CFBA Presents Fatal Loyalty by Sue Duffy

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing Fatal Loyalty Kregel Publications (April 23, 2010)
by
Sue Duffy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Sue Duffy is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Moody magazine, The Presbyterian Journal, Sunday Digest, and The Christian Reader. Her first novel Mortal Wounds was published in 2001 and she has also contributed to Stories for a Woman’s Heart (Multnomah). She and her husband, Mike, have three grown children. Find out more at http://www.sueduffybooks.com/


ABOUT THE BOOK



Where do you run when you know you cannot hide?

Andie Ryborg has nowhere else to go. Her father's campaign for governor and his aggressive war on drugs has chased her from their family home. Drawn to Miami's exotic Coconut Grove, Andie hopes to find a quiet refuge where she can discover herself apart from the public eye. But even in that seclusion, even with an officer assigned to protect her, Andie's privacy has been violated. Someone is watching

Evan Markham's entire life has been a tug-of-war between what is and what could be. He is drawn to a life that is beyond his reach and emotions have clouded his judgment. Evan knows that earning someone's trust isn't easy, especially when he plans to break it. But in the secret corridors of the criminal underworld, he knows what must be done, and he is determined to see it through. Whatever the cost

When enemies close in, a sudden turn of events leaves them both questioning. Where is God in all of this? Who is this enigmatic stranger who offers to help? They both know their lives are in danger. But what about their hearts?

If you would like to read the Prologue of Fatal Loyalty, go HERE.

MY PERSONAL TAKE ON THIS BOOK

I never know what I'm really expected to do on one of these blog tours. It seems a total waste of my time not to be upfront honest if I've actually read the book. My intention is not to hurt anyone...just to share my opinion. Writing is hard work and everything is subjective, so please know that the following is just my opinion.

I came away from Fatal Loyalty thinking this author tackled a very ambitious project. I'm not quite sure she pulled it off to my satisfaction. I've given much thought to why I felt dissatisfied, what I would do different if I'd written this novel and here's what I came up with. I'd work on characterization. It took me about 100 pages to really get into the book and want to finish it. I felt no allegiance to the characters of Evan and Andie. I couldn't SEE them. They didn't seem real to me, and Evan didn't come across as likeable. The character I felt the most for was Leo, the bad guy. Duffy did an excellent job of showing multiple sides of him. Still, because her chapters were incredibly short, at least in the very beginning, I felt as though the author had one foot on the brake and one on the gas. In the first half of the book, there was a stop-start-stop-start feeling as she switched POV.

But, I did finish the book, didn't I? That counts for something because when I'm truly disgusted with a book, I toss it aside and never go back to it. I attribute my reading to the very end to Duffy's storytelling skill. Fatal Loyalty came alive in the last half of the book--when the characters really started talking and dealing with each other. Maybe there was just too much setup in this book--at least for me.

Sue Duffy is a good storyteller. Overall her writing is excellent and there wasn't one typo in the entire book so the editing and proofing is good too. Yes, that makes a difference to me. I like clean books.

I encourage you to pick up Fatal Loyalty. You may have a completely different take on it. Yes, I would read another Sue Duffy book. Duffy has big, good ideas--she just needs to grow into them. I want to watch this author grow.