Tuesday, December 25, 2012

How Harriet Fudges Her Reviews, Part II


This is a followup to “How Harriet Fudges Her Reviews”.  The breadth and depth of the information was impossible to include in just one article.  While there is a lot more information, the example given in Part I and Part II of this article should be enough to prove the point that there may be some fudging going on regarding the quantity and quality of Klausner’s reviews.  These reviews are for the months of August, September, and October, 2012 and are for only those reviews that comparisons were made.

Plagiarism is defined as:  “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own; use (another's production) without crediting the source; to commit literary theft; to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.”

Here are more comparisons of Harriet’s reviews to the dust jackets and/or editorial materials provided on Amazon’s book page.  Decide for yourself.

Fury’s Kiss:  A Midnight’s Daughter Novel, by Karen Chance
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
Dorina Basarab
=
Dorina Basarab
a dhampir
=
the dhampir
uncontrollable rages,
=
berserker rages
dhampirs live very short, very violent lives.
=
selfdestructive dhampir species
But so far, Dory has managed to maintain
=
Dory has controlled
her sanity
=
her urges
by unleashing her anger on those demons and vampires who deserve killing...
=
by going after rogue vampires and evil demons
strange man standing over her,
=
a male staring at her
master vampire Louis-Cesare,
=
master vampire Louis-Cesare
so he’s not an easy kill.
=
she tries to kill him, but prevents her from doing so.
working with a Vampire Senate task force
=
working undercover with teammates
on the smuggling of magical items and weaponry
=
how magical weapons were being smuggled
out of Faerie
=
out of faerie
she was captured and brought to the lab.
=
awakens to a bloodbath in a lab
she has no memory of what happened to her.
=
she does not recall what happened
To find out what was done to her—.
=
as she seeks the truth
Dory will have to face off with
=
Dory faces
fallen angels,
=
fallen angels
the maddest of mad scientists,
=
mad scientists
a new breed of vampires that are far worse than undead…
=
a more malevolent violent vampire subspecies

The Affair, by Alicia Clifford
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
As a writer
=
famous author
Celia Bayley's
=
Celia Bayley
into the ways of the human heart
=
look into human relationships
made her famous
=
received critical and fan accolades
She had married a handsome war hero
=
she . . . married World War II hero
three successful children
=
three successful children
family gathers for her funeral
=
family gathers for her funeral
diaries and notebooks and letters
=
diaries, notebooks and letters
paint a very different picture
=
paint a different picture
shocks those who loved her
=
shock the reporter and the deceased's loved ones
and will force them to confront the difficult conflicts in their own lives
=
looks inside their hearts and souls
Early
=
early on
broken her heart
=
broke her heart
they persevered as a family
=
created the facade of a happy home.
years later
=
years later
meets a man for whom she feels a passion she never believed possible
=
met the grand passion of her life
the agonizing choice one woman must make
=
a sacrificing choice for the sake of her children
utterly compelling
=
incredibly profound, thought provoking
the definition of happiness
=
what we want in our lives.

Beast of Baskerville, by Annette and Gina Cascone
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
the Deadtime Stories
=
Deadtime Story
by “Twisted Sisters”
=
Twisted Sisters
they’ll scare you silly
=
will answer the question “Are you afraid of the dark?” with a yes
Everyone in Baskerville knows
=
in Baskerville everyone knows
about Jimmy Leeds
=
the Jimmy Leeds mythos
When all the kids
=
the Baskerville children
have a giant campout
=
hold a giant campout
Adam’s friends start disappearing
=
the kids begin to vanish
Adam thinks it’s some kind of joke
=
Adam Riley assumes his buddies are playing a nasty practical joke
until he follows the hoofprints
=
until he sees the hoof prints in the ground.  Frightened Adam bravely follows them
Into the nearby woods
=
into the woods
finds himself face-to-face with the Beast of Baskerville
=
he runs into the Beast of Baskerville

