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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
Nice little story. Not so much mystery that you solve, but observe. It borrows heavily from Sherlock Holmes and moves along slowly, but if you enjoy some of the understated quirks of the main characters it is not a bad read.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
A promising start to the series. The attempts at whimsical character descriptions come off a little flat, but the plotting is solid and the eventual solution was well laid out in addition to setting up further stories.
It's 1865 London and we meet Lenox, Victorian gentleman and armchair explorer who just happens to be an amateur detective. His closest friend, Lady Jane, finds out a former maid of hers has died and asks Charles to look into the death. And it begins...
This is a mystery in the vein of Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot EXCEPT this author knows how to write a fully formed multi-dimensional character who has believable dialogue with other wonderfully written characters. Don't get me wrong I love Holmes and Poirot but Charles Finch takes the amazing plotting and detective skills and adds character and dialogue.
I did not read this book fast, I read maybe 15-20 pages a day and just enjoyed savoring each page slowly. This is a really good book and I highly recommend it to fans of the amateur detective genre. I would classify it as a cozy since all of the violence takes place "off screen" and there is really no sex or swearing. If you like an Agatha Christie style book then this will really appeal to you.
I've heard that he's written a few follow up books and I plan to read them as well.
Definitely give this one a try.
This is a mystery in the vein of Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot EXCEPT this author knows how to write a fully formed multi-dimensional character who has believable dialogue with other wonderfully written characters. Don't get me wrong I love Holmes and Poirot but Charles Finch takes the amazing plotting and detective skills and adds character and dialogue.
I did not read this book fast, I read maybe 15-20 pages a day and just enjoyed savoring each page slowly. This is a really good book and I highly recommend it to fans of the amateur detective genre. I would classify it as a cozy since all of the violence takes place "off screen" and there is really no sex or swearing. If you like an Agatha Christie style book then this will really appeal to you.
I've heard that he's written a few follow up books and I plan to read them as well.
Definitely give this one a try.
Borrowed this from my mom on our trip to DC. I think she enjoyed it more than I did. Though I was jealous of the detective's study. Piles of books, a comfy chair, a roaring fire and someone to bring you tea and toast?!!! Sign me up!
This was a 3 star book for most of its journey--it was good, but I wasn't jumping up or down about it--but I loved the resolution and denouement so much, it bumped up a spot. Well done, book!
It's not perfect--and the author acknowledges that in the later edition I read--so I'll start with what I liked, and then move to quibbles.
I liked most of the main cast and apparent recurring characters, most of the sense of place/time, and the realities of the detection (the hero realises he can't just barge into the murder house forever, quizzing people, as fictional detectives as so often wont to do). I thought the author played very fair with the clues and resolution (I spotted one of them, but it didn't lead me to immediately guess the ending).
I enjoyed the tone of the book, and appreciated that the level of violence was medium-low which suits me just fine: I sit midway on the violence continuum between "Binky McSillypants and the Crumpets of Doom" (all pinks, with tea and crumpets on the table, and Binky (the cat detective) curled nearby), which would be too twee for me, and at the other end "Murder: Death House" (sans serif giant letters, with as nearly giant an author's name (something like Ed Black) below, and some hazy photographic monochrome image barely below that might resolve into a weapon if you peer really closely).
Quibbles? None of the suspects really came to life, and were all white men, and I had trouble distinguishing between Duff and Potts and Soames etc. until quite near the end. Also, the author had this very unusual tic of repeating himself, but in a manner that suggested it was first-time information, leading me to think I was re-reading sections when in fact I really had advanced. Here's a made-up example detailing the Humpy Dumpty story:
"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall ... He enjoyed the view while having tea, because he was up quite high, having decided to sit on a wall .... Luckily for Humpty, he had quite good balance--a necessary condition when one (as Humpty did) sits on walls frequently... He looked forward to meeting his friend Jack Sprat later in the day, at Jack's home, because Humpty enjoyed sitting on walls and Jack was afraid of heights."
There might be a page or two or entire chapters between each repetition of previously-established fact, and it's entirely unnecessary and a bit irksome. I will go to my grave knowing what splendours await one who turns left when entering the House of Commons by the members' door, because of that repetition, and it didn't figure into the plot!
Hopefully it's a habit he grew out of, because I look forward to book #2 now.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
It's not perfect--and the author acknowledges that in the later edition I read--so I'll start with what I liked, and then move to quibbles.
I liked most of the main cast and apparent recurring characters, most of the sense of place/time, and the realities of the detection (the hero realises he can't just barge into the murder house forever, quizzing people, as fictional detectives as so often wont to do). I thought the author played very fair with the clues and resolution (I spotted one of them, but it didn't lead me to immediately guess the ending).
I enjoyed the tone of the book, and appreciated that the level of violence was medium-low which suits me just fine: I sit midway on the violence continuum between "Binky McSillypants and the Crumpets of Doom" (all pinks, with tea and crumpets on the table, and Binky (the cat detective) curled nearby), which would be too twee for me, and at the other end "Murder: Death House" (sans serif giant letters, with as nearly giant an author's name (something like Ed Black) below, and some hazy photographic monochrome image barely below that might resolve into a weapon if you peer really closely).
Quibbles? None of the suspects really came to life, and were all white men, and I had trouble distinguishing between Duff and Potts and Soames etc. until quite near the end. Also, the author had this very unusual tic of repeating himself, but in a manner that suggested it was first-time information, leading me to think I was re-reading sections when in fact I really had advanced. Here's a made-up example detailing the Humpy Dumpty story:
"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall ... He enjoyed the view while having tea, because he was up quite high, having decided to sit on a wall .... Luckily for Humpty, he had quite good balance--a necessary condition when one (as Humpty did) sits on walls frequently... He looked forward to meeting his friend Jack Sprat later in the day, at Jack's home, because Humpty enjoyed sitting on walls and Jack was afraid of heights."
There might be a page or two or entire chapters between each repetition of previously-established fact, and it's entirely unnecessary and a bit irksome. I will go to my grave knowing what splendours await one who turns left when entering the House of Commons by the members' door, because of that repetition, and it didn't figure into the plot!
Hopefully it's a habit he grew out of, because I look forward to book #2 now.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Mystery novels are not something I read on a regular basis -- it's just not my genre of choice. However, I enjoyed this historical mystery with its period details. I found the relationship between Lenox and Lady Jane, companionable and comfortable with a hint of chaste romance, delightful. While not a page turner, the book was interesting and easy -- a good winter read with a hot cup of tea.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No