Review: Behind the Night Bazaar

Behind the Night Bazaar by Angela Savage
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Oh boy. How do I even attempt to make this review kind?

Firstly, it's such a nothing story. It sets itself up as crime but there's zero mystery and it all gets solved pretty quickly. It's more about corruption and how it's dealt with.

That being said, it also has a bunch of x-rated scenes that totally threw me. I felt super awkward reading about the licking of arse cracks and cresting orgasms and hard nipples and packages, etc. So not my jam. It was such a ridiculous inclusion and I honestly can't understand what the value was. If you're going to write hardcore erotica, better to make that clear from the get-go than trying to disguise it as a crime novel.

So as a crime novel, it was insubstantial and terrible, with no mystery and too much sex but, as an erotica novel, there was no chemistry, no plausibility, and no build up to the relationships.

Jayne is a terrible, colourless character. Everyone who meets her wants to bone her, but she's totally ordinary. She's also incredibly arrogant and frustratingly self-absorbed and I just did not like her one bit. She has no personality. She has no real feeling. She was just ... meh.

In fact, I didn't really like any of the characters. Actually none of them. I didn't even realise that Komet wasn't an ancient old fuddy-duddy until the last 20 pages or so. They're all so bland and boring and preachy and one-dimensional and there's just zero to relate to. There's nothing worth investing in.

I wasn't thrilled with the Thailand setting, because it was dark and grimy and it really just feels like the author is trying to shove in your face how much she knows about Thailand compared to the tourists who flock there on a regular basis. I don't think it was necessary to include as many Thai phrases as there were. The whole thing just felt incredibly condescending. Maybe it'd be different if I'd been to Thailand, but I doubt it.

So.

Constructive criticism?

Build a plot that hooks the reader with little mysteries that aren't easily resolved. Create deep, multi-dimensional characters who have qualities the reader can relate to. Tone down the sex, or amp it up to a proper erotica novel. Commit to the story. Don't try to impress your reader as anything other than a talented author. Use names that are easy to comprehend on paper.

I didn't like it. Not even a little. Sorry. I mean, I'm always impressed by any author who actually finishes a novel, but this particular work suggests a lot of room for improvement.

This is a particularly scattered review, I know. I'm just trying really hard not to go on a mean rant and slam this book as much as my heart yearns to.

If you like Thailand, or murder mysteries with no mystery, or lots of references to sex and homosexuality, go ahead and pick this one up. As it stands, this was nowhere near my cup of tea.

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