Silent Partner, a Graphic Novel, by Jonathan Kellerman
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
struggling to keep his relationship with girlfriend Robin Castagna alive
=
his girlfriend Robin Castagna ends their relationship
Sharon Ransom was Alex's lover back in the day
=
Dr. Alex Delaware's former lover Sharon Ransom
her mind games and increasingly erratic behavior
=
her strange behavior
drove them apart
=
drove him to end their relationship
Alex turns her away
=
he refuses to meet with her
bitterly regrets.
=
shocked and overwhelmed with guilt
when Sharon ends up dead the next day. The official ruling is suicide
=
when he learns the next day that Sharon committed suicide.
the case won't be closed until he finds out what happened.
=
Alex investigates what happened to make Sharon kill herself.
Driven by guilt and grief
=
fueled by his remorse for saying no
With the aid of his trusted friend, homicide cop Milo Sturgis
=
with the help of his friend LAPD Police Detective Milo Sturgis
Alex traces Sharon's fatal path
=
Alex traces Sharon
Twisted
=
Twisted
a world of Hollywood
=
version of Hollywood
murder and manipulation, riddled with scandal, corruption, and blood
=
murder, pornography, blackmail
high life
=
those living in the luxurious mansions
The first graphic novel adaptation
=
this is a great graphic adaptation
classic New York Times bestseller Silent Partner
=
a powerful dark Delaware 1989 thriller
Marvel and DC comics veteran Michael Gaydos
=
while Michael Gaydos portrays

Blood and Other Cravings, by Ellen Datlow
Other Reviewers’ Reviews

The Mad Hattie’s Language
Wag the Fox’s Amazon Review


Kaaron Warren's "All You Can Do Is Breath,” [sic]
=
KAARON WARREN'S "ALL YOU CAN DO IS BREATH,"[sic]”
Coal miner trapped
=
The trapped miner
Sees a creature
=
Witnesses a creature
Prey on a fellow miner
=
Attacking a peer
After he’s rescued
=
After being saved
Sees the same creature again
=
Sees that same beast



Elizabeth Bear’s “Needles.”
=
Elizabeth Bear’s “Needles.”
Craving
=
Cravings
A vampire
=
The vampire
With
=
Between
Maternal
=
Maternal
Instinct
=
instinctive



Melanie Tem’s “Keeping Corky,”
=
“Keeping Corky” by Melanie Tem
Inside the unsettling mindset
=
While living only to keep his memory alive
Woman
=
Mother
Who has lost
=
Grieves
Her son
=
son



M. Griffin’s Amazon Review


Michael Cisco's "Bread and Water
=
Michael Cisco's "Bread and Water
captive vampire
=
the incarcerated vampire
trying to cope
=
struggles with controlling
with his appetites,
=
his needs
he desires.
=
his mind



Margo Lanagan's "The Mulberry Boys"
=
"The Mulberry Boys" (by Margo Lanagan
Through . . . altered diet, humans or human-like creatures
=
know you are what you eat as their bodies
are transformed
=
convert.
into passive silk factories
=
into silk manufacturing plants

 When She Was Good, by Laura Lippman
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
is forced to make desperate choices to save her son and herself
=
has the complication of her tweener son
When Hector Lewis
=
her abusive father
told his daughter
=
informs young Heloise Lewis
that she had a nothing face
=
"You have a nothing face."
it was just another bit of tossed-off cruelty from a man
=
that was her cruel dad
who specialized in harsh words and harsher deeds
=
being his usual nastiness
But twenty years later,
=
Though now
Heloise considers it a blessing to be a person who knows how to avoid attention
=
she thrives on that non visage
In the comfortable suburb where she lives
=
as a suburban Maryland
she's just a mom
=
Heloise has been a doting mom
who somehow never misses a soccer game
=
who always attends her middle school son Scott's games
lobbyist with a good cause and a mediocre track record.
=
a failure lobbyist
she's the woman of your dreams—if you can afford her hourly fee
=
a successful madam
For more than a decade
=
For a decade
a life she was forced to build
=
her construct
is under siege.
=
Collapses
another so-called suburban madam has been found dead in her car
=
a recently caught suburban madam died
a suicide. Or is it?
=
mysteriously.
she learns that her son's father
=
she learns that Scott's biological dad Val Deluca
might be released from prison
=
may get out of prison
he doesn't know he has a son
=
Val knows nothing about an offspring
former pimp
=
who was her pimp
a life sentence
=
on a homicide life sentence
Heloise betrayed him
=
who betrayed him
he's clearly beginning to suspect
=
as he would suspect
Heloise has to remake her life
=
Heloise knows it is time to reinvent herself
Disappearing will be the easy part.
=
she leans towards flight over fight.
She's done it before and she can do it again
=
she has reinvented herself in the past

