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bokforingenligtmonika's review
3.0
Morden i London fick jag från förlaget som en överraskning för ganska så längesedan. Detta råkade ju vara andra delen i en serie och eftersom jag är jag så läses serier i ordning. Det är bara så det är och därför tog det ett tag att navigera sig fram till den här boken. Förra året läste jag då äntligen första delen (som av en slump så lästes båda böckerna under exakt samma datum, men alltså olika år, upptäckte jag nu när jag skulle skriva ihop det här inlägget) och nu var det dags för denna.
När jag började läsa så var min förhoppning att Arrowood skulle bli mer sympatisk, när man lärde känna honom bättre. Men nej. Han verkar ha grava problem med sin impulskontroll och ibland beter han sig som en treåring. Det är dock inte han som är berättaren, det är i stället hans sidekick, Barnett, som är betydligt lättare att tycka om. Man kan ju hävda att så är fallet även med Arrowoods "konkurrent" Sherlock Holmes och Watson, men eftersom Sherlock Holmes har något att backa upp sin arrogans med så är det lättare att ta den.
Med största sannolikhet så blir det inte fler böcker om Arrowood för mig, efter Morden i London. Det beror inte bara på att inte fler delar har översatts. Det är visserligen intressant att läsa om London, som det såg ut i slutet av 1800-talet, men när författarens kommentarer i efterordet (nästan) är det mest intressanta då känns det inte nödvändigt att fortsätta med den här serien.
OBS! Detta är en kraftigt förkortad text. Hela finns på min blogg
När jag började läsa så var min förhoppning att Arrowood skulle bli mer sympatisk, när man lärde känna honom bättre. Men nej. Han verkar ha grava problem med sin impulskontroll och ibland beter han sig som en treåring. Det är dock inte han som är berättaren, det är i stället hans sidekick, Barnett, som är betydligt lättare att tycka om. Man kan ju hävda att så är fallet även med Arrowoods "konkurrent" Sherlock Holmes och Watson, men eftersom Sherlock Holmes har något att backa upp sin arrogans med så är det lättare att ta den.
Med största sannolikhet så blir det inte fler böcker om Arrowood för mig, efter Morden i London. Det beror inte bara på att inte fler delar har översatts. Det är visserligen intressant att läsa om London, som det såg ut i slutet av 1800-talet, men när författarens kommentarer i efterordet (nästan) är det mest intressanta då känns det inte nödvändigt att fortsätta med den här serien.
OBS! Detta är en kraftigt förkortad text. Hela finns på min blogg
gardenteacakesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
A strong 4 star read! Enjoyed it so much I've purchased the next one as a Kindle book. Though I do think the title and graphic give the book a rather misleading edge.
Victorian private detective William Arrowwood and friends, work to solve the mystery of Mr and Mrs Barclay who are unable to see their daughter when she marries and moves to Ockwell Farm.
A wonderful array of characters in this book, Mr Arrowwood at times is unorthodox in his manner of investigation to say the least, but at times hilarious. Excellent writing by the author who brings to life the horrors or the workhouse and asylums of the period. A special character shout out for Norman, Arrowwoods trusty sidekick, and Ettie, Arrowwoods sister.
Victorian private detective William Arrowwood and friends, work to solve the mystery of Mr and Mrs Barclay who are unable to see their daughter when she marries and moves to Ockwell Farm.
A wonderful array of characters in this book, Mr Arrowwood at times is unorthodox in his manner of investigation to say the least, but at times hilarious. Excellent writing by the author who brings to life the horrors or the workhouse and asylums of the period. A special character shout out for Norman, Arrowwoods trusty sidekick, and Ettie, Arrowwoods sister.
rosemarie_cawkwell's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book from the publisher as part of the blog tour. Full review available at rosemariecawkwell.wordpress.com 8th January 2019.
cornerofmadness's review against another edition
3.0
I received this from a Goodreads giveaway which did not influence my review. Honestly I was late in reviewing this ARC and wasn't sure what to put on it. I generally put two stars on ones that I think have problems structurally and I can't say that with this one. It's well written but it's simply not for me. Now I didn't read book one which did impact this read (a little unusual for mystery series) because I was missing how Arrowood and Barnett began their partnership and I needed that because they didn't seem to really like each other.
Apparently the first one was funny and I see a lot of reviews saying this one wasn't and boy wasn't it. It's downright dismal. It has at its heart the treatment of the mentally ill and people with birth defects (Down's syndrome in particular) at the height of the Victorian era, something I already know quite a bit about. It's ugly stuff, especially when you realize that not only did Downs (who the syndrome was named for. They were called Mongoliod Idiots at this time period which the author does use (and explains in an author note) think that those with Downs were a racial regression but also that meant they considered Asians to be inferior to Whites and stupid on top of it. That's some ugly stuff (true to the time period but damn ugly).
