The library I worked at just got a postcard for a series of knock-off Janet Evanovich novels, basically comic chick lit detective stuff. The blurb for the first of three novels featuring the character establishes the set-up like this: “For 30-something ex-bartender Jane Kelly, the private investigating gig just sounds too complicated. When she takes on a missing person’s case, her fears are founded.”
“…her fears are founded“? Man, I hope the author of the books didn’t write the blurbs, because…wow. Also, I doubt she took on a “missing person’s” case, since it’s hard to get hired by a missing person. I think they meant a ‘missing person case.’ Even so, the character is then given the obligatory romantic complications and purportedly zany accessories: “Suddenly her ex-boyfriend returns, and she inherits an irrespressible pug.” To my horror, apparently said pug is named “The Binkster.” Yikes. A bit twee, don’t you think?
The second book finds the novice invesigator “propelled into hair-raising twists and turns…” (?). At this point, apparently, “Jane finds a second body, and weird city gets even weirder.” So…then it’s weirder city?
I guess I could determine whether the books are (hopefully) better written than the advertising blurbs by visiting the author’s website at www.nancybush.com, where one can read excepts and “join The Binkster’s Fan Club.” Man, there are pushing that dog angle pretty hard.
I have a minor interest in what authors suddenly start inspiring a flood of imitators. Over the last 20 years or so, this has been especially prevalent with female authors doing genre stuff. Patricia Cornwell kicked off a slew of female pathologist book series, followed by many similar TV shows (Crossing Jordan, Bones, etc.) And back in the day, Sara Paretsky and (especially) Sue Grafton kicked off the modern female PI novel.
Grafton’s most commercially inspired idea, aped a zillion times by now, was to feature a sequential letter in each title of her novels (‘A’ is for Alibi, etc.), so that you always knew what the next book was. Evanovich was one of the first to ape this, numbering her book titles (One for the Money, etc.) in similar fashion. Now the Jane Kelly series apes Evanovich in this regard as Evanovich aped Grafton, with colors being featured in each title. The only problem there is that this gimmick doesn’t tell you what order to read the books in.
Maybe the weirdest but most successful example of such has been the novels of Laurell K. Hamilton’s, whose Anita Blake series started as basic (and enjoyable) pulp detective / vampire hunter paperbacks, before she caught a severe case of Heinleinitis and weird and constant S/M sex encounters started taking center stage. (And don’t even get me started on her fairie princess books, which at this point are basically just one long series of S/M group sex encounters.)
However, it’s the latter phase of Hamilton’s series that took off, and now there are now seemingly–and maybe literally–dozens of tough, hot female characters involved with some branch of the supernatural (vampires, witches, werewolves, whatever) who are constantly having tons of hot sex. Hamilton has created a cottage industry.
By the way, for well written female detective stuff, let me push Carol O’Connell’s Mallory books. Great characters, and very good writing.
