Rating: 
Summary: Decidedly mixed
Review: I'm truly split down the middle on this one. Readers expecting another Roma Sub Rosa book look elsewhere -- Saylor presents a richly atmospheric book which, ultimately, is a sexed up Silhouette romance or Lifetime movie. What this has going for it is Saylor's unbeatable gift of atmospherics. The book takes place in a small Texas town, and as he does with ancient Rome, he makes the town a character, capturing it with pinpoint accuracy. I was truly enveloped in his depiction of the town and its residents. The trouble is the plot. It ultimately ain't much. With the Gordianus books, if the storytelling ever lapses, the central character -- Ancient Rome -- is so compelling that it carries you over the creaky points. A small town in modern day Texas is no ancient Rome (What is?) Here, you have a potentially great idea, which becomes a woman in peril melodrama, with the perky, Nancy Drew type heroine, undecided which of her potential true loves represents danger and which represent amour. Adding a little heavy petting is diverting, but it is not enough. If Saylor had gone for a novel with suspense elements, rather than a suspense novel, this would have been four or five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Decidedly mixed
Review: I'm truly split down the middle on this one. Readers expecting another Roma Sub Rosa book look elsewhere -- Saylor presents a richly atmospheric book which, ultimately, is a sexed up Silhouette romance or Lifetime movie. What this has going for it is Saylor's unbeatable gift of atmospherics. The book takes place in a small Texas town, and as he does with ancient Rome, he makes the town a character, capturing it with pinpoint accuracy. I was truly enveloped in his depiction of the town and its residents. The trouble is the plot. It ultimately ain't much. With the Gordianus books, if the storytelling ever lapses, the central character -- Ancient Rome -- is so compelling that it carries you over the creaky points. A small town in modern day Texas is no ancient Rome (What is?) Here, you have a potentially great idea, which becomes a woman in peril melodrama, with the perky, Nancy Drew type heroine, undecided which of her potential true loves represents danger and which represent amour. Adding a little heavy petting is diverting, but it is not enough. If Saylor had gone for a novel with suspense elements, rather than a suspense novel, this would have been four or five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Could I have been reading a different book?
Review: I've read the other reviews of this book, and I must say, I'm puzzled.
I honestly didn't like this book. But that's not the reason I gave it 1 star. I gave it 1 because not only didn't I like it, it was, overall, not very good at all.
I'll start by saying I thought the premise was good. It had the potential to be a great short story. Unfortunately, Saylor chose to stretch it to book length. This book could have easily been condenced into 5o pages, and still been a little too long.
All right, that was my first problem. The second was, the story was sadly transparent. Anyone who didn't know who the killer was by the time we found Dawn wasn't actually paying attention.
The writing style seemed....how should I put this....Well, like something you would expect from a 16 year old.
The characters were lacking in everything from personality, to depth, to intrest, and more. Rue was agravating, and as for the others....Let's just say, in a few weeks, I will have forgotten that they even existed.
The plot development was sad. By then end of the book I was so thankful that the story was over that I was actually glad that this book was only 200-something pages long.
Now, this sounds like a negative review, right? Well, it is. This is probably one of the worst books I've read in a long time. But! Don't let that stop you from reading it! It seems like I'm the only one who thought this book wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.
Maybe I found the simplicity of the story pointless, instead of interesting. Or... well, you'll just have to read it for yourself.
So, in closing, Have you seen Dawn was not my kind of book. And, I'm assuming that this review will generate many negative responses. But, don't just vote aginst it because you don't like what I'm saying, all right? Try and look at it objectively, and then if you feel that this was not worth the time it took to read it, I understand.
Rating:
Summary: Could I have been reading a different book?
Review: I've read the other reviews of this book, and I must say, I'm puzzled.
I honestly didn't like this book. But that's not the reason I gave it 1 star. I gave it 1 because not only didn't I like it, it was, overall, not very good at all.
I'll start by saying I thought the premise was good. It had the potential to be a great short story. Unfortunately, Saylor chose to stretch it to book length. This book could have easily been condenced into 5o pages, and still been a little too long.
All right, that was my first problem. The second was, the story was sadly transparent. Anyone who didn't know who the killer was by the time we found Dawn wasn't actually paying attention.
The writing style seemed....how should I put this....Well, like something you would expect from a 16 year old.
The characters were lacking in everything from personality, to depth, to intrest, and more. Rue was agravating, and as for the others....Let's just say, in a few weeks, I will have forgotten that they even existed.
The plot development was sad. By then end of the book I was so thankful that the story was over that I was actually glad that this book was only 200-something pages long.
Now, this sounds like a negative review, right? Well, it is. This is probably one of the worst books I've read in a long time. But! Don't let that stop you from reading it! It seems like I'm the only one who thought this book wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.
Maybe I found the simplicity of the story pointless, instead of interesting. Or... well, you'll just have to read it for yourself.
So, in closing, Have you seen Dawn was not my kind of book. And, I'm assuming that this review will generate many negative responses. But, don't just vote aginst it because you don't like what I'm saying, all right? Try and look at it objectively, and then if you feel that this was not worth the time it took to read it, I understand.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written and engaging mystery in small-town Texas
Review: Rue Dunwitty expects a simple vacation when she travels from San Francisco to her childhood home in Amethyst, Texas. Instead, she is intrigued and mystified by grocery store posters asking about a missing teen. Rue can't help digging around and is shocked to find the girl's body--only to have it disappear before the police arrive. Everyone is urging Rue to leave town, but she can't make herself leave her aging grandmother. Except, will Rue herself become the next victim of a serial killer? Author Steven Saylor draws a vivid picture of small-town Texas life. From its aging Bush for Governor bumper stickers to the whole-town turnout for the high school football team, to the volunteer efforts to search for the missing girl, Amethyst rings true. With plenty of red herrings around, Rue can find plenty of suspects. But is she letting her imagination run away from her? Saylor hints at important questions in Rue's reflections on sex and rape. Is every man a monster, simply waiting for the opportunity to free himself from the shackles of society? Mystery fans may find the identity of the killer easy to guess, but Saylor's high-quality writing makes getting there an enjoyable ride.
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