3 out of 4 stars
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This book’s prologue has not done it any favors. I found it to be bland as it failed to capture my interest. Based on it alone, I would not have proceeded to read the book. It had a very impersonal feel to it as if it was not written by the same person as the story itself.
However, this changes as the story begins and the author depicts his characters very vividly. I liked how he introduces his characters flawlessly, his writing style including the readers and making them feel as if they are present as the events unfold.
I also liked how the author plays beautifully into the historical stereotype of the fat, jowly and leery detective. It is not an original idea but he portrays it very organically and giving the story an ‘old school feeling’. It is a very relatable concept.
I found The 11:05 Murders to be a very captivating read because of the brilliant consolidation of the various characters as well as the advanced language level used. The author uses words like perspicacity with ease. I liked that he does not try to dumb down his language like many authors are guilty of doing.
From chapter one all the way to the last chapter, the author was able to capture and hold my attention because of the engaging plot which was packed with mystery, suspense and action. I could not put the book down until I read the last word. The plot was flawlessly undertaken, undercurrents well depicted and scenes well set and explained giving the reader the feeling that they experienced the action together with the characters.
The book delivers what it promises in the description awesomely because it provides what readers look for most in an action genre novel; a relatable and dynamic cast. There is the mysterious but affable chief of police,- the prickly, snitch heroine,-the young, charming and industrious young detective,- the crazy, psychopathic villain as well as the lazy, lecherous, overweight detective among others. The action they provide is literally jumping out of the pages. I liked that the heroine sensed the true nature of the villain even before she knew for sure that he was the ‘devil incarnate’. It is also exhilarating how the author keeps the reader guessing who the murderer is to the last minute.
I found most of the dialogue in between the action to be uninteresting although I loved how the author incorporates romance into the action-charged plot quite flawlessly. The ending however, I did not like. I was disappointed that it was predictable after the suspenseful and mysterious plot as undertaken in the rest of the book.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
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The 11.05 Murders
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