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Suzanne Brockmann
Well, I have finally finished Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters Series! (Which was mentioned previously here and here in my discussions of original slash novels. If you haven't read my previous posts, the Troubleshooters books are military action/adventure/romance novels. Most of the main romances are het, but there are several prominent gay characters, and gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy is one of the most popular characters in the series--Brockmann said in an interview that readers always ask her if she'll be writing more about Jules in future books.
I thoroughly enjoyed being able to read the series from beginning to end after having started in the middle with All Through the Night, and it was interesting to see how the characters developed to reach that point. I was surprised to see that Sam and Alyssa, who are such a loving couple in All Through the Night, practically hated each other on sight when they first met. Or rather, there were sparks of attraction but each thought that the other was a jerk--Alyssa thought Sam was a sexist, bigoted redneck, and Sam thought (correctly) that she was prejudging him based on his southern drawl and cowboy boots. Though to be fair, Sam deliberately plays up the stereotype to provoke her.
It was also surprising to discover that although Sam wasn't a sexist or racist bigot, he was slightly homophobic and very uncomfortable around Jules when they first met. I was quite impressed with the way that Brockmann developed the characters over time in a realistic manner, and had Alyssa and Sam and Jules learning to respect and genuinely care for each other.
Brockmann has a real knack for taking an apparently unsympathetic character, someone who would be a two-dimensional villain in lesser hands, and developing them into a realistic and complex character that the readers unexpectedly end up rooting for. Jules's ex-boyfriend Adam, mentioned in one of the previous posts, is a great example of that, as is Sam's ex-wife Mary Lou. Sam had a fling with her while trying to get over Alyssa, and just when he and Alyssa finally admit their feelings for each other, Mary Lou announces that she's pregnant and Sam feels honor-bound to marry her. The readers are already inclined to hate her for breaking up Sam and Alyssa, and to make it worse, it turns out that Mary Lou deliberately got pregnant to keep Sam from leaving her. She's shallow and prejudiced, and more in love with the ideal of a Navy SEAL hero than she is with Sam himself. But then we also learn about her troubled childhood, being raised by a neglectful and alcoholic mother, and how that has left her so desperate for love and security that she'll do anything to get them. It doesn't excuse Mary Lou's actions, but it makes them understandable. I found myself feeling sorry for her when I saw how pathetically hard she was trying to please an indifferent Sam by cooking his favorite foods and trying to change her interests to match his--and going about it all wrong, because Sam would prefer a strong, independent woman even if they don't like the same kinds of food or movies. And thanks to an unexpected friendship (I don't want to spoil too much of the plot) Mary Lou begins to mature, becoming more open-minded and finally admitting that she's wronged Sam and that the marriage isn't going to work out. It takes several books for the whole Alyssa/Sam/Mary Lou thing to get resolved--which was kind of frustrating that it took so long when I wanted Sam and Alyssa to get together now, but at the same time, I'm glad that Brockmann took the time to properly develop the characters and relationships rather than rushing to tack on an unrealistic happy ending in the first book.
Brockmann juggles a large number of supporting characters in the series (some of whom later go on to become main characters in later books), and manages to make them all interesting characters that we'd like to read more about. (Similar to Youka Nitta, now that I think about it.) I am just so impressed by how she make me hate a character when I first meet them, and then love them a few chapters (or books) later. And there several perfectly likeable characters in minor roles that I want to read more about--come on, Suzanne, are you ever going to give Yashi his own story? (Referring to Joe Hirabayashi, one of the FBI agents who works under Jules. And that's another thing I like about Brockmann, that her books have a racially diverse cast--black, Latino, Asian-American--but it's not a big deal.)
I should warn that the romance part of the books tend to follow the same formula, for the most part: two characters fall in love but are kept apart for some reason (whether that's outside circumstances or their own emotional issues) and suffer major angst, but eventually get together, usually after saving each other's lives and taking down a gang of criminals or terrorists along the way. Since I love angsty romance with happy endings, that's not really a problem for me! ;-) And the character development and action plots are interesting enough that I don't mind a slightly formulaic element to the romance. (Besides, romances and mysteries tend to be formulaic, and that's usually part of the attraction--the comfort of knowing what kind of story you're going to get when you pick up the book.)
I enjoyed all the books, but my favorites are the ones where Sam and Alyssa, and/or Jules and Robin have major roles, which would include Into the Night, Gone Too Far, Hot Target, Force of Nature, All Through the Night, and Hot Pursuit. I didn't have any trouble following the plot by jumping into the middle of the series, but I'd recommend reading it from the beginning to pick up on all the complexities and subtleties of the character relationships.
Brockmann has said that she's taking a break from Troubleshooters to focus on a new series, but I hope that she'll return to it one day. I'd like to see Yashi get to be a main character, and I'd like to see more of Mary Lou's post-Sam life. And or course I'd always love to read more about Sam, Alyssa, Jules, and Robin!
Brockmann has a few free downloads on her website that include sampler chapters, short stories, and interviews: Reader's Guide to the Troubleshooters Series, Force of Nature Extras, and Into the Fire Extras. Fanfic writers might find the Into the Fire download of particular interest, since it includes an essay on "Creating the 'Perfect' Romance Hero"--and by "perfect," she doesn't mean a boringly perfect Prince Charming, but a well-developed and interesting character (and an interesting plot).
