Observant Readers Spot Errors in ‘Great Divide,’ ‘Imposter’ & ‘Night Angel’

Thank you, readers, for keeping me on my toes by graciously pointing out flaws in my research. You teach me to much! Here are a few bloopers observant readers picked up on.

John writes:

I read Strait of Hormuz and liked it. That led me to The Great Divide, where again I got swept up in the narrative. However, I found the legal mistakes to be fatal (though I did hang in to the end).

Under American law you cannot add a defendant to an ongoing trial. It would deny that party due process, time to prepare defense, knowledge of previous testimony, etc., etc., ad infinitum. Maybe in China, possibly in Italy where the process is bizarro, but certainly not in the US or UK either.

No federal judge would consider or take up an offer to be a special prosecutor. You don’t give up a lifetime sinecure for a temporary position with less pay. The prestige flows the opposite direction.

Only members of the US Supreme Court are called Justice. Those of lesser federal courts are Judge.

Counsel in trial are not allowed to interrupt closing or opening arguments by objection. That’s the practice and procedure, if not actually the law. You have them continually doing so and the presiding judge overruling. No, she’d be finding that lawyer in contempt of court, after one warning.

You say you consulted with attorneys in NC about legal points. Don’t consult the same ones next time.

Dear John,

Well, sir, this was certainly an eye-opener of an email. And I am indeed grateful for your thorough examination of the text. It’s amazing to me on two counts: First, that you still seemed to enjoy the story despite its evident flaws; and second, that you hung in there to the end.

It is hard to express just how much pleasure I receive from emails like this, where there are avid and emotional bonds forged between my work and intelligent readers like yourself.

One suggestion. I think you might enjoy giving Lion of Babylon a read.

Eric writes:

I just finished reading Imposter and enjoyed the book very much. However, some of the segments about the Air Force had distracting errors. Granted, I would notice more than most because I’m a major in the USAF, but I feel this undermines the authenticity of the story and is easily corrected. I hope this comes off as friendly help rather than criticism.

If it helps, here are some examples of errors in the book (from the Kindle edition):

Loc 4721: The Air Force does not have corporals.

Loc 4784: The description of the VOQ is like nothing I’ve ever stayed in, except when deployed. Usually, they are at least Motel 6 quality.

Loc 4921: The “no-fly rule” you describe is called “quiet hours,” the purpose being to avoid disturbing the surrounding community.

Loc 4987: Again, the Air Force does not have corporals.

Loc 5103: Annie gives Matt a salute, suggesting the uniform she gave him was that of an officer. On Loc 5076, Annie dresses Matt as a loadmaster. But a loadmaster is an enlisted crew member, and they wear flight suits, not fatigues. Similarly, she calls him a flight officer on Loc 5089.

Loc 5141: Matt bought a paper at the PX at Andrews AFB. The Air Force calls them a BX (Base Exchange). The Army calls them a PX (Post Exchange). Both fall under AAFES (Army and Air Force Exchange Service).

I’m not sure how useful this is or whether you can (or want to) update the book. If you ever need someone to review references to the Air Force in the future, I would be willing to help.

Dear Eric,

First of all, please accept my heartfelt thanks for the thorough analysis that you have offered here. Imposter has been out of print now for three years, so the actual changes will need to wait for a re-release. But the corrections are nonetheless much appreciated.

My contacts for Imposter were all within the police and federal law enforcement agencies. I “winged it” (terrible pun) on the USAF side, which basically happened because I didn’t have somebody to run the manuscript by. These issues often arise in such cases, and I apologize for the glitches that interrupted the story’s flow.

Patricia writes:

My husband and I have recently come across your books and have read several and are searching for more. I am presently reading The Night Angel and wanted to make you aware of an error on page 198. The first paragraph on that page is talking about a butter box and how the butter is made by pouring the skimmed cream into the box and pressing out the whey.

Unfortunately, butter is not that simply made. Whey is the liquid pressed out when making cottage cheese. To make butter, you must shake it (or churn it) until the butter particles form and then collect together, pour off the buttermilk, and then, with a large paddle-like spoon, press the butter against the side of the bowl until all the rest of the buttermilk is squeezed out. Then you can form the butter.

I hope this information is of use, although I know it is probable that you have already heard the same information from others of your readers. Again, my husband and I really enjoy your wonderful books, both the adventures (both of us) and the Acadia books (myself).

Dear Patricia,

Thank you and your husband for the very thoughtful email. Yes, this has been noted, and while the correction came in too late to be included in the reprints, it will most certainly be done in any future versions. I actually researched this point, but what I obtained was clearly a shortened version of the full act.

I do hope you and your husband enjoy the remaining stories. Please let me add that the story mentioned at the end of Night Angel was combined with the one that followed, and turned into one final book. Janette felt well enough to come out of retirement, and we wrote the trilogy based upon the first chapters of Acts. I did not have the time to do both, and was uncertain how long she and I had to work together on a project we had been discussing for many years.