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A review by seraphjewel
Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon
3.0
I didn't read much of Outlander, but I wanted to read a historical fiction novel and knew the author did those. So I picked this book up instead. Having not read the other books, I was coming into this completely blind. For what I got, it was pretty enjoyable. Not anything spectacular, but certainly entertaining.
For me, this book read a lot like Sherlock Holmes, with Lord John as Holmes and Tom Byrd as Watson. There was a mystery and Lord John did a lot of detective work in order to solve it. Him gathering clues and what he did in order to get those clues was some of the more interesting parts of the book. The resolution/explanation of the mystery at the end (which again felt Holmes-like to me) was probably the most tedious part. I kept hoping there would be an unexpected twist, and I suppose there was a little one, but nothing too shocking.
I've seen other reviewers complain that you don't get to know anything about lord John in this book. I don't know where they come from with that, because I gained lots of insight throughout the book. Again, being blind going in, I had a moment where I was thinking: "Wait, is he...?" There is a lot more show than tell when it comes to Lord John, things that are left to the reader to discern. Which I honestly liked. It made him feel like a more complex character, that there were layers of him that were slowly revealed over time or not revealed at all.
So yes, I liked this book and I already started reading the second in the series. I look forward to diving more into John's character, his family and his world.
For me, this book read a lot like Sherlock Holmes, with Lord John as Holmes and Tom Byrd as Watson. There was a mystery and Lord John did a lot of detective work in order to solve it. Him gathering clues and what he did in order to get those clues was some of the more interesting parts of the book. The resolution/explanation of the mystery at the end (which again felt Holmes-like to me) was probably the most tedious part. I kept hoping there would be an unexpected twist, and I suppose there was a little one, but nothing too shocking.
I've seen other reviewers complain that you don't get to know anything about lord John in this book. I don't know where they come from with that, because I gained lots of insight throughout the book. Again, being blind going in, I had a moment where I was thinking: "Wait, is he...?" There is a lot more show than tell when it comes to Lord John, things that are left to the reader to discern. Which I honestly liked. It made him feel like a more complex character, that there were layers of him that were slowly revealed over time or not revealed at all.
So yes, I liked this book and I already started reading the second in the series. I look forward to diving more into John's character, his family and his world.