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A review by robinwalter
Hemlock Bay by Martin Edwards
challenging
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This is the fifth Rachel Savernake book, and the fourth I've read. I've enjoyed all four, but I found this one the most relaxing. I made a determined effort to read this latest instalment very slowly and very carefully, in the hope of perhaps figuring some of the mystery out, maybe catching a clue or two. Exactly as I expected, I failed utterly — the mystery was as impenetrable to me as always. Which did not affect my enjoyment of the story at all.
What made this the most relaxing of the Savernake stories I've read was a noticeable change in Rachel Savernake. On reflection, it seems a change that was basically inevitable at some point in the series, but it still left me feeling a little wistful.
Especially in the first two books of the series there was an aura of tension bordering on malice emanating from Rachel's extremely enigmatic personality. I found reading those two in particular, and Sepulchre Street to a lesser degree, to be a very tense and somewhat unsettling experience. I was never quite sure whether she was hero or anti-hero, protagonist or antagonist. Which I absolutely loved. It was unique and different, and they all left me wondering exactly whose side Rachel was on.
In this latest instalment, Rachel Savernake continues to operate by her own rules, but is unequivocally and unambiguously on the side of the angels. Not once in this story was I afraid of her, which was a first for me.
This is not a criticism of the book , simply an observation that at least for now, she seems less complicated and less morally/ethically ambiguous. Which is emphatically not true of the mysteries she solves. The first murder that happens in the story caught me completely by surprise, which was a real delight, and the ultimate reveal of who did what to whom, when, why, and how was hugely entertaining. Once again this is a Rachel Savernake story I highly recommend, and I look forward to the next instalment to see whether Hemlock Bay marked a significant step toward healing for a deeply scarred protagonist, or was simply the author teasing us with a temporary transformation - her better angels momentarily in charge while her inner demons slept. Time will tell, I'm sure.
What made this the most relaxing of the Savernake stories I've read was a noticeable change in Rachel Savernake. On reflection, it seems a change that was basically inevitable at some point in the series, but it still left me feeling a little wistful.
Especially in the first two books of the series there was an aura of tension bordering on malice emanating from Rachel's extremely enigmatic personality. I found reading those two in particular, and Sepulchre Street to a lesser degree, to be a very tense and somewhat unsettling experience. I was never quite sure whether she was hero or anti-hero, protagonist or antagonist. Which I absolutely loved. It was unique and different, and they all left me wondering exactly whose side Rachel was on.
In this latest instalment, Rachel Savernake continues to operate by her own rules, but is unequivocally and unambiguously on the side of the angels. Not once in this story was I afraid of her, which was a first for me.
This is not a criticism of the book , simply an observation that at least for now, she seems less complicated and less morally/ethically ambiguous. Which is emphatically not true of the mysteries she solves. The first murder that happens in the story caught me completely by surprise, which was a real delight, and the ultimate reveal of who did what to whom, when, why, and how was hugely entertaining. Once again this is a Rachel Savernake story I highly recommend, and I look forward to the next instalment to see whether Hemlock Bay marked a significant step toward healing for a deeply scarred protagonist, or was simply the author teasing us with a temporary transformation - her better angels momentarily in charge while her inner demons slept. Time will tell, I'm sure.