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annieb123's review
5.0
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Four Thousand Days is the first Margaret Murray mystery by M J Trow. Released 1st Feb 2022 by Severn House, it's 224 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a skillfully written and well researched historical mystery set in late Victorian England. The mystery is very well constructed and engineered. I generally have a good idea by midway through a mystery who did what and to whom (and why) and this one managed to surprise me on several levels. The author does a great job interweaving an engaging mystery around real historical events and characters and it's so skillfully rendered that I wasn't always sure where verifiable fact veered off into fiction.
There's a subtle warm humor and intellectual vibe here. I adore mysteries with sleuths who are academics and this is a promising start to a new series. Although it's not at all derivative, it reminds me in a lot of good ways of PD James' Dalgleish, and Amanda Cross' (Dr. Carolyn Heilbrun's) Kate Fansler novels. Fans of mysteries in academia will find a lot to enjoy here. There's also a very slight hint of Miss Marple, although Dr. Murray's not fluffy or harmless in the slightest, she is unflappable and wise to the ways of the world.
Four and a half stars. My (very slight) ding comes from the fact that the secondary characters are legion and so lightly sketched in that I had trouble keeping them straight in my own mind. I look forward eagerly to reading more in this series and from this author.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Four Thousand Days is the first Margaret Murray mystery by M J Trow. Released 1st Feb 2022 by Severn House, it's 224 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a skillfully written and well researched historical mystery set in late Victorian England. The mystery is very well constructed and engineered. I generally have a good idea by midway through a mystery who did what and to whom (and why) and this one managed to surprise me on several levels. The author does a great job interweaving an engaging mystery around real historical events and characters and it's so skillfully rendered that I wasn't always sure where verifiable fact veered off into fiction.
There's a subtle warm humor and intellectual vibe here. I adore mysteries with sleuths who are academics and this is a promising start to a new series. Although it's not at all derivative, it reminds me in a lot of good ways of PD James' Dalgleish, and Amanda Cross' (Dr. Carolyn Heilbrun's) Kate Fansler novels. Fans of mysteries in academia will find a lot to enjoy here. There's also a very slight hint of Miss Marple, although Dr. Murray's not fluffy or harmless in the slightest, she is unflappable and wise to the ways of the world.
Four and a half stars. My (very slight) ding comes from the fact that the secondary characters are legion and so lightly sketched in that I had trouble keeping them straight in my own mind. I look forward eagerly to reading more in this series and from this author.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
readthisandsteep's review
4.0
An intelligent new historical mystery series from MJ Trow introduces us to the brilliant archaeologist Margaret Murray. The only female archaeology lecturer at University College London in 1900, Murray becomes involved in the investigations after her student is found murdered. I've always been curious about archaeology, so I was immediately drawn in by the premise of this book. Murray is witty, independent and strong in the male-dominated worlds of academia and investigations. It was fascinating to find out she actually existed; she was a woman ahead of her time. Other real-life individuals appear in the book, and make for interesting characters, including Rudyard Kipling. The dialogue is peppered with sly wit. Well-paced and well-plotted, with characters that make you wonder whodunnit and why, this book surprised me in who the culprit turned out to be. A gratifying and atmospheric mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.
annarella's review
4.0
A mystery featuring Margaret Murray as investigator is something I couldn't miss. She's an interesting characters and I liked how the author developed the character.
It's a series full of potential, featuring a cast of fleshed out characters.
The solid mystery kept me guessing and I had fun in read in this story.
Can't wait to read the next one.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's a series full of potential, featuring a cast of fleshed out characters.
The solid mystery kept me guessing and I had fun in read in this story.
Can't wait to read the next one.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
janettedv's review
3.0
I have always loved M J Trow’s novels especially his Maxwell series and I was really excited to see this new series. It’s set in 1900 and features a female archaeology lecturer, Margaret Murray who is actually based on a real person. She becomes involved in a murder mystery when one of her students is murdered.
The historical detail is brilliant with real attention to what was going on in the world at that time. I loved the main characters too. Margaret Murray is a brilliant amateur sleuth and the supporting cast were excellent. I especially loved retired Inspector Reid and Thomas, who runs the local tea room but has a very murky past.
