Janet Evanovich among mystery series writers who may not lament closure of Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews, the prepublication review journal begun in 1933, has met its end. Nielsen Business Media announced on December 10, 2009 that it would cease publishing both Kirkus Reviews and Editor & Publisher and would sell its business journals to the e5 Global Media Holdings investment company.

Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books were
among the many mystery series titles subject to
Kirkus  Reviews'  style of "author flaying."

As Motoko Rich points out in a December 11, 2009 New York Times article, "End of Kirkus Reviews Brings Anguish and Relief," responses to the Kirkus demise vary. The publishing industry as a whole may regret the loss of Kirkus Reviews as one more unfortunate consequence of the troubled economy. However, mystery series writers like Janet Evanovich, who have been subject to Kirkus Review's frequent practice of what  Rich labels as "author flaying," may be responding differently.

The reviews Kirkus published of Evanovich's early Stephanie Plum novels, as found on the Barnes and Noble website, were quite positive. The reviewer of Three to Get Deadly (1997) stated that "Stephanie's third case . . . dispenses almost entirely with mystery and detection in favor of a comedy/variety format. But in going repeatedly for the funny bone, Evanovich .... is obviously dealing from strength." Similarly, the reviewer of High Five (1999) considered the book "another wonderful romp. Savvy, sassy, sexy Stephanie — good to have her back."

But with Evanovich's 2001 title, Seven Up, the tone of the reviews changed. "Though Steph and company try hard, there's an unsettling sense of the overfamiliar this time – the sense of a long-running series hitting the wall," the review stated. Similarly, the reviewer of Hard Eight( 2002) warned, "Watch out for plot holes big enough to drive that Buick through. True, charm has always been more important than plot to this series, but in her eighth trip to the plate ... Steph's ditzy allure may be withering before the curse of familiarity."

Evanovich returned to somewhat qualified favor with the Kirkus reviewers for her next Stephanie Plum books. Of To the Nines (2003) the review announced, "The plot is – as usual – a shambles, but the people and their dialogue are as sharp and funny as ever. Though no high point in Stephanie’s saga, this installment ... won’t disappoint her fans either." The review of Eleven on Top (2005) states, forgivingly, that "The jokes, comic bits and funny scenes come so fast and furious that only old hands will notice there's even less mystery than usual."

The Kirkus reviews of Evanovich's most recent books regained the negative tone of those of her mid-series works. Of Lean Mean Thirteen (2007) the reviewer wrote, "Stephanie's appeal has always been synthetic, but this entry leans a mite too much on the tactics of Hollywood summer blockbusters: fires, explosions, stun-gunnings and crude language. Below average for this ebullient series." But Kirkus reserved its most through lambasting for Finger-Lickin-Fifteen (2009).  "Don't get too invested in figuring out the crime wave that motivates a parade of transvestite jokes, diarrhea jokes and fart jokes," the reviewer warns, "because Evanovich ... certainly doesn't."

So will Janet Evanovich be among those who feel relief rather than anguish at Kirkus's closure? Motoko Rich's New York Times article suggests a third response that such writers may instead favor – indifference.

Contending that Kirkus Reviews exerted only a minor impact on book sales or author reputations, Rich quotes Harper executive editor Tim Duggan. Duggan comments, “While I hate to see the closing of another major book review outlet, truth be told, it’s been a long time since a review there actually moved the needle in any meaningful way.”  The continuing presence of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books at the top of the bestseller lists provides further support for Duggan's statement.