4 out of 4 stars
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The 11:05 Murders is a solid, engaging, good old-fashioned detective novel, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s hard to summarize this story without giving too much away, but I’ll give it my best shot. The book starts with a sexual assault at Queen’s college. Some twelve years later, a man is brutally murdered and mutilated in his home. A rookie detective sergeant gets a new start at a new precinct and finds herself on the receiving end of a mysterious stalker. Thus the stage is set for Chief Inspector Jim Sheehan and his colorful team in this novel.
The 11:05 Murders gets 4 out of 4 stars from me. I give this book 4 out of 4 stars because it ticks all of the boxes in terms of what I’m looking for in a mystery. First, it has a really nice ensemble cast. O’Hare introduces the reader to a fairly large set of characters that manage to feel real without feeling overwhelming or caricaturized. Second, this book has an intricately, yet subtly layered plot that kept me guessing. Third – and most important for me in a mystery novel – the pacing was really well done. The story never dragged; it has a steady pace that lured me into thinking I’d cracked the case at several points, only to find that O’Hare had more in store. The characters, the plot, and the pacing combined make this book a 4 out of 4 star story.
This was my first exposure to Brian O’Hare and I was impressed. In a lot of ways, this book read a little like an Agatha Christie mystery. If you like mysteries where the author gives you everything you need to figure out the crime and then sets you loose in the story, this is a good book for you. While this book isn’t a cozy mystery per se, it shares some of the features of that sub-genre of mystery: pretty setting, appealing characters, and just a little tongue- in-cheek humor. For these reasons, this book might also appeal to fans of M.C. Beaton or Stella Cameron’s Alex Duggins Mysteries.
This book was very well edited. I found no errors in grammar. One of my only critiques has to do with the dialogue. For the vast majority of the story, O’Hare keeps the dialogue very natural. However, there are a few points where the dialogue is stilted and a little clunky. The only reason I noticed it is because it was so natural throughout the rest of the story.
Apparently this book is not the first book in the series. That being said, I was perfectly able to follow along with this story, not having read the first book. Overall, The 11:05 Murders is a wonderfully paced and deliciously fun novel. The good story and relatable characters will definitely have me checking out O’Hare’s other works.
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The 11.05 Murders
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