Blue Magic, by A. M. Dellmonica
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
Indigo Springs starts in the small town in Oregon
=
in Indigo Springs, Oregon
Astrid Lethewood discovered
=
Astrid Lethewood discovered
an underground
=
an underground
river of blue liquid
=
stream of blue liquid
Vitagua-that is pure magic
=
vitagua possesses magic
Astrid's best friend, Sahara
=
her friends like Sahara Kanx
has been corrupted
=
become corrupted
by the blue magic
=
by the power possibilities of the blue liquid
and now leads a cult that seeks to rule the world
=
ahara formed a cult focused on her being a goddess ruling the world
Astrid, on the other hand, tries to heal the world
=
Astrid tries to heal the world
friend against friend
=
her former BFF turned enemy
the power of nations against a small band of zealots
=
now plot as the small overwhelms the big; the world apocalypse
with the fate of the world at stake
=
as the global pandemic could end Indigo Springs and the rest of earth
plagued by its consequences
=
provides a close scrutiny of magic's corruption effect

A Chrismas Garland:  A Novel, By Anne Perry
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
"An annual treat"
=
annual Perry Christmas treat
Victorian-era holiday mysteries
=
Victorian era legal thriller
set in exotic India
=
the background of a rebellious India
a terrible crime that sets the stage for another
=
a travesty of justice
an innocent man
=
his client is innocent.
The year is 1857
=
in 1857
soon after the violent Siege of Cawnpore
=
with the recent siege of Cawnpore
India in the midst of rebellion
=
a rebellion sweeps across India
the British garrison
=
the garrison
a guard is killed
=
murder of a guard
an Indian prisoner escapes
=
the escape of a Sikh prisoner
more British deaths
=
and other deaths
Cries for revenge
=
demand execution
Despite no witnesses
=
[there is no] . . . eyewitness
no evidence
=
no physical proof
British medical orderly
=
British medical orderly
named John Tallis
=
Corporal John Tallis
as an accomplice
=
for abetting
he was the only soldier unaccounted for
=
he is the only soldier who apparently has no alibi
young Lieutenant Victor Narraway
=
newcomer Lieutenant Victor Narraway
is not encouraged to try very hard
=
comrades warn him to do nothing
a show trial
=
a meaningless check the box formality
inspired by a soldier's widow and her children
=
encouraged by a widow and her children
searches for the truth
=
investigates what really happened
memories of massacre
=
the deaths of comrades

Colorado Fireman, by C. C. Coburn
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
Colorado firefighter Adam O'Malley risks his own life to rescue Carly Spencer's young son and a dog named Molly from a burning building...in Spruce Lake, Colorado
=
firefighter Adam O'Malley enters the burning apartment to rescue a an elderly woman and eighteen month old Charlie. however, adam earns that Molly remains inside.  though Molly is a dog, Adam goes back in and rescues the canine.
Adam's mother has invited Carly, her children and the dog to stay at the O'Malley ranch
=
his mom offers the apartment over the stables to Carly, her four kids and the dog to the shock of Adam; who happens to be living there.
as the widow of a firefighter
=
the widow
Meeting-and falling for-another firefighter is not
=
while she has doubts about having another firefighter in her life and that of her kids as her late husband Michael was one.
Adam, meanwhile, has been avoiding relationships"
=
neither of the lead couple wants to fall in love
making a good life for her kids is Carly's number one priority
=
working mom Carly Spencer
a painful secret he's kept from everyone, including his brothers.
=
however, he has a secret that he concealed from everyone that keeps him distant from relationships
unexpected love
=
but they cannot help themselves as they do.
Is there a way they can become a family-Adam, Carly, kids and dog?
=
the two extended families add depth to their romance . . .