The plot was interesting and had plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. The main problem as far as I was concerned was that there were simply too many characters especially at the beginning of the novel. It was quite difficult to keep track of the different groups of students, lecturers and general public. The other thing that I was less convinced by was the ending. The murderer came as a total surprise which is fine however, the final part of the book was the murderer explaining their actions at length which really meant that they were explaining the plot. This seemed a bit clumsy especially for a writer with such a great track record.
I did enjoy reading the book as a whole though and will definitely read any future books featuring Dr Murray. Thank you to Net Galley and Severn House Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The historical detail is brilliant with real attention to what was going on in the world at that time. I loved the main characters too. Margaret Murray is a brilliant amateur sleuth and the supporting cast were excellent. I especially loved retired Inspector Reid and Thomas, who runs the local tea room but has a very murky past.
The plot was interesting and had plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. The main problem as far as I was concerned was that there were simply too many characters especially at the beginning of the novel. It was quite difficult to keep track of the different groups of students, lecturers and general public. The other thing that I was less convinced by was the ending. The murderer came as a total surprise which is fine however, the final part of the book was the murderer explaining their actions at length which really meant that they were explaining the plot. This seemed a bit clumsy especially for a writer with such a great track record.
I did enjoy reading the book as a whole though and will definitely read any future books featuring Dr Murray. Thank you to Net Galley and Severn House Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
University College, London in 1900 - Dr Margaret Murray is one of few women lecturers in both archaeology & the university in general. When the body of one of her part-time students is discovered in a rented room shortly after attending one of her lectures, & her death is ruled a suicide by the coroner, Dr Murray decides to investigate further. She enlists the help of retired detective, Inspector Reid, to find out how and why the girl really died.
Start of a series featuring real-life person, Dr Margaret Murray, solving fictional crimes in the early twentieth century. There are aspects of it that worked, I thought that Dr Murray was well-written & I liked the quirky eccentricity of 'Mrs Plinlimmon' (a stuffed owl that Murray uses as a sounding board to think things over), as I think an eccentricity or two suits a detective character. I couldn't help but picture a young Julia MacKenzie playing the main character, with Peter Ustinov playing Inspector Reid. The story was OK although it felt a little plodding at times, but sorry, I can't believe that any archaeologist worth their salt would destroy something historically significant.
What really didn't work for me though were the characters of the female students. Remember that this was a time when it was still unusual for women to attend university, so to have one of the character wailing that she couldn't cope, & two turning into husband hunters who just wanted to get married was irritating. As if this wouldn't have been used against those following in their footsteps in the coming years. I found it eye-roll inducing. Hoping the second one improves on these points.
Start of a series featuring real-life person, Dr Margaret Murray, solving fictional crimes in the early twentieth century. There are aspects of it that worked, I thought that Dr Murray was well-written & I liked the quirky eccentricity of 'Mrs Plinlimmon' (a stuffed owl that Murray uses as a sounding board to think things over), as I think an eccentricity or two suits a detective character. I couldn't help but picture a young Julia MacKenzie playing the main character, with Peter Ustinov playing Inspector Reid. The story was OK although it felt a little plodding at times, but sorry, I can't believe that any archaeologist worth their salt would destroy something historically significant.
What really didn't work for me though were the characters of the female students. Remember that this was a time when it was still unusual for women to attend university, so to have one of the character wailing that she couldn't cope, & two turning into husband hunters who just wanted to get married was irritating. As if this wouldn't have been used against those following in their footsteps in the coming years. I found it eye-roll inducing. Hoping the second one improves on these points.
vesper1931's review
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
October 1900. Constable Adam Crawford enjoys attending the public lectures at University College, and on discovering the body of Alice Groves in her rooms he knows that she really is student Helen Richardson. But is she, and why was she killed. Dr Murray is approached to help, and evidence leads her to Herne Bay where she meets ex-Detective Reid. Soon he also discovers a body of an archaeological student. But the murders don’t stop there.
Crawford, Reid and Murray investigate while Inspector Blunt looks for the quickest solution.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its cast of likeable and varied characters. A good start to a new series..
Crawford, Reid and Murray investigate while Inspector Blunt looks for the quickest solution.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its cast of likeable and varied characters. A good start to a new series..
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