Friday, October 15, 2010

Nightfall Review On Amazon

A very strange review has just gone up on Amazon.co.uk for Nightfall, from a guy who claims to have enjoyed 'dozens' of my books but hated Nightfall. Here's what he wrote -


Scooby Doo where are you?, 15 Oct 2010

By Geoff H

This review is from: Nightfall (Paperback)
I must have read a dozen of his books and have always found them absorbing and exciting. However this latest book has none of his usual style and has a "Scooby Doo" type plot which is ludicrous and almost laughable. Like other reviewers I bought the book on the strength of his other novels, but will be more careful in future


Now here's what I don't get.

This is the only review that Geoff H has ever posted on Amazon.

He's never reviewed a single book. Except Nightfall.

The only review he's ever bothered to write is Nightfall and he gives it one star. Why hasn't he reviewed books that he's enjoyed?

There is an on-going problem with fake reviews on Amazon. A lot of the time friends and relatives post five star reviews of books written by people they know. And there are lots of cases of people posting one star malicious reviews.

I don't know if Geoff H is real or not, but posting just one review always seems suspect to me.

I wonder if I could ask my readers out there for a favour?

If you did enjoy Nightfall could you please drop by Amazon.co.uk and say so.

Pretty please?

15 comments:

lou said...

i found nightfall a great read as with all of stephen leather books.i have read all chris ryan.andy mcnab.duncan falconer and know stephen leather.the dan shephard books are amazing and look forward to the new one coming out.keep up the writing please.xx

carolyn castle said...

OK Stephen, your wish is my command, have posted a review on Amazon. Carolyn

Garry said...

Thoroughly enjoyed reading Nightfall, looking forward to the next installment.

I have read every book that has been published and made available to us in Australia...

Love your work Stephen

Stephen Leather said...

Thanks Lou, thanks Carolyn, thanks Garry!

Anonymous said...
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Stephen Leather said...

Thanks, She. You talk a lot of sense! I over react, I guess. You're right. I have more important things to think about!

FrenchFan said...

Mr Lethear,
I just finished reading Private Dancer for the seventh time, and i felt like telling how much this book is a masterpiece and how much i'll never get enough of it. I'm not a big reader but you made me like books again!! Seriously everything in Pr.Dancer is so accurate,its amaizing, and Joy seems so real.I first red it when i lived in Bkk and really ment a lot to me! Thank you so much for it! I've just ordered Nightfall i'm sure it will be great!

Anonymous said...
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SP11 aka. Mr. Pertz said...

Common problem in marketing / sales. If people are truly happy with a product or service, they will tell 3 people about it. If they are unhappy, 9... Means that chances are higher to get a review if someone is unhappy.

Look at the "one touch can-opener". Over 140 negative reviews. Is it a bad product? Ask the other 8 Million buyers that haven't posted a review.

I am about to read private Dancer the fourth time. Enjoyed Nightfall, however like the Asian inspired work of your more (Tunnelrats, Hungry Ghost)

Keep it up

Anonymous said...

je viens de lire "tu iras en enfer" en anglais "nightfall" j'ai adoré.... Ici en belgique on dit que c'est votre premier roman publi" en france. Dommange que l'on ne puisse pas traduire votre blog, car je ne comprend pas l'anglais !!!!lol
j'aimerais avoir quelques titres en francais de livres du genre de "tu iras en enfer" merci !

Anonymous said...

ok je viens de traduire le blog
comme je vous le disais j'ai adoré "tu iras en enfer" par contre je voudrais savoir si le titre original est nightfall ou "you are going to hell"
Ici en euripe "tu iras en enfer" est votre 1er livre paru.Pourriez-vous me dire si vous avez fait paraitre d'aure livres DU GENRE "tu iras en enfer" car j'adore le genre de roman. merci beaucoup

Stephen Leather said...

Bonjour.

Le premier livre de Jack Nightingale en anglais est 'Nightfall'.

Le deuxième s'appelle 'Midnight'.

L'éditeur a changé le titre quand ils ont traduit le livre en Français.

Je suis heureux que vous l'ayez apprécié.

Ian Dalziel said...

Stephen
Nightfall is a great romp, though one does tend to want to pick Jack Nightingale up and shake him quite often! :-)
I can see it being picked up to film or televise though...

...also I am worried about the finishing / editing process on modern books - I noted instances in Nightfall of typos - like "as a boy often..." instead of "as a boy of ten...> and also some sloppy continuity editing - ie: page 81 - in the mansion - Hoyle and Nightingale go into the master bedroom, where the father shot himself, noting that there were NO CCTVs in there and that the room had been cleaned up excellently, showing no sign at all of any splatter or stains.
Then on page 157 we have Nightingale, after discovering the CCTV monitors in the basement, returning "...to the view of the master bedroom..." where he "could just make out the rust-coloured stain where Gosling's body had lain..." !!

A minor cavil perhaps, and I'll understand if you don't leave this comment up, but please pass it on to the copy editors at Hodder. Or if you'd like an impartial copy-tasting eye passed over future books prior to publication I am happy to oblige please contact me by email.

peace
Ian Dalziel
designersaur
and proofreader
Christchurch, New Zealand

Stephen Leather said...

Thanks, Ian!

We caught the often-of ten typo for the paperback but totally missed the CCTV continuity error!

I'll talk to Hodder and get it changed ASAP. Thanks so much. That one is my fault, no one else to blame!

Best,

Stephen

Stephen Leather said...

Thanks, Ian!

We caught the often-of ten typo for the paperback but totally missed the CCTV continuity error!

I'll talk to Hodder and get it changed ASAP. Thanks so much. That one is my fault, no one else to blame!

Best,

Stephen