Director's Cut
by Alton Gansky
In Director's Cut, Madison Glenn, mayor of Santa Rita, again faces a dead body and a mysterious set of events that she helps to untangle. This is the 3rd of the Madison Glenn novels, and is an entertaining enough read. Glenn is a fairly likable character, though sometimes it is a little hard to believe that we've really gotten inside of a woman's head. I think the novel would be a whole lot better if it were written in third person rather than first, but that may just be my own personal pet peeve. (That said, I like first person books just fine most of the time. I wasn't crazy about it for this book/character.)
Maddy's cousin Catherine provides an interesting character to follow in the development of the book. She's enigmatic, in her way, and it's kind of fun to watch all of the star-struck characters as they interact with the young acting phenom. That is, to me, the aspect of the novel that made me smile from time to time.
I would not call Director's Cut great, by any standard. But I did enjoy it. It kept me interested enough that I finished it in a couple of sittings, enjoying the unfolding of the story. But it was a little sloppy at the end, I thought. It was fun to see Maddy get challenged a little in her personal relationships, and I think that is something most readers who have followed her story in earlier novels would enjoy reading. Sadly, I'm not one of those who has read the earlier books, so I wasn't particularly interested in how her love life played out, but I did like seeing her interact with the various friends she has in her small town Californian paradise. I thought that part of the book was pretty well handled.
All in all, I would say Director's Cut is a fun way to spend a lazy afternoon, and I'll be happy to pass it along to friends to read too.
Reviewed by Shelly Bryant 2010