3 out of 4 stars
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With a wide array of characters and a plot full of twists and turns, The 11:05 Murders: Volume 2 of the Inspector Sheehan Mysteries, keeps readers engaged and guessing from start to finish. Written by Brian O’Hare and published by Crimson Cloak Publishing, it is the second book in a series but contains enough background information to be read as a stand alone novel.
Set in Belfast, Ireland, the story follows newly-promoted Woman Detective Sergeant Denise Stewart as she moves from the Lisburn City Police Department to the Serious Crimes Unit at the Strandtown Police Station, testifies in a corruption case against another police officer, and takes on her first murder investigation. Her past history, not just as a police officer, but as a woman working in a male dominated field, is intricately tied to her new position and affects her outlook on everything, from the way she goes about her assignments to the way she handles relationships with her new colleagues.
I vacillated between giving the book 2 or 3 stars. In the end, I rated it 3 out of 4 stars because the story line flows smoothly, the plot is well-planned and engaging, and the characters are personable. The author writes in a voice that is thoroughly, though perhaps unconsciously, Irish, and one of the greatest features of the book is the easy way with which Irish terms and phrases are carelessly tossed around. Having said that, there were some distracting errors and a lot of wordiness throughout the book. There were also aspects to the story that I really didn’t like.
The heightened sense of sexual awareness that seemed to be present every time Denise was in the company of a male wore thin very early on. Nearly every man she met found her attractive or tried to hit on her. If they didn't, she assumed they did. The author played into this several times when he shifted abruptly into the third person to describe one of the characters responding to the "pretty, young detective." Denise also did her share of speculating on the appeal (or lack thereof) of the men in her vicinity, especially her colleagues, and she tended to make every male/female encounter into something more than it needed to be. The back and forth between Denise, the capable, smart, competent detective with a bit of a chip on her shoulder, and young, pretty little Denise who wants to believe she is capable but really gets things done on account of her looks, was disconcerting and annoying. This disconnect was even more heightened in events that took place toward the end of the book. I was not extremely sympathetic toward her as the protagonist because she came across as overly-sensitive, shallow, and self-absorbed too often for my taste. I suspect that readers hoping for an independent, competent, and efficient female heroine would also be bothered by this.
As far as the writing style and mechanics go, O’Hare did a decent, though not outstanding job. At times he demonstrated a masterful ability to build suspense and create tension with a simple description. At other times, he was so wordy and complex that I found myself rolling my eyes - or tempted to skim. Toning this down and re-wording some of the long, rambling sentences would sharpen his writing and make it more powerful and emotionally engaging. There are also some typos, questionable comma usage, and confusing instances where he abruptly changes perspective in the middle of a scene. This is especially apparent in the prologue, where the reader is privy to the thoughts of multiple characters within the first two pages. While the problem is not blatantly obvious, it creates an awkward, nagging feel that something is a bit off and requires a re-read.
In the end, though, I enjoyed the challenge of puzzling out the how and why, and I would read the book again. O'Hare added twists and characters and complications all the way through so that I was not entirely sure of the murderer's identity right up until the end. It kept me interested and coming back, and that is what a good mystery should do. I hope that he continues with the series, focusing, perhaps, on a little more consistency and character development.
Fans and frequent readers of the genre will most likely expect this, but to be clear, the book is a modern day murder mystery/detective novel that contains fairly graphic depictions of violence, violation, and death.
******
The 11.05 Murders
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