4 out of 4 stars
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The 11.05 Murders by Brian O’Hare is a mystery thriller and romance novel. The story is set in Ireland. A female detective has been promoted due to her exemplary police work in uncovering corruption within the ranks. The book opens with a flashback and quickly moves to the present with a sudden rash of murders. The puzzle pieces come together but it takes a while to find where they fit. For as many questions that are answered more questions arise.
The characters are personable and well developed. I found the characters to be believable and I could identify with each on some level. The art of a mystery is to give and hold back enough to engage readers to put their personal sleuth to work to solve the mystery as if the reader is part of the events. Brian does an excellent job in drawing readers scene after scene. I enjoyed that the storyline was not predictable and could have taken several directions.
The romantic development is tastefully interwoven within the fabric of the story and feels like a natural progression. It doesn’t seem forced nor does it seem to have been an afterthought to give more interest and intrigue. In fact, all the relationships between the characters feel natural and read like an old friend giving an example of a life event. As a reader, I found myself wanting to be a character as the material unfolded.
I don’t generally read romance novels; however, I found the backdrop story for this novel refreshing. What would seem obvious had enough tension to keep me thinking and hypothesizing to the end. I found myself feeling several emotions; i.e., intrigue, delight, frustration, anger, etc. My heart raced with the pace and the compassion I felt for others caused a smile more than a time or two.
The material in this book was easy to follow and the transitions were smooth and appropriate. I did not note any grammatical errors. The book was well thought out and the preparation that was given is evident. This was my first read by this author, but it most certainly will not be my last. Even though, for the most part, I put things in the proper perspective, there were still enough twists to keep me interested to the conclusion. I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. I feel that Brian executed the material well. I enjoyed reading the book. I encourage anyone to add this book to their personal library who is a fan of mystery thrillers and romance.
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The 11.05 Murders
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