There is nothing funny about this book (not that it needs to be. I don't read mysteries for the laughs) but there is something annoying about it. Apparently Arrowood is fat and Barnett tells us this constantly. Okay we get it. the constant fat shaming (which yes would never have been considered an issue back then) grated on me as Arrowood burps, farts and diarrheas his way through this story.
I thought it might be interesting to see him in regards to Holmes because it's marketed as he's the antithesis of Sherlock Holmes but all we get is him bitching how Holmes gets all the attention and he gets none. That I could handle but then we get a newspaper campaign denigrating Arrowood and that's threaded thru the novel and if I hadn't agreed to review this I probably would have stopped because of this (and his constant bellyaching)
They have a case, Birdie Barclay's parents want her back after she's been married off to a farming family who they claim is abusing her and not letting her see them. Birdie has Down's syndrome. This quickly leads them to a) realize the Barclays are lying b) the farm family is downright abusive and c) there is something hinky with the asylum that moves inmates out to that farm as workers.
This isn't a bad book and the mystery is interesting BUT it goes on way too long. This book felt 100 pages longer than it needed to be. It felt like it was spinning its wheels, just wallowing in its misery and with literally everyone against Arrowood from cops, to politicians to the newspaper I can't see how he can be effective. It felt like far too much.
There is one thing he does which was technically a crime (without being too spoilery, he breaks into the asylum after evidence) which gets reported in the paper but never even touched by the cops. Seeing as they hate Arrowood that made no sense to me. At the end of the day this wasn't a book for me. I gave it three stars because it's well written but I'm not into things this dreary. I didn't like the characters. It was a two star read for me at best and I don't see me continuing the series.
Apparently the first one was funny and I see a lot of reviews saying this one wasn't and boy wasn't it. It's downright dismal. It has at its heart the treatment of the mentally ill and people with birth defects (Down's syndrome in particular) at the height of the Victorian era, something I already know quite a bit about. It's ugly stuff, especially when you realize that not only did Downs (who the syndrome was named for. They were called Mongoliod Idiots at this time period which the author does use (and explains in an author note) think that those with Downs were a racial regression but also that meant they considered Asians to be inferior to Whites and stupid on top of it. That's some ugly stuff (true to the time period but damn ugly).
There is nothing funny about this book (not that it needs to be. I don't read mysteries for the laughs) but there is something annoying about it. Apparently Arrowood is fat and Barnett tells us this constantly. Okay we get it. the constant fat shaming (which yes would never have been considered an issue back then) grated on me as Arrowood burps, farts and diarrheas his way through this story.
I thought it might be interesting to see him in regards to Holmes because it's marketed as he's the antithesis of Sherlock Holmes but all we get is him bitching how Holmes gets all the attention and he gets none. That I could handle but then we get a newspaper campaign denigrating Arrowood and that's threaded thru the novel and if I hadn't agreed to review this I probably would have stopped because of this (and his constant bellyaching)
They have a case, Birdie Barclay's parents want her back after she's been married off to a farming family who they claim is abusing her and not letting her see them. Birdie has Down's syndrome. This quickly leads them to a) realize the Barclays are lying b) the farm family is downright abusive and c) there is something hinky with the asylum that moves inmates out to that farm as workers.
This isn't a bad book and the mystery is interesting BUT it goes on way too long. This book felt 100 pages longer than it needed to be. It felt like it was spinning its wheels, just wallowing in its misery and with literally everyone against Arrowood from cops, to politicians to the newspaper I can't see how he can be effective. It felt like far too much.
There is one thing he does which was technically a crime (without being too spoilery, he breaks into the asylum after evidence) which gets reported in the paper but never even touched by the cops. Seeing as they hate Arrowood that made no sense to me. At the end of the day this wasn't a book for me. I gave it three stars because it's well written but I'm not into things this dreary. I didn't like the characters. It was a two star read for me at best and I don't see me continuing the series.
sparrowfall's review against another edition
Review available at AudioFile Magazine.
random71's review against another edition
1.0
I'll be honest, I basically dnfed this one.
I got ...maybe a quarter of the way through and then I just started skimming.
I don't like the characters, the mystery is barely captivating, and I'm not invested enough to stick around for some twist that may or may not be there.
I got ...maybe a quarter of the way through and then I just started skimming.
I don't like the characters, the mystery is barely captivating, and I'm not invested enough to stick around for some twist that may or may not be there.
ecdereus's review against another edition
4.0
Ook dit deel kent weer 'sfeervolle' beschrijvingen van het armste deel van Londen halverwege de jaren '90 van de 19e eeuw:
"Het nieuwe jaar was net begonnen, de modder in de straten was stijf bevroren, roetvlokjes dreven als zwarte sneeuw in de mist. Rillende paarden sjokten voorbij, onwillig naar onherbergzame oorden voortgedreven door norse mannen met rode koppen. Schooiers loodsten deftige burgers door de menigte in de hoop op een aalmoes, terwijl oudjes zich vastgrepen aan muren en balustrades om niet uit te glijden over de glibberige straatstenen, zuchtend, mompelend en van bacillen vergeven fluimen ophoestend die ze met kracht in de bergen paardenmest spogen die op elke straathoek lagen opgetast."
