4 out of 4 stars
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11:05 Murders
"I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars."
11:05 Murders is a gripping detective story by Brian O'Hare.
A girl student is assaulted and another raped in a Belfast college. The raped girl commits suicide.
After 12 years, the rapist, a banker now, gets killed at 11:05 on a Tuesday night. The banker had been having an affair with a lady and her husband becomes the first suspect. The suspect has a mole in the police station.
A lady detective joins Strandtown Police Station and a male detective in the station falls for her. The Public Prosecutor wins a case for her and he also falls for her. The Public Prosecutor often joins in the police briefings.
A man gets killed exactly at 11:05 the next Tuesday night and he was found to be a friend of the first victim. The second victim's ex-father-in-law becomes the second suspect. The killer leaves a broken cufflink in each murder. Pathologist finds victims tasered and their throats cut. Watches stopped deliberately at 11:05. The lady detective gets hold of a photo of the rapist with two of his friends. She believes that one of the raped girl's boyfriend must be the killer and goes about finding him. An anonymous informant helps with her investigation. When she finds out who the boyfriend is it comes as a bolt out of the blue.
The Chief Inspector of Strandtown Police Station puts an elaborate plan to nab the killer the next Tuesday night when the third murder is going to happen at 11:05. Does he save the third man? Does he catch the killer? Does the killer slips through? Please, wait for the suspense.
The author slowly builds the mood in the initial stages and weaves through the intricacies of detective investigation and keeps us glued to the story throughout. He walks us through the rooms in the police station. One suspect after another sails through our mind and we keep wondering who the real killer is and which suspect is to be brushed aside. He throws a few clues here and there, but he makes us believe they are red herrings. The suspects undergo interrogations and they gain only our sympathy and not any anger.
Before his murder, the banker divulges how he earns a lot by trapping people into bad loans.
The first suspect savagely attacks his wife and we are left to wonder whether unfaithful wives deserve such a vicious attack.
And finally yes, there is a car chase that takes us through the hinterlands of Northern Ireland that keeps our hearts racing faster than the car, truly a movie experience.
Intertwined in the detective story is a slender love story and there comes a romantic scene when we wait and wait and wait for the steamy scene to happen and we are bemusedly disappointed.
It is not just a detective story. It lays bare the human mind, the evil ones and the kind ones. A lot of psychology of course.
Grammar mistakes:
Page 8 if you could you just go up - if you could just go up
Page 73 heard - head
Page 225 though the mail - through the mail
Page 234 sooth - soothe
Page 292 though the front door - through the front door
Page 335 Stewart's had - Stewart's hand
Page 350 were was speeding - were speeding
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The 11.05 Murders
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