I’ve walked out on more than a few movies but I almost never fail to finish a novel. I try to get through even the dullest of books. But I just can’t finish Robert Tanenbaum’s latest Butch Karp novel, Fury. I loved this series and was puzzled and disappointed as I slogged through the first hundred pages of the latest in the series. I couldn’t believe the words were written by Robert Tanenbaum. Then I came across a mini-review (of a previous Karp novel that I somehow missed) on Amazon:

“Unlike the previous books in Tanenbaum’s oeuvre, this one lacks the skill and verve of Michael Gruber (Tropic of Night), the uncredited writer largely responsible for making the series come alive on the page. Whoever took over needs to learn the difference between telling and showing before he or she tackles the next in Tanenbaum’s series.”

Pardon me? What the fuck is an “uncredited writer?” Just how much of Tanenbaum’s novels were written by Mr. Gruber? This probably happens in the publishing world all the time and I’m too far out the sticks to know about it, but it sucks. I’ve read my last Butch Karp novel and will let you know how I enjoy Mr. Gruber’s work.

In the meantime, I’m cleansing myself with John D. MacDonald’s Nightmare In Pink.