Sepulchre , Kate Mosse. Anyone reading this over-hyped claptrap? A clue - I HATE it!

[Zebedeedoodah]

I'm reading it for my reading group and I just can't get over how appallingly bad a writer she is - or how her editors can have let her get away with it (oh I know, did someone say 'Orange Prize'? ). What's really sad is that underneath all that purple prose, overwriting and 'look at me I've done my research' passages, there's quite a decent, if unoriginal, story begging to get out. Honestly, if I'd taken my editor's pencil to it, I'd have reduced it by 2 thirds and improved the book beyond recognition.

Right, I'm glad I got that off my chest, so does anyone care to agree or come to her defence?

LOL 'Joan of Arc tavern'. I missed that clanger . But my, what vitriol! I guess we all just hate being taken for a ride.

I promise you, I wouldn't still be reading it if I didn't have to, but they've nearly all been killed off, apart from our 'plucky heroines' of course (although my money's on one of them being offed in the next couple of chapters), so the pain must be over soon. Then I'm back to Barbara Erskine to remind myself how these things should be written.

I read Labyrinth last summer after seeing rave reviews and others saying how good it was - I hated it and only persevered because I thought something at the end must bring it all together - WHAT a mistake - won't be reading anything else by her either. My other one is the Ukranian tractors one - ok but not fantastic as reviews suggest - in future I too will be avoiding R & J stickered items. (sorry to hijack)