For Sale in Palm Springs (Albert Simon)

Title: For Sale in Palm Springs
Author: Albert Simon
Available from: Amazon (free Kindle book)

This book is the first in the Henry Wright series by this author. The Kindle format is free.

First, the good. I downloaded this book because I have a friend in Palm Springs (PS). I enjoy spending time with her and I like PS, so I was interested in a mystery series set in Palm Springs. It’s always fun to read a book (or watch a TV show) that takes place in a familiar setting. My interest doubled when this was about a real estate agent, because my friend has lived in Palm Springs for over 30 years and I keep telling her she should have become a real estate agent. I think she can best any real estate agent in PS, real or imagined, when it comes to mid-century homes and local architecture. If not for her, half the real estate references in this book would’ve gone over my head. If you’ve been to Palm Springs, you’ll really enjoy the familiarity of this book’s setting and the lifestyle that typifies Palm Springs.

This is an enjoyable read, especially for a free book. The subsequent books in the series are only $0.99 and this one was good enough that I’d consider getting them. I liked the characters and the story, although I could see the end coming from a mile away.

Now, for the bad. This author really really needs a good editor. This story (and I’m guessing the subsequent stories by this author) would go from being an enjoyable read for a free book to a great read for a free book and to a really good read for a $0.99 or even $2.99 book if it was professionally edited. It suffers greatly from spelling and grammar errors. The run-on sentences and punctuation require the reader to read and then re-read (sometimes a couple of times) before finally understanding what the author is trying to convey. A good editor would also punch it up a couple of notches; the author’s writing style reflects his origins as a technical writer. Even so, it’s still better than 95% of the self-published books I’ve read.

If you can overlook the bad, I do recommend this book.