3 out of 4 stars
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The 11.05 Murders is a novel dripping in potential and is an overall very enjoyable read. The book is set in Ireland and follows multiple plot points that all eventually connect with each other. The story somewhat centers around Detective Sergeant Denise Stewart who is recently transferred from her last police precinct to a new one. After her transfer, caused by police corruption, she works her first case, a murder with some peculiar problems. This murder spins into a tale of stalking, attempted murder, and a small bit of romance. I really appreciated that the bit of romance that did happen didn’t take over the entire book. It does come at an odd point in the story and honestly it reads like it was a bit badly timed, but it is still well done.
I also appreciate the fact that as the only female detective that we hear about, Sergeant Stewart isn't a character simply defined by her gender. Her gender does play a role, yes, but she isn't just a female detective. She is a part of the team and it makes the reading even more enjoyable because she is treated as a fully functioning member of her squad. The gender dynamics that do come into play are very well written and reflect some of the problems that women in law enforcement face. As with Sergeant Stweart, many of the male detectives aren't defined by one thing, but with multiple layers to their personalities. It's very enjoyable to read about the interactions between all the characters because their personalities create a great dynamic within the team.
With all these factors, I thought the book would read choppy or the author wouldn’t piece everything together very well. I was very wrong; even at the midway point the author brings a few things together before venturing off to open a few new doors. It’s a book that will easily keep you engaged and wanting to know what happens next. I found myself reading this book in a very short amount of time just because I enjoyed it so much, I continuously wanted to know what would happen in the next chapter.
I can easily rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. The story line is very smooth and travels at a good pace. The characters are well fleshed out and each has their own personality without it being too much to take in. The author does a great job of describing both scenes and characters without making the description a "filler" for lack of actual plot.
Because of these factors, the book deserves more than two stars. The only part I truly had a problem with was the predictability of the ending. It is a nice straight forward ending but a plot twist would have really brought this book to the top of my book recommendations list. That is the only reason this book didn’t get 4 stars. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the genre.
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The 11.05 Murders
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