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I've read (what I consider) good Gothics and some awful Gothics. I'm disappointed at times when reading what appears to be a well-written and entertaining story, that it is flawed by inconsistencies and/or inaccuracies. Typos and poor proofreading are a pet peeve of mine, but what really detracts and distracts me is when it appears the author is not paying attention to what she/he has written. For example, I'm reading "House of Fand" by Anne Maybury. Only half-way through the book I'm already finding half a dozen instances in which she cannot keep track of time. As for inaccuracies, some authors point out historical inaccuracies before you begin the story and it makes it easier to accept the reasons for doing so. However, I'm not an historian and would find it difficult at times to know whether any historical Gothics contain inaccurate historical detail. Having said that, when I do run across something blatantly obvious and the author does not show any signs of realizing her mistake, I find it unbelievable and frustrating. I wonder how much research some authors put into writing their books. Do they just churn them out because they write so many?
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In what way was the author inconsistent in the story?
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Mostly with respect to time. One big example is that the "heroine" who is telling the story mentions her sister is about to become 18. A few paragraphs later she states that she is very protective of her sister because of something that happened 16 years ago when her sister was 4. Now, I don't know how that could be. Several more references are made to the fact that her sister is almost 18 and suddenly she has her 19th birthday. Or, how about when her grandmother has a heart attack and was told to stay in bed for 3 days. Shortly after the attack, she receives something in the post that gives her 3 days to act and then something was going to happen. This event happens, the grandmother wants to get out of bed and she begs her grandmother to obey doctor's orders to stay in bed. Things like that. She doesn't seem to remember when events happen and twists them around to fit the unraveling of the mystery.
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You'd think an author would do extensive research, but sometimes, they (I know I fall in this trap) whip up a story without even paying attention to those details, because it's solely for their own amusement... but for a published author? The editor must've not been paying attention.
