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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
I went into this backwards of my usual pattern. Usually I fall in love with a mystery series, watch it get adapted into a TV show and hate what they did with my beloved characters (Looking at you Bones and Rizzoli & Isles). But this time I've watched several seasons of The Murdoch Mysteries before coming across the book series. I expected the book to be very different. I figured that it might not have the strong female characters on the show or the steampunk-esque forensic acumen Murdoch possesses. And I was right though it's hard to judge how accurate the TV series is by just one book (that's shockingly nearly 20 years old already).
But none of that really matters. It doesn't change the fact that this was good, very good. It reminded me of Anne Perry in the early days. I did get a chuckle over the fact that both Murdoch and Crabtree are tall, over six foot and the actors are less than average in heights. Be that as it may, Murdoch was still an intriguing character. Crabtree doesn't say much and Brackenreid is probably the most changed from the series as he's rather lazy and would rather arrest the easy suspect rather than do the work.
Murdoch lives with the Kitchens and tries to help them as they have few boarders thanks to Mr. Kitchen's tuberculosis. He gets called out on the case where a young maid has been found frozen to death. She is also naked. The autopsy proves she had been dosed with opium and she was pregnant. Murdoch quickly finds the two prostitutes he believes stole Therese's, the maid, clothing and might have seen more than they're telling.
The case bounces between the poorer side of town and the wealthy. Therese was the maid of a wealthy doctor's wife. Everyone in that household has a secret Donalda Rhodes, Therese's boss, felt close to the girl but she too has secrets as does her husband and her son, Owen and even her other servants.
Murdoch has to unravel ball after ball of lies even as the killer is erasing possible witnesses. His personality shines through as he does. He's also at a disadvantage because he is a Roman Catholic in a very protestant city in a time that sort of thing truly mattered. He might as well have been a Satanist as far as some of them are concerned. Therese shared his faith so that helps spur him on.
The ending is satisfying. I'm going to look for more of these books.
But none of that really matters. It doesn't change the fact that this was good, very good. It reminded me of Anne Perry in the early days. I did get a chuckle over the fact that both Murdoch and Crabtree are tall, over six foot and the actors are less than average in heights. Be that as it may, Murdoch was still an intriguing character. Crabtree doesn't say much and Brackenreid is probably the most changed from the series as he's rather lazy and would rather arrest the easy suspect rather than do the work.
Murdoch lives with the Kitchens and tries to help them as they have few boarders thanks to Mr. Kitchen's tuberculosis. He gets called out on the case where a young maid has been found frozen to death. She is also naked. The autopsy proves she had been dosed with opium and she was pregnant. Murdoch quickly finds the two prostitutes he believes stole Therese's, the maid, clothing and might have seen more than they're telling.
The case bounces between the poorer side of town and the wealthy. Therese was the maid of a wealthy doctor's wife. Everyone in that household has a secret Donalda Rhodes, Therese's boss, felt close to the girl but she too has secrets as does her husband and her son, Owen and even her other servants.
Murdoch has to unravel ball after ball of lies even as the killer is erasing possible witnesses. His personality shines through as he does. He's also at a disadvantage because he is a Roman Catholic in a very protestant city in a time that sort of thing truly mattered. He might as well have been a Satanist as far as some of them are concerned. Therese shared his faith so that helps spur him on.
The ending is satisfying. I'm going to look for more of these books.
The book: Murdoch Mysteries: Except The Dying
The author: Maureen Jennings, British-born Canadian author.
The subject: A young woman is found murdered in Toronto during the freezing winter of 1895; Detective William Murdoch must find out who is responsible.
Why I chose it: I really enjoy the TV series based on these books and wanted to check out the source material.
The rating: Three out of five stars
What I thought of it: This is a bit of a tricky one. This book was very different to the TV series, so is it fair to consider the book lacking because I didn't enjoy it as much? I thought it was pretty good in its own right and probably would have marked it the same even if I hadn't seen the TV show, which I enjoy more than I enjoyed this book. Still, I can't ignore my disappointment.
Being positive, the setting of this book is really well painted. The author obviously did a lot of research to make it feel so authentic. The characters are also vividly created and felt like real people, flaws and all. The mystery itself is solid too and kept me guessing throughout (not that that's difficult because I've only ever once worked out the murderer especially early on, but still). The book also gave interesting insights into class differences and other societal factors at play in the world in which it's set.
