The author didn’t just ignore the problem.

I meant to comment on how much I liked this aspect of the story. No fabulous “Miami Vice” style cars for this poor guy!

Second only to when Hugh Jackman held my hand and flirted with me. Kid you not.

Leslie: I hate you. ;-)

Will you hate me if I admit I met Mandy Patinkin and he delivered “the line” for me? Oh, my…shivers still…one of my best celebrity interactions. Second only to when Hugh Jackman held my hand and flirted with me. Kid you not.

Sigh. I really should not publicly admit how many times a year I utter that line. Great stuff, eh?

>I've noticed on two very high-brow, literati-type blogs my books have been termed brain candy, beach reads and guilty pleasures.

Hm….if these folks are commenting as such because they’ve also been reading your books, then someone needs to come out of the closet. I hope that in the same breath they’re saying the same thing about Star Wars/Star Trek. Bottom line is, there’s something for everyone.

Star Trek: as I said, no denying I’m a fan. However, it was THEO who was the fan in the book and hence, the references to a great extent were from his point of view and perspective. He’s equating what he can’t understand with what he can: Star Trek and Star Wars. He’s “beamed up” to Jorie’s ship because that’s the terminology that come to mind. And a crewmember reminds him of a Wookiie because he has no other frame of reference. I apologize if that wasn’t clear but that was the intent. It’s Theo’s experience.

Not surprisingly, when I was researching his character and interviewing dozens of law enforcement officers, a large number of them were Trek and Star Wars fans. Some even use code names derived from the shows/movies. Much of Theo’s thought processes–since I’m only a lowly private detective and not a cop–were verbatim from what my cop friends told me.

BTW retired Hialeah, FL police officer Joel Reyes basically invented the interior of Theo’s department-issued SUV, right down to the missing A/C vents and blocked cup holders. ;-)

But back to Trek. Jorie does make some references, yes. That’s because–as Theo begins to catch on but doesn’t want to really think much about–there are similarities between her culture and his. How that happened I leave up to the reader’s wacky imagination but was it chance or a typo that Vekran and Vulcan sound not dissimilar? (And Jorie was NOT Vekran, so…).

Okay, inside jokes in the book, yes.

Jan, if you want depth then I’m honestly not the author for you. I don’t do depth. I do fun. I do Saturday Afternoon at the Movies. I think George Lucas is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I love Monty Python, Galaxy Quest, Bennie Hill and Mel Brooks.

In my fifty-mumble-mumble years on this planet, I’ve had far too much depth. I know many readers want that–and hey, great. If we all liked coconut rum fudge…oh, you don’t like coconut rum fudge? More for me! Yay! (And if you do like coconut rum fudge, then pull up a chair, I love to share.)

I’ve noticed on two very high-brow, literati-type blogs my books have been termed brain candy, beach reads and guilty pleasures. I have no problems with this damning-with-faint-praise. I hope to God I am a beach read. That’s my aim.

Believe me, I’m very comfortable sitting in the dining room at the Ritz Carlton with a bottle of exellent wine and Chateaubriand for two. But there are times when nothing will do but MacDonald’s french fries.

You want fries with that? ;-)

In sincerest appreciation for your time and reviews,
Yours from Paradise Central, poolside at the Home for the Perpetually Confused in Naples, FL,
~Linnea

And I adore The Princess Bride. Both book and movie. “Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya! You killed my father prepare to die!”
Vizzini: HE DIDN’T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Thanks for clarifying! Personally I like to know ahead of time which “mindset” I need when reading genre fiction–e.g., knowing if something is an homage. Like the difference between THE PRINCESS BRIDE and LOTR. I hope that makes sense.

I did like how the Earth people reacted pretty realistically, or at least what I think would be a realistic response to the situation.

This wasn’t a bad book. It was entertaining. I just prefer a little more depth these days.

Er, well, if that’s the case, then a lot of SF/SFR books i’ve read are guilty of that as well! Not necessarily with just Star Trek, but many books share similarities when it comes to super advanced technology. Or homages to movies/films. I bet that happens a lot, too.

At any rate, thanks for the review! I love adding a new SFR to my TBR pile. I also appreciate that I can surf in to DA a couple times a day and see something different each time.