Huh–Marcinko! Had apparently succeeded in suppressing this author (proofread one of his tomes a few years ago).
Yes–monumentally godawful writing!
I don’t mind an 8th grade level. Elmore Leonard wrote at that level or even lower, and I love his writing.
I like Turtledove overall; but am, by a narrowish margin, on the side of “when he’s good, he’s good – when he’s bad, he’s…” . In the main, I tend to consider his “stand-alone” novels better than his series, which are apt to become extremely repetitious and, as BG says, clotted. (I have a perverse liking for his Darkness series, which most people – whether Turtledove lovers, or haters – seem to consider “beyond dire”.)
Darkness excepted (it’s been around for a good few years), I have renounced anything at all recent by Harry, having anything even remotely to do with World War II – IMO, he has done that conflict to death and far beyond.
Elizabeth Wertzel.
Just came here to second the vote for Lisa Scottoline being the worst contemporary writer of English and I find that I am the first to make the charge. This in no way alters my opinion. I have never read her newspaper column but the two mysteries I did read (all of one and part of another) are god-awful.