Het verhaal speelt begin 1896, wanneer de privédetectives William Arrowood en diens assistent Norman Barnett van de heer en mevrouw Barclay de opdracht krijgen een ontmoeting te arrangeren met hun zes maanden eerder getrouwde dochter Birdie. Birdie is licht verstandelijk gehandicapt, gehuwd met de eveneens verstandelijk beperkte Walter Ockwell en zij wonen samen met Walters broer Godwin en diens vrouw Polly, hun ongehuwde zuster Rosanna en hun bedlegerige moeder op een voorheen welvarende maar sinds een aantal jaren a.g.v. financiële problemen verwaarloosde varkensboerderij net buiten Londen. Ondanks diverse bezoeken aan de boerderij hebben de Barclays hun dochter niet meer gezien of te spreken gekregen; brieven bleven onbeantwoord en bij monde van Rosanna werd hun medegedeeld dat Birdie haar ouders niet meer wenste te zien...
Arrowood en Barnett stuiten bij hun pogingen om Birdie te spreken te krijgen en tijdens hun verdere onderzoek op vele leugens, tegenwerking door de Ockwells, hun dorpsgenoten en de lokale politiebeambten, de raadselachtige verdwijning van een zigeunervrouw die hun een dag eerder interessante informatie had verstrekt, enkele zwaar mishandelde, in mensonterende en ten hemel schreiende omstandigheden levende arbeiders op de Ockwell-boerderij en uiteindelijk op een frauduleus complot waarvan patiënten van het zwakzinnigen- en krankzinnigengesticht de dupe werden.
Interessant was te lezen hoe in die tijd werd gedacht over mensen met het syndroom van Down en andere, al dan niet aangeboren geestelijke aandoeningen. De historische achtergrond en geraadpleegde bronnen worden door de auteur in een apart hoofdstuk aan het einde toegelicht.
"Het nieuwe jaar was net begonnen, de modder in de straten was stijf bevroren, roetvlokjes dreven als zwarte sneeuw in de mist. Rillende paarden sjokten voorbij, onwillig naar onherbergzame oorden voortgedreven door norse mannen met rode koppen. Schooiers loodsten deftige burgers door de menigte in de hoop op een aalmoes, terwijl oudjes zich vastgrepen aan muren en balustrades om niet uit te glijden over de glibberige straatstenen, zuchtend, mompelend en van bacillen vergeven fluimen ophoestend die ze met kracht in de bergen paardenmest spogen die op elke straathoek lagen opgetast."
Het verhaal speelt begin 1896, wanneer de privédetectives William Arrowood en diens assistent Norman Barnett van de heer en mevrouw Barclay de opdracht krijgen een ontmoeting te arrangeren met hun zes maanden eerder getrouwde dochter Birdie. Birdie is licht verstandelijk gehandicapt, gehuwd met de eveneens verstandelijk beperkte Walter Ockwell en zij wonen samen met Walters broer Godwin en diens vrouw Polly, hun ongehuwde zuster Rosanna en hun bedlegerige moeder op een voorheen welvarende maar sinds een aantal jaren a.g.v. financiële problemen verwaarloosde varkensboerderij net buiten Londen. Ondanks diverse bezoeken aan de boerderij hebben de Barclays hun dochter niet meer gezien of te spreken gekregen; brieven bleven onbeantwoord en bij monde van Rosanna werd hun medegedeeld dat Birdie haar ouders niet meer wenste te zien...
Arrowood en Barnett stuiten bij hun pogingen om Birdie te spreken te krijgen en tijdens hun verdere onderzoek op vele leugens, tegenwerking door de Ockwells, hun dorpsgenoten en de lokale politiebeambten, de raadselachtige verdwijning van een zigeunervrouw die hun een dag eerder interessante informatie had verstrekt, enkele zwaar mishandelde, in mensonterende en ten hemel schreiende omstandigheden levende arbeiders op de Ockwell-boerderij en uiteindelijk op een frauduleus complot waarvan patiënten van het zwakzinnigen- en krankzinnigengesticht de dupe werden.
Interessant was te lezen hoe in die tijd werd gedacht over mensen met het syndroom van Down en andere, al dan niet aangeboren geestelijke aandoeningen. De historische achtergrond en geraadpleegde bronnen worden door de auteur in een apart hoofdstuk aan het einde toegelicht.
bambiann's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mollie_young's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. Little by little more was revealed but also more secrets were hidden which made it very exciting and quite gripping. I feel the end was a little messy and disappointing but i'm happy to have read it.