Lost the plot

However, I can only express my dismay at the extent to which it contains flaws.

I found Mike Howard's scathing remarks insulting and they will only serve to unjustly undermine my reputation as a writer.

Mr Howard coped adequately with precising the blurb. However, as soon as some familiarity with the content of the narrative was required, he was obviously struggling.

It is clear as early as chapter two (page 10) that a cure for the ageing process would not enable people to live forever, as the review implies; rather it would enable them to live indefinitely.

This is a subtle distinction but an important one which the reviewer appears to have overlooked.

Moreover, Mr Howard had clearly lost the plot when he said Lucky and Sophie were determined to track down the scientist's killer.

On the contrary, Lucky shows reckless disregard for the danger they are in throughout the book.

In chapter 9 (page 57), when presented with a note issuing a death threat, he throws it away and carries on playing golf. He is still disdainful even when in chapter 17 the killer is actually tailing them (page 107-8).

As for Sophie, although she indulges in speculation, she does not in fact attempt to investigate until it is already too late (chapter 19).

To anyone who is familiar with the novel, the suggestion that the Hansons set out to track down the killer is so wide of the mark as to be laughable and it is an inescapable conclusion that Mr Howard had not examined this work thoroughly.

It is therefore hardly surprising he should have drawn the conclusions he did about the characters involved, especially given that personality traits are almost never stated explicitly but are discernible through the thought processes, speech and conduct of those concerned.

It is advisable to demonstrate an ability to represent the content of a novel accurately before making derogatory remarks about it and the capabilities of its author.

-Mark Tournoff, Hove