On a favorite mystery list, someone asked, in relation to a discussion of The Da Vinci Code: What limits believability in a story?
For me the line isn’t drawn so much at facts as consistency. The author needs to follow the rules he’s set up for his story. I also have a tough time with author cheating, not providing the information that’s needed, trying to trick the reader by holding something back. If I sense the author is holding out on me, I’ll stop reading.
Facts that I know to be different from how they’re presented do bother me. I suppose it’s a matter of degree that determines whether they ruin the story’s believability for me.