliff hanger is solved the new one has already made you forget that the reason you read on in the first place is to get an answer to the cliff hanger of the first chapter.
Ok so this seems like a great technique to keep readers interested.
The good thing about this is it isn’t pointless- Brown actually finishes his cliff hangers with an answer.
Unfortunately in Eltons b- tech version of this technique I often find myself sincerely disappointed.
Elton ends on a riveting cliff hanger in a very similar manner to Brown. Incredibly frustratingly he never actually solves these cliff hanger.
He leaves a chapter on a cliff hanger, inciting you to read on which you will want to do.
Then when you resume, the characters story line whom you left a few chapter ago, on the cliff hanger - eg. who had crashed her car x or y, she knew... or something along those lines, you return to no answer - to a question the character supposedly knows the answer to- an answer that if known, by the character - which it is explicitly stated that she does know, destroys the next few chapters of meaning.
What this actually seems to be is a cheap trick, suggesting the answer to the books mystery is just a chapter away. Only to return to said storyline to find such an important and focused discovery is quickly moved past.
It’s as if Elton knows he has cheated the reader and attempts to move on quickly.
I am sure he is not a bad author, in fact personally I am really enjoying the book. However the persistent use of such a cheap trick I am finding to be of an increasing annoyance.
On multiple occasions I have looked forward in the text to find out what the answer to such huge cliff hangers is only to find there is none.
The story itself is an interesting and tense ride, as an good thriller should be, that leads through a series of events that - considering the current president of the United States - do not seem to implausible.
After reading the rest of this book the problem dissipates however I still think this a interesting little bit of literature analysis so I'm still going to publish this.Overall it is a great series which you should still read if you are a fan of thrillers, especially Dan Brown's books.