Reviews

The Unseen Hand by Edward Marston

nokura's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

bexwat's review against another edition

mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

amberrush's review against another edition

3.0

Set in a rather prestigious part of London during the first world war, Marston shows that battles with gender, class and reputation. The women-only Lotus Hotel is known for only accommodating the most present in a collapsing society, but when one of its guests is murdered it leads a trail of deceit. The novel partially focusses on the newly-established women's police force, allowing women to have some rights in a patriarchal society. The reputation of each suspect is paramount to the integrity of their interviews and reliability although we discover not all the worst crimes are committed by men- instead, the most unlikely suspects can be the culprit. A common motif of a book referring to 'the unseen hand' -hence the name of the book- and how that which originally seems so truthful can be so far out and ruin many people. In a deeply religious society, how far can we trust God or is it the time for secularism? I feel like Marston focuses so much on the background and historical accuracies in the book that sometimes the narrative can be lost or not as important, I much preferred the railway detective series. 3/5

pogchampsterxx's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.0

stephend81d5's review

3.0

felt this book in the series was the weakest yet and the ending seemed rushed