Review by Shrabastee -- The 11.05 Murders by Brian O'Hare
18 posts
[Following is a volunteer review of "The 11.05 Murders" by Brian O'Hare.]
[rbc=4]id98862-125[/rbc]
The 11:05 Murders by Dr. Brian O’Hare is the second book of the ‘Inspector Sheehan Mysteries’, but can be read as a stand-alone one. Spanning a timeline of about two weeks, the not-too-fast pace of this police procedural fits the storyline perfectly.
Instead of merely narrating the crime and the following investigational procedure, O’Hare gives us unique insights into the life and psychology of each detective. The readers get a clear idea of the detectives’ backgrounds, their flaws, and their positions in the group relative to others. Finding out how each of them is perceived by the other group members makes the characters more realistic to the readers.
O’Hare touches a very common, but very sensitive issue in his novel that is gender discrimination in the workplace. The way Stewart was humiliated and even bullied by her senior and male colleagues in her previous job is plain appalling. And yet, many of the working women can identify with such daily ordeals. I was glad to see that Inspector Sheehan’s department took her in and valued her abilities as a person and did not objectify her.
A good strategy the author follows to keep the detectives, as well as the readers updated, is to arrange a debriefing session where each detective reports the progress in his/her line of questioning. This makes keeping track of the story easier.
The author gives sufficient hints that attentive readers can put together to formulate his/her own theory. Although the story might be a little predictable to some, they will still find a few well-placed twists. The author uses some uncommon words that helped to build up my vocabulary.
I did not really find anything to criticize in the book. However, I would like to mention two points. While the novel is listed as an Inspector Sheehan mystery, Sergeant Stewart and Detective Allen do most of the work for the major part of the book. Although Sheehan’s uncanny ability to solve mysteries is hinted at, we do not find him in action until the very last part. Secondly, in one or two places, the third person narrative follows two different characters within a span of a few paragraphs. That was a little disconcerting to read.
Despite the above-mentioned points, The 11:05 Murders deserves 4 out of 4 stars. The book seems thoroughly edited with no grammatical or typing errors. I would recommend it to all detective story lovers. However, there is considerable blood and gore that might not be suitable for younger readers. While not very intense, it was nonetheless a pleasant and enjoyable read and I cannot wait to read the other books in the series.
******
The 11.05 Murders
View: on Bookshelves |
Like Shrabastee's review? Post a comment saying so!
The 11:05 Murders by Dr. Brian O’Hare is the second book of the ‘Inspector Sheehan Mysteries’, but can be read as a stand-alone one. Spanning a timeline of about two weeks, the not-too-fast pace of this police procedural fits the storyline perfectly.
Instead of merely narrating the crime and the following investigational procedure, O’Hare gives us unique insights into the life and psychology of each detective. The readers get a clear idea of the detectives’ backgrounds, their flaws, and their positions in the group relative to others. Finding out how each of them is perceived by the other group members makes the characters more realistic to the readers.
O’Hare touches a very common, but very sensitive issue in his novel that is gender discrimination in the workplace. The way Stewart was humiliated and even bullied by her senior and male colleagues in her previous job is plain appalling. And yet, many of the working women can identify with such daily ordeals. I was glad to see that Inspector Sheehan’s department took her in and valued her abilities as a person and did not objectify her.
A good strategy the author follows to keep the detectives, as well as the readers updated, is to arrange a debriefing session where each detective reports the progress in his/her line of questioning. This makes keeping track of the story easier.
The author gives sufficient hints that attentive readers can put together to formulate his/her own theory. Although the story might be a little predictable to some, they will still find a few well-placed twists. The author uses some uncommon words that helped to build up my vocabulary.
I did not really find anything to criticize in the book. However, I would like to mention two points. While the novel is listed as an Inspector Sheehan mystery, Sergeant Stewart and Detective Allen do most of the work for the major part of the book. Although Sheehan’s uncanny ability to solve mysteries is hinted at, we do not find him in action until the very last part. Secondly, in one or two places, the third person narrative follows two different characters within a span of a few paragraphs. That was a little disconcerting to read.
Despite the above-mentioned points, The 11:05 Murders deserves 4 out of 4 stars. The book seems thoroughly edited with no grammatical or typing errors. I would recommend it to all detective story lovers. However, there is considerable blood and gore that might not be suitable for younger readers. While not very intense, it was nonetheless a pleasant and enjoyable read and I cannot wait to read the other books in the series.
******
The 11.05 Murders
View: on Bookshelves |
Like Shrabastee's review? Post a comment saying so!
You