I thoroughly enjoyed being able to read the series from beginning to end after having started in the middle with All Through the Night, and it was interesting to see how the characters developed to reach that point. I was surprised to see that Sam and Alyssa, who are such a loving couple in All Through the Night, practically hated each other on sight when they first met. Or rather, there were sparks of attraction but each thought that the other was a jerk--Alyssa thought Sam was a sexist, bigoted redneck, and Sam thought (correctly) that she was prejudging him based on his southern drawl and cowboy boots. Though to be fair, Sam deliberately plays up the stereotype to provoke her.
It was also surprising to discover that although Sam wasn't a sexist or racist bigot, he was slightly homophobic and very uncomfortable around Jules when they first met. I was quite impressed with the way that Brockmann developed the characters over time in a realistic manner, and had Alyssa and Sam and Jules learning to respect and genuinely care for each other.
Brockmann has a real knack for taking an apparently unsympathetic character, someone who would be a two-dimensional villain in lesser hands, and developing them into a realistic and complex character that the readers unexpectedly end up rooting for. Jules's ex-boyfriend Adam, mentioned in one of the previous posts, is a great example of that, as is Sam's ex-wife Mary Lou. Sam had a fling with her while trying to get over Alyssa, and just when he and Alyssa finally admit their feelings for each other, Mary Lou announces that she's pregnant and Sam feels honor-bound to marry her. The readers are already inclined to hate her for breaking up Sam and Alyssa, and to make it worse, it turns out that Mary Lou deliberately got pregnant to keep Sam from leaving her. She's shallow and prejudiced, and more in love with the ideal of a Navy SEAL hero than she is with Sam himself. But then we also learn about her troubled childhood, being raised by a neglectful and alcoholic mother, and how that has left her so desperate for love and security that she'll do anything to get them. It doesn't excuse Mary Lou's actions, but it makes them understandable. I found myself feeling sorry for her when I saw how pathetically hard she was trying to please an indifferent Sam by cooking his favorite foods and trying to change her interests to match his--and going about it all wrong, because Sam would prefer a strong, independent woman even if they don't like the same kinds of food or movies. And thanks to an unexpected friendship (I don't want to spoil too much of the plot) Mary Lou begins to mature, becoming more open-minded and finally admitting that she's wronged Sam and that the marriage isn't going to work out. It takes several books for the whole Alyssa/Sam/Mary Lou thing to get resolved--which was kind of frustrating that it took so long when I wanted Sam and Alyssa to get together now, but at the same time, I'm glad that Brockmann took the time to properly develop the characters and relationships rather than rushing to tack on an unrealistic happy ending in the first book.
Brockmann juggles a large number of supporting characters in the series (some of whom later go on to become main characters in later books), and manages to make them all interesting characters that we'd like to read more about. (Similar to Youka Nitta, now that I think about it.) I am just so impressed by how she make me hate a character when I first meet them, and then love them a few chapters (or books) later. And there several perfectly likeable characters in minor roles that I want to read more about--come on, Suzanne, are you ever going to give Yashi his own story? (Referring to Joe Hirabayashi, one of the FBI agents who works under Jules. And that's another thing I like about Brockmann, that her books have a racially diverse cast--black, Latino, Asian-American--but it's not a big deal.)
I should warn that the romance part of the books tend to follow the same formula, for the most part: two characters fall in love but are kept apart for some reason (whether that's outside circumstances or their own emotional issues) and suffer major angst, but eventually get together, usually after saving each other's lives and taking down a gang of criminals or terrorists along the way. Since I love angsty romance with happy endings, that's not really a problem for me! ;-) And the character development and action plots are interesting enough that I don't mind a slightly formulaic element to the romance. (Besides, romances and mysteries tend to be formulaic, and that's usually part of the attraction--the comfort of knowing what kind of story you're going to get when you pick up the book.)
I enjoyed all the books, but my favorites are the ones where Sam and Alyssa, and/or Jules and Robin have major roles, which would include Into the Night, Gone Too Far, Hot Target, Force of Nature, All Through the Night, and Hot Pursuit. I didn't have any trouble following the plot by jumping into the middle of the series, but I'd recommend reading it from the beginning to pick up on all the complexities and subtleties of the character relationships.
Brockmann has said that she's taking a break from Troubleshooters to focus on a new series, but I hope that she'll return to it one day. I'd like to see Yashi get to be a main character, and I'd like to see more of Mary Lou's post-Sam life. And or course I'd always love to read more about Sam, Alyssa, Jules, and Robin!
Brockmann has a few free downloads on her website that include sampler chapters, short stories, and interviews: Reader's Guide to the Troubleshooters Series, Force of Nature Extras, and Into the Fire Extras. Fanfic writers might find the Into the Fire download of particular interest, since it includes an essay on "Creating the 'Perfect' Romance Hero"--and by "perfect," she doesn't mean a boringly perfect Prince Charming, but a well-developed and interesting character (and an interesting plot).