Mysterious Reviews FAQ
What kind of
books do you review at Mysterious Reviews?
We only review the books that would generally be shelved under the
"mystery" category at a major bookseller or books that would be
available at your local mystery bookstore. In general, if it's a
mystery, suspense, or thriller novel, we'll consider reviewing it.
Are
there any types of
mysteries that you don't review?
Yes. We don't review true crime, which we consider to be a separate
category altogether. We also tend to shy away from horror books (though
that's not a hard and fast rule).
How
do you select which mystery
books to review?
We are generally open to reviewing almost any book that would be
considered a "mystery", but try to select books for review that we
might purchase ourselves. There are many factors that go into a
purchase, and hence review decision. Have we read anything by the
author in the past? If so, were we impressed or disappointed? Does the
book synopsis sound interesting? Is it a subgenre that we enjoy
reading? We readily admit there are certain types of mysteries that
don't appeal to us and we usually decline requests to review them.
In addition, we typically only accept books for review that are soon to
be published, or have been recently published (within the past month or
so). With very few exceptions, we do not accept new editions of
previously published books.
Do
you get paid to review books?
No. Although we may receive at no charge advance reading copies or
review copies of books, we do not accept any payment from the author,
publicist, or publisher to review books.
It
seems as if you grade books
on a "curve", with most mysteries getting "average" reviews. Is this
true?
No, we don't grade on a curve. But the fact is that most mysteries are
average. That doesn't mean they aren't good, only that in our opinion
they didn't distinguish themselves in some way. We typically reserve
our highest ratings for those mysteries that we rush out to tell our
friends and family about. At the opposite end of the spectrum, if we
finish a mystery and it fails to meet our expectations, we will
downgrade it and always state our reasons. (Books that are received but
not reviewed are still listed here with 0 stars. Lack of a review here
should not be construed as this book is poorly written or plotted.
Rather, in some cases it means the narrative and/or characters did not
capture the reviewer's imagination or interest within the first few
chapters, or by page 31, of the book. In other cases, it simply means
that, given current time constraints, the reviewer simply chose another
crime novel over this one to review.)
Do
you review ebooks?
At the present time, no. We spend plenty of time each and every day in
our wired and wireless world. When we read a book, we prefer holding
the printed words in our hands and turning the pages.
What's
the best way to contact
you for more information on getting a mystery reviewed?
Send a message to reviews@omnimystery.com.
We will promptly respond.