The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets, by Kathleen Alcott
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
Ida grew up
=
Ida grew up
with Jackson and James
=
surrounded by two J's, her neighbors the brothers Jackson and James.
where there was "I" there was a "J."
=
they do everything together
communication without speaking
=
even communicate silently
She can't recall a time when she didn't have them around
=
very close to each other since they were infants
two brothers and a sister
=
she is their sister I to their J
a family unit
=
do everything together as a family would
Jackson's somnambulism
=
his sleepwalking
produces violent outbursts
=
turns violent
James is hospitalized
=
James increasingly is turning insane
Ida is paralyzed
=
feels helpless
threaten to shatter her family
=
her idyllic family is falling apart
and put it beyond her reach
=
nothing she can do to prevent the demise
emotions become more complex
=
their interrelationships complex and convoluted
explores the dynamics of family
=
focuses on what a "family" is.

The Dirty Girls’ Bookclub, by Savanna Fox
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
When the book club makes their first erotic selection The Sexual Education of Lady Emma Whitehead
=
Kim suggests their next entry be a fun erotic historical novel The Sexual Education of Emma Whitehead.
Marketing executive
=
marketing expert
Georgia Malone is surprised to find herself identifying with the main character
=
Georgia Malone feels an affinity with the lead character Emma
Like Emma, Georgia is a widow
=
"widow Georgia Malone " and "Emma a young widow"
who has never truly experienced the joys of sex
=
who has not found any joy in sex.
But when she meets the spokesman for her newest campaign
=
meets her firm's newest client
Georgia is experiencing first hand, and for the first time, the real pleasures of the flesh
=
As they enjoy their sexual interlude,
When it comes to writing her own happy ending, this dirty girl doesn't just need his body-she wants his heart
=
she wants the hat trick of love, commitment and all of him.

A Fistful of Collars, A Chet and Bernie Mystery, Spencer Quinn
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
Tinseltown money
=
Hollywood money
to the Valley, the mayor lures a movie studio to town to shoot their next production
=
Valley Mayor Trimble succeeds in getting the producers of the next Thad Perry blockbuster action flick to use his town as the location for the shoot
notoriously badly behaved
=
known for his bad boy excesses.
Thad Perry
=
Perry
Bernie and Chet are handpicked for the job
=
he hires the Little Detective Agency; investigators Bernie Little and his associate Chet
Thad has a mysterious connection to the Valley
=
he secret that ties Thad to the Valley
The only people who might know the answer have a bad habit of turning up dead before they can talk
=
as the location filming begins, murder occurs
his feline friend Brando has taken an instant dislike to Chet
=
Brando the feline who challenges the dog
a perceptive take on the relationship between human and dog
=
Chet narrates the investigation

Hemingway’s Girl, by Erika Robuck
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
In Depression-era Key West
=
In 1935 Florida
Mariella Bennet . . . know hungers
=
patriarch dies leaving . . . no money
where she bets on a risky boxing match
=
Mariella Bennet bets on a boxing match
and attracts the interest of . . . Ernest Hemingway
=
meets the famous writer
Hemingway's second wife, Pauline
=
his second wife Pauline
Gavin Murray,
=
Gavin Murray
one of the WWI veterans
=
WWI veteran
who are laboring to build the Overseas Highway
=
who is working on the Overseas Highway.
the attentions of the larger-than-life writer become a dangerous temptation Hemingway is attracted to; vies for her attention;
=
Hemingway is attracted to; vies for her attention;
as a Labor Day Hurricane batters the Keys
=
as a massive hurricane bears down on Key West

Hush Now, Don’t you Cry, Rhys Bowen
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
in the spring of 1904 =
=
in 1903 (Harriet wasn't paying attention!)
Molly Murphy, now Molly Sullivan
=
newlyweds Molly Murphy
and her husband Daniel, a captain in the New York Police department
=
and NYPD Captain Daniel Sullivan
spend their honeymoon on the Newport estate
=
arrive in Newport for their honeymoon . . . at the estate
of Alderman Brian Hannan
=
of New York City Alderman Brian Hannan
Hannan is found dead at the base of the cliffs
=
Hannan is found dead at the nearby bottom of a cliff
her promise to Daniel that she won't do any more sleuthing now
=
though Molly promises not to investigate
but the murder of an alderman puts her on the trail of a killer
=
she cannot prevent herself from making inquiries

