Review by rhendel -- The 11.05 Murders by Brian O'Hare
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rhendel
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Review by rhendel -- The 11.05 Murders by Brian O'Hare
[Following is a volunteer review of "The 11.05 Murders" by Brian O'Hare.]
4 out of 4 stars
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The 11:05 Murders is a crime mystery novel, centered around finding the person responsible for a series of unique murders committed at 11:05pm on separate Tuesdays. It’s the second book in the Inspector Sheehan series, and features a great group of detectives working to solve the case. While the murders are carefully carried out without leaving much evidence, there are some intriguing clues that guide the detectives in their investigation. Then there are a few additional crimes that occur, such as attacks on a police detective, stolen cars, and witness tampering – can all of these seemingly unrelated acts actually be the work of one serial killer? Or are there more people on the loose that need to be brought to justice?
The story mainly centers around Sergeant Denise Stewart, a new member to Sheehan’s team who has first hand experience of the sexism women experience working in law enforcement. While she strives to solve the case, she also works to battle her own personal demons while learning to trust her new team members. The sexism issues are openly addressed, however I still found some actions from her new team to be reminiscent of old-school thinking about women in the police force. There are also storylines around domestic violence and sexual assault, which I think O’Hare handled well by illustrating the hard decisions victims face and the consequences of those horrific crimes.
The novel is gripping from the first chapter, and continued to draw me in throughout the book. The Irish setting provides an interesting background to the story, and the depth of the characters allowed me to really connect to each individual and feel invested in their lives. Despite not having read the first book in the Inspector Sheehan series, there was still a strong background story to the majority of the characters, and small details (like one character who has a stutter) made the cast feel diverse and inclusive. There are lots of twists and turns (and red herrings!) that left me captivated and unable to put the book down. There’s also a romantic storyline that left me eager to read the next book in the series – I’m hoping this storyline is continued in that book!
This was the first book I read of Brian O’Hare and am definitely looking forward to reading some more of his work. I have read a lot of crime novels and can be quite critical of them, but this book was engaging, mysterious, and had a satisfying ending that was hard to see coming. Oftentimes, the ending of crime novels doesn’t stand up to the turbulent twists and turns in the body of the story, however the ending of The 11:05 Murders did not only have a fulfilling ending, but an ending that did justice to the entire story. The writing is not especially gory, and while the book is a bit long, it ends up being a quick read due to the engaging story.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book to any crime novel fans, particularly those who are looking for an intriguing story without much blood and gore. This is also a good book for readers who like to read a series centered around the same characters, as there are already three books in the Inspector Sheehan series, and I’d imagine O’Hare will be writing more.
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The 11.05 Murders
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4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The 11:05 Murders is a crime mystery novel, centered around finding the person responsible for a series of unique murders committed at 11:05pm on separate Tuesdays. It’s the second book in the Inspector Sheehan series, and features a great group of detectives working to solve the case. While the murders are carefully carried out without leaving much evidence, there are some intriguing clues that guide the detectives in their investigation. Then there are a few additional crimes that occur, such as attacks on a police detective, stolen cars, and witness tampering – can all of these seemingly unrelated acts actually be the work of one serial killer? Or are there more people on the loose that need to be brought to justice?
The story mainly centers around Sergeant Denise Stewart, a new member to Sheehan’s team who has first hand experience of the sexism women experience working in law enforcement. While she strives to solve the case, she also works to battle her own personal demons while learning to trust her new team members. The sexism issues are openly addressed, however I still found some actions from her new team to be reminiscent of old-school thinking about women in the police force. There are also storylines around domestic violence and sexual assault, which I think O’Hare handled well by illustrating the hard decisions victims face and the consequences of those horrific crimes.
The novel is gripping from the first chapter, and continued to draw me in throughout the book. The Irish setting provides an interesting background to the story, and the depth of the characters allowed me to really connect to each individual and feel invested in their lives. Despite not having read the first book in the Inspector Sheehan series, there was still a strong background story to the majority of the characters, and small details (like one character who has a stutter) made the cast feel diverse and inclusive. There are lots of twists and turns (and red herrings!) that left me captivated and unable to put the book down. There’s also a romantic storyline that left me eager to read the next book in the series – I’m hoping this storyline is continued in that book!
This was the first book I read of Brian O’Hare and am definitely looking forward to reading some more of his work. I have read a lot of crime novels and can be quite critical of them, but this book was engaging, mysterious, and had a satisfying ending that was hard to see coming. Oftentimes, the ending of crime novels doesn’t stand up to the turbulent twists and turns in the body of the story, however the ending of The 11:05 Murders did not only have a fulfilling ending, but an ending that did justice to the entire story. The writing is not especially gory, and while the book is a bit long, it ends up being a quick read due to the engaging story.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book to any crime novel fans, particularly those who are looking for an intriguing story without much blood and gore. This is also a good book for readers who like to read a series centered around the same characters, as there are already three books in the Inspector Sheehan series, and I’d imagine O’Hare will be writing more.
******
The 11.05 Murders
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
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Latest Review: Waterworks by Jack Winnick
