When Dialogue Attribution Goes Horribly Wrong.

Here's a quote from Newgate Callander of The New York Times Book Review that pretty much says it all.

Mr. Ludlum has other peculiarities. For example he hates the "he said" locution and avoids it as much as possible. Characters in The Bourne Ultimatum seldom "say" anything. Instead they cry, interject, interrupt, muse, state, counter, conclude, mumble, whisper (Mr. Ludlum is great on whispers), intone roar exclaim, fume, explode, mutter. There is one especially unforgettable tautology: "'I repeat,' repeated Alex."
The book may sell in the billions, but it's still junk.

He said. She said. Unobtrusive, simple and elegant.