Dying Wish, a Novel of the Sentinel Wars, by Shannon K. Butcher
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language

her captivity and torture at the hands of the Synestryn
=
the Synestryn captured and tortured her
rescued by the Theronai
=
her rescuers, Theronai warriors
She's a potential match for the Theronai warriors who need a woman to literally save their lives
=
she should mate with one of them as that will save the life of her chosen partner
She unexpectedly selects Iain, a cold-hearted warrior
=
she selects tundra cold Iain.
Iain is convinced that it's too late-that his soul is already as dead as his former betrothed, killed by the Synestryn
=
he rejects her offer as he insists his soul already died when the Synestryn killed his betrothed
he is the only one she wants
=
he is the one.

In Between Days, by Andrew Porter
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
the four members of the Harding family
=
the Harding quartet
of Houston, Texas.
=
on[sic] Houston
recently and bitterly divorced,
=
are divorced
much to the dismay
=
are not dealing well
their two adult children,
=
their two college aged children
Richard and Chloe.
=
Richard and Chloe
Elson is an architect
=
Elson the highly regarded architect
who drinks hard
=
turns to alcohol
Richard has graduated ,
=
a graduate student
working at a low paying job
=
supporting himself;
while still living at home
=
living at home
Chloe
=
their daughter
has been sent home from college
=
as Stratham College has expelled her
due to an event involving
=
for an act of violence involving
her boyfriend, Raja
=
her boyfriend Raja,
told from a different point of view,
=
reading more like four interrelated novellas
his girl friend
=
his lover
risk of driving the latter away
=
increasingly distant
Richard is gay, a talented poet who seems to be drifting, and resisting assistance from a college professor who is attempting to help him make some important decisions about his poetic gift.
=
Richard feels torn between poet
suffering most from the divorce
=
stunned by her parents' divorce
but confused about her relationship with Raja and her role in
=
Chloe makes bad relational choices

Krampus, the Yule Lord, by Brom
Most Helpful Reviewer, Ms. Winston on Amazon

The Mad Hattie’s Language
One Christmas Eve
=
on Christmas Eve
Boone County, West Virginia,
=
Boone County, West Virginia
Jesse Walker
=
songwriter Jesse Walker
Witnesses
=
Observes
seven devilish figures
=
seven devilish looking people
chasing a man in a red suit
=
chasing a man in a red suit
a sleigh and eight reindeer
=
a sleigh pulled by eight reindeers
reindeer leap skyward taking the sleigh, devil men, and Santa into the clouds
=
who take to the sky
screams follow
=
Jesse hears screams
Moments later
=
followed by
a large sack plummets earthward
=
a red satin bag falling near him
a magical sack
=
Santa's magical sack
the lines between good and evil become blurred
=
not sure who to trust
Jesse's new master
=
Father Christmas
half a millennium ago
=
centuries ago
the jolly old saint imprisoned Krampus
=
Santa incarcerated him
Usurped
=
took from him
the Yule Lord is determined to have his retribution
=
he wants vengeance
and reclaim Yuletide
=
take back what as the yuletide season belongs to him.
If Jesse can survive this ancient feud
=
these ancient enemies who have him in their crosshairs
to redeem himself to his family
=
to win back his wife and child
to save his own broken dreams
=
moving away from self-pity and debasement



The Last Good Man, A Novel, A. J. Kazinski and Tiina Nunnally
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
In Beijing
=
in the Yonghegong Temple in Beijing
a monk collapses in his chamber, dead
=
ling the monk drops dead
A fiery mark-a tattoo? a burn?-spreads across his back and down his spine
=
with an inflamed etching across his back.
In Mumbai
=
in Suvarna hospital in Mumbai
a beloved economist, . . . dies suddenly
=
death of economist Raj Bairoliya.
Similar deaths
=
the same thing
the victims all humanitarians
=
someone is murdering humanitarians
Italian policeman links the deaths
=
Tommaso links thirty-four identical deaths,
In Jewish scripture
=
Jewish scripture
there is a legend
=
the Jewish belief
There are thirty-six righteous people
=
the thirty six righteous
The thirty-six
=
the pious thirty-six
Without them, humanity would perish
=
who prevent the end of the world
In Copenhagen
=
comes to Copenhagen
a world climate summit
=
the world climate summit
The task falls to veteran detective Niels Bentzon
=
Tommaso enlists Danish detective Niels Bentzon
Find the "good people" of Denmark and warn them
=
to help him save the last two standing.
Bentzon is ready to give up
=
Niels finds nobody worthy
he meets Hannah Lund
=
he obtains the help of grieving Hannah Lund
brilliant astrophysicist
=
scientist
mourning the death of her son
=
struggles with her son's suicide.
With Hannah's help, . . . a pattern emerges
=
she finds the pattern

Rescued by a Ranger, by Tanya Michaels
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
four years old granddaughter
=
four-year-old daughter
Widow
=
death of her estranged husband
amoral SOBs
=
ruthless people/powerful, possibly crooked former in-laws
want their four years old granddaughter
=
When they came after her child
that's not even her real name
=
she changes her name
flees with Josie
=
no choice but to flee
As the adults fall in love
=
while the attraction is mutual
he recognizes she is running from someone
=
she's definitely hiding something
fearing the Ranger . . . will arrest her
=
will he help Alex-or turn her in?

A Royal Pain, by Megan Mulry
Other Amazon Reviewers

The Mad Hattie’s Language
Kim Adams’s Review


at an apartment party in NYC
=
in New York City
But Max is late
=
but Max's flight arrived late
Bronte meets "Mr. Texas"
=
she met Mr. Texas
Bronte also designates Max as the Transitional Man
=
she thinks . . . Transitional Man
K. M. Martin’s Review


Chick lit
=
chick lit
They were supposed to meet at a party thrown my mutual friends

they were supposed to meet in New York
career-driven Bronte Talbot
=
ambitious career woman Bronte Talbott
begin a whirlwind affair
=
begin a whirlwind courtship
She is heartbroken.
=
ended badly for her
she stumbles over Max in a used bookstore
=
Bronte next meets British doctoral student Max Heyworth in a bookstore
someone for a quick affair
=
a quickie tryst
Reviewer Mary Bookhounds Review


he has to go home,
=
he will soon return home
And then he springs the bomb . . . he is a Duke!
=
only to learn he is one of them as the Duke of Northrop
Bronte . . . she has a closet addiction to British royalty
=
Bronte, who loves following the royal scandal across the pond,
She tells her new British guy, Max, all about her obsession, leaving nothing out.
=
taunts Max about his nation's aristocracy.
His mother, Sylvia, is not amused by her son's choice
=
his family disdaining the American
So should Bronte pick up and move for a guy again
=
Bronte wonders if love is enough for her to give up midwest coffee

The Sacred Imposter, by J. R. Lankford
Editorial Comments

The Mad Hattie’s Language
Luis, a wealthy modern-day Zapata
=
Luis Tepiltzin Moctezuma inherited a lot of money
Maggie Johnson, the series' is-she-or-isn't-she Black Madonna
=
Maggie Johnson as Mary
one hating
=
whom she hates
A fresh view
=
a fresh look
the underside of illegal immigration
=
the illegal immigration issue
Upper East Side New York scientist
=
New York geneticist
Felix Rossi
=
Felix Rossi
to produce a clone
=
to create a Jesus clone
using DNA stolen from the Shroud of Turin
=
with DNA from the Shroud of Turin
Harlem house maid
=
his Harlem maid
10-year-old-boy
=
ten year old son
wanted the boy dead
=
kill him
a troubled Maggie
=
mourning for her son,
Now they are drawn into the dangerous web of Luis Moctezuma
=
he hires ex-hooker Coral Anders to kidnap Maggie's baby
rumor spreads that Maggie is pregnant
=
Maggie is pregnant

Wow.  Just three months.  And all these questionable reviews.