Back
in ancient history (a few years ago) book reviewers in print
publications ruled the book world. Review journals and newspapers and magazines controlled what was said about books, and that in turn controlled
book sales.
Today,
while many of those publications are now online (there is a link or two below to bloggers from print publications), and some have gone
out of business, individual reviewers have set up shop on their own
blogging websites and have found large audiences. In some cases,
those individual book bloggers have surpassed the old journals in the
number of readers they reach.
Some of the
old guard are upset. How dare lay-reviewers think that they have the
critical skills to decide what readers might like?
But readers are
thrilled. It turns out that these reviewers – many of whom are
librarians and other professionals in the book business – are
exactly what readers want for book recommendations. The book bloggers
write thoughtful, considered reviews that are often uncluttered with
the kind of analysis that often made old-guard reviews seem
stiff, formal, and focused on ivory-tower concerns more appropriate
for a university literature class than for readers who simply want a
good book.
There are also tens of thousands of new mini-book bloggers, and these are the people who post reviews on Amazon and other sites.
What
about authors? Those who have had the good fortune to connect with
book bloggers are also thrilled. We now have a much more direct line
to readers. Speaking for myself, I think book bloggers are the best
thing to happen to books. (I might be biased because many times
readers have written me to say that they learned about one of my
books on a book blog.)
I'd
like to thank some of those bloggers for the fantastic service they
provide. Here are a few. You can click on the links to read what they
wrote about my books.
"A
constantly surprising series of events involving murder, kidnapping,
two nasty hired killers from Vegas... and the final motivation of the
killer comes as a major surprise. (I love when that happens.)"
"I
love Todd Borg's books... There is the usual great twist ending (in
Tahoe Trap) that I never would have guessed. If you like mysteries,
you really need to read this series."
"Super
clever!... More twists in the plot toward the end of the book turn
the mystery into an even more suspenseful thriller."
"The
plots are high octane and the action is faster than a cheetah on
speed, but those elements never, ever assume more importance than the
characters."
"You
will fall in love with the almost-silent, unemotional Paco and feel
his pain for the life he has lived for the past ten years."
"An open-throttle ride from a murder on the mountain roads of Tahoe to the growing fields of Stockton and back again."
"Tahoe
Trap offers a chilling thriller, a wholesome story, deeply researched
topics, and a compilation of friendly and recurring characters who
cannot help but unravel the mystery in just the nick of time."
"The
chase for the boy is frighteningly fast-paced. In desperation,
McKenna sets a trap, with Paco as the bait. And it almost works. The
impending catastrophe takes a sudden twist and the reader, as well as
young Paco, has one more hair-raising episode before the story ends."
"A
fascinating story with first class writing and, of course, my
favorite character, Spot, a Great Dane that steals most of the
scenes."
"Once
again Todd pulls together interesting and divergent story line
strands and weaves an exciting murder mystery. During what's left of
my down times these days, I read mystery/crime novels. And I watch
for the newest chapters in the ongoing developments of characters
like Jack Reacher, Joanna Brady, Dismas Hardy, Peter and Rina Decker,
and Alex Cross to name a few. But these days I look forward most to
the next installment of Owen McKenna. If you're a mystery reader, do
yourself a favor. Dig into the Owen McKenna series."
"Another wild ride through the Tahoe geography we all know and love with private investigator Owen McKenna and his dog Spot... Another must read for mystery lovers far and wide."
"My personal pick for Los Angeles Times Festival Of Books BEST FIND: Todd Borg's Owen McKenna Mystery series."
"McKenna's adventures are thrillers of the best kind."
"The stories themselves are first-rate, completely captivating, and hard to put down."
There
are other bloggers who have given much recent and valuable attention
to my books without writing a review of my latest. Some of them have
written great reviews of my other titles. I owe them all a great deal
of thanks.
I'd
also like to thank the hundreds of people who have posted reviews and
ratings on Amazon.com, Goodreads.com and other sites! Like
professional book bloggers, their thoughtful comments about books are
more helpful than they know, and we authors are hugely grateful.
Incidentally,
I'm not the most organized person, so I may have missed multiple
bloggers and reviewers who've paid me attention. To those, I'm very
sorry in advance! Please let me know and I'll add a link to the list.
Thanks
again to all. I'm honored and humbled by their efforts on my behalf.
Sincerely,
Todd
