Review by elora001 -- The 11.05 Murders by Brian O'Hare

[elora001]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The 11.05 Murders" by Brian O'Hare.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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It’s been awhile since I read and really enjoyed a murder mystery. After reading this one, I’m ready to start the whole series! The author, Brian O’Hare, captures suspense, character development, and the intelligence a good mystery needs!

The 11:05 Murders is the second volume in the Inspector Sheehan series. But don’t fret, they don’t need to be read sequentially. This novel features a killer who leaves behind a watch, stopped at 11:05 p.m. after every kill. Inspector Sheehan and his police team are on the case. Policewoman Denise Stewart is new to their team, but is a great asset. There are plenty of suspects, a mysterious informant, and an abundance of clues that have the police looking at all angles.

There were so many great characters in the story. All of the author’s characters were complex. I really enjoyed when the chapter switched to another character’s perspective. Stewart, female protagonist, is a great character who makes new developments at every turn with some help from her mysterious informant. The banter between she and colleague Tom Allen was fun and lighthearted, which often doesn’t work in a mystery novel, but it certainly did in this case.

One of the reasons I haven’t read a mystery in awhile is because some mysteries can be pretty basic. The detectives are searching for clues until they find their killer and it tends to be all pretty linear. I liked this book a lot because every chapter there was a new clue or a red herring, which made the story more complex. I had new theories every chapter! The author had me thinking this way and that, and just when you were on to one clue, he threw a red herring in that had you thinking the suspect was someone else.

I only have good things to say about the author’s writing style. I came across a handful of words I’ve never heard of before, and as someone who reads a lot of books, it was fun to learn new words while reading an exciting mystery. Most of the time I learn new words from novels that aren’t nearly as entertaining as this one was. His intelligence comes across in the complexity of his murder mystery as well as his vocabulary and word choice.

I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. It was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only complaints were minimal. All of the police abbreviations and Ireland references lost me a little, but it was interesting to read about a place I’ve never been. And now I know the difference between DCC, DCI, and DI!

I would encourage anyone who enjoys mysteries to read this novel! I have not read the first book in the series, but I would guess any of the books in the Inspector Sheehan series are enjoyable to read on their own, or in order!

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The 11.05 Murders
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[kdstrack]

Great review. Your comment about what made this book unique was the author's ability to introduce new clues throughout the book and keep you on your toes. Nice writing. Thanks.