On the negative side, this book doesn't have the same humour as the TV show and the characters are a lot darker. In a way this is good, because this book isn't trying to be light-hearted, but I have to admit I enjoy how the show doesn't take itself too seriously. A glaring omission is the lack of nineteenth-century science on display in this book. Again, it's possibly unfair to compare the two, so here's one thing that's wrong with the book completely independent of any comparison: the killer's motive wasn't really explored at all. I'm not entirely sure why they did what they did!
In comparison to the TV show version, this book wasn't quite as enjoyable to me despite being alright in its own right. Still, I have the next in the series out of the library and will probably start it soon, since the plot sounds pretty interesting.
Just one more thing: For those of you who like the show too, someone has started the epic task of recording how many times Brackenreid says "Me Ol' Mucker" in each episode. Important work, I'm sure you'll agree.
The author: Maureen Jennings, British-born Canadian author.
The subject: A young woman is found murdered in Toronto during the freezing winter of 1895; Detective William Murdoch must find out who is responsible.
Why I chose it: I really enjoy the TV series based on these books and wanted to check out the source material.
The rating: Three out of five stars
What I thought of it: This is a bit of a tricky one. This book was very different to the TV series, so is it fair to consider the book lacking because I didn't enjoy it as much? I thought it was pretty good in its own right and probably would have marked it the same even if I hadn't seen the TV show, which I enjoy more than I enjoyed this book. Still, I can't ignore my disappointment.
Being positive, the setting of this book is really well painted. The author obviously did a lot of research to make it feel so authentic. The characters are also vividly created and felt like real people, flaws and all. The mystery itself is solid too and kept me guessing throughout (not that that's difficult because I've only ever once worked out the murderer especially early on, but still). The book also gave interesting insights into class differences and other societal factors at play in the world in which it's set.
On the negative side, this book doesn't have the same humour as the TV show and the characters are a lot darker. In a way this is good, because this book isn't trying to be light-hearted, but I have to admit I enjoy how the show doesn't take itself too seriously. A glaring omission is the lack of nineteenth-century science on display in this book. Again, it's possibly unfair to compare the two, so here's one thing that's wrong with the book completely independent of any comparison: the killer's motive wasn't really explored at all. I'm not entirely sure why they did what they did!
In comparison to the TV show version, this book wasn't quite as enjoyable to me despite being alright in its own right. Still, I have the next in the series out of the library and will probably start it soon, since the plot sounds pretty interesting.
Just one more thing: For those of you who like the show too, someone has started the epic task of recording how many times Brackenreid says "Me Ol' Mucker" in each episode. Important work, I'm sure you'll agree.
It’s been a while but I’d have to say I like the TV show better (up through season 7, that is).
I've been a fan of the Murdoch Mysteries television series for a few years but am only now getting around to reading the original novels. This is a fairly simple story but Jennings' writing makes it a wonderful read. It's obvious that she's done a great deal of research and her attention to detail is wonderful. In a way, this book is a valentine to Toronto. Jennings' descriptions really bring 19th century Toronto to life. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Really liked the setting and the characters (who are quite different from their TV alter egos); was a bit disappointed by the ending, that felt a bit rushed.
2.5 She does an excellent job creating the world and some of the characters are written quite well - what lost me was the confusing plot. There were too many red herrings, and at the end the motive for the primary murder was unclear. Lots of potential and willing to read more by the author...
dark
mysterious
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
It was a little slow moving and then bang right at the end in the last 20 pages all the action was done. Very interesting to read about the beginnings of the field of police and murder investigation work.
dark
mysterious
tense
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
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really like this TV series and gave the book a try. The book was good but very different from the TV series. Honestly, them being different was not the critiques I had about this book, because the TV show takes inspiration from the characters, not the plot.
It's a well written book, and I'll definitely read some more of the series. I found that the ending was rushed, which was disappointing because the story at the beginning and the mid-point was really intense and kept you wanting to read more. Other than the disappointing ending, the whole concept for the series is one that will keep me reading.
It's a well written book, and I'll definitely read some more of the series. I found that the ending was rushed, which was disappointing because the story at the beginning and the mid-point was really intense and kept you wanting to read more. Other than the disappointing ending, the whole concept for the series is one that will keep me reading.