While the plot was good and exciting, the characterizations were bad caricatures, and he overuses some words (stab and tug, for example) when others would be far more appropriate, and he uses far too many bad metaphors and analogies for my taste.

I read the author’s first novel years ago and was turned off by the same poor writing, but I had hoped by now that his writing had improved or at least a better editor was cleaning up after him. No such luck.