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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A solid mystery. I appreciated the attention to the historical details, and it was interesting to see the difference in characterization between the original writing and the TV adaptation.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
informative
mysterious
medium-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
The setting is well developed but the mystery... not so much. Canning?? Seriously the guy was mentioned like two times in the whole book before the ending. There was barely any way to suspect him that since he wasn't even interrogated. There were way too many side stories/red herrings that barely got wrapped up in the conclusion and the even main mystery was barely explained. Was there any kind of deeper motive? Who knows!
Also like, it's realistic that Murdoch would want Owen to be "straightened out" because of the homophobic attitudes in the 19th century, but I get the distinct impression that the author agrees and didn't think twice about it. Just feels like something that wouldn't have been put that way in a book today and I kinda left the book on a sour note because of it.
By the way, I can't find anything at all about the word "shicey" which is used so many times in this... I guess it means shitty?? Overall I found the use of old timey slang and nonstandard spelling to be overzealous. At one point a character says "whoze" instead of "who's" and you can't convince me there's a difference in how anyone would pronounce those.
Also like, it's realistic that Murdoch would want Owen to be "straightened out" because of the homophobic attitudes in the 19th century, but I get the distinct impression that the author agrees and didn't think twice about it. Just feels like something that wouldn't have been put that way in a book today and I kinda left the book on a sour note because of it.
By the way, I can't find anything at all about the word "shicey" which is used so many times in this... I guess it means shitty?? Overall I found the use of old timey slang and nonstandard spelling to be overzealous. At one point a character says "whoze" instead of "who's" and you can't convince me there's a difference in how anyone would pronounce those.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual assault, Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Miscarriage
I love the Toronto based Murdock Mysteries. This is a different kettle of fish to the tv show but I still enjoyed it.
mysterious
fast-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
If you read this book without expecting William Murdoch of the Toronto Constabulary as shown in the tv show, you'll enjoy it. If, on the other hand, you expect the geeky inventor & virtuous teetotaler, you'll be sorely disappointed. Outside of that slight (ok, not so slight for me!) problem, the mystery is good, the story is full of gritty details.
Apparently this series of books has been made into a TV series in Canada, and it's popular enough that the prime minister made a cameo in one episode.
Have other Americans heard about this? I just stumbled across that information, so figured I had to check it out.
I was hoping for the Sloan of crime fiction, but I got The Salteens.
Perfectly competent. Good use of the time period. I'm not rushing to read another one, but it was certainly better than many.
Have other Americans heard about this? I just stumbled across that information, so figured I had to check it out.
I was hoping for the Sloan of crime fiction, but I got The Salteens.
Perfectly competent. Good use of the time period. I'm not rushing to read another one, but it was certainly better than many.
This is a case of possibly having liked this book more, if I hadn't already seen the TV series adaptation. The characters in the TV show are much more vivid to me. Still, she gives readers a unique look at a Canada from long ago.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No