# Things your favorite authors do that annoy you **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [June 27, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-favorite-authors-do-that-annoy-you/1020201 "2025-06-27T17:23:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-favorite-authors-do-that-annoy-you/1020201/121 "2025-09-01T15:59:19Z")
I have a lot of experience driving Rt 1 in southeast Maine. There are a few brief stretches where you can get up to 45 and rarely 50 mph, but most of what Reacher would’ve had to travel involves 35 mph or less speed limits, plenty of stoplights and crawling behind long lines of cars driven by tourists and locals. Maybe he had a plan to levitate in order to bypass Ogunquit. > [@](#): > > in one scene Reacher fights a superman, one-on-one, like the final boss in a video game, in a way that just couldn’t be believed. That’s hard to believe. In most of the Reacher novels he’s fighting three or more supermen at a time. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2025, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-favorite-authors-do-that-annoy-you/1020201/122 "2025-09-01T17:46:33Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > In most of the Reacher novels he’s fighting three or more supermen at a time. In the recent videos they stretch out the fights for dramatic effect, I think. In the books, if Reacher hits you, you go down and stay down… ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2025, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-favorite-authors-do-that-annoy-you/1020201/123 "2025-09-01T21:51:16Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > My gripe with that particular book (I think) was a couple absolute failures of suspension of disbelief: This is a problem I had with the series in general… Well I only read the first book. The villain’s gruesome method of killing was so over the top ridiculous I couldn’t find it in me to continue. However I’ve since read a couple modern thrillers and I don’t think it’s idiosyncratic to Child. It seems part of the fun of the genre is seeing how outlandish the killer’s methodology gets. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-favorite-authors-do-that-annoy-you/1020201/124 "2025-09-01T22:43:20Z")
Then you would love Tim Dorsey, if you haven’t discovered him yet. Serge is a Master of the Convoluted Murder. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2025, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-favorite-authors-do-that-annoy-you/1020201/125 "2025-09-01T22:51:15Z")
I’m intrigued. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2025, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-favorite-authors-do-that-annoy-you/1020201/126 "2025-09-01T22:57:03Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > > [@MrDibble](#): > > > > FYI, I specified Iain _M._ Banks because I’m not interested in his non-SF stuff. > > FYI, I think you should read the non M stuff again! Hear hear! I bounced off most of Ian M. Banks’ Culture stories despite rave reviews from friends, then dipped into Ian non-M’s ‘The Crow Road’ and didn’t want to come up for air. Also, DECIDEDLY non-formulaic women and relationships. All in all an absolute delight. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-favorite-authors-do-that-annoy-you/1020201/127 "2025-09-04T01:07:40Z")
plus1–how Serge (Dorsey) knew so much science? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-favorite-authors-do-that-annoy-you/1020201/128 "2025-09-04T02:01:21Z")
Well, Serge was a voracious reader for one thing. That coupled with his “Florida-mania” and creativity made for an innovative killer. Toss in his drive for justice and you get 27 very funny novels. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-favorite-authors-do-that-annoy-you/1020201/129 "2025-09-04T05:42:55Z")
well Dorsey created him, so he knew a lot. unfortunately, no more books [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-favorite-authors-do-that-annoy-you/1020201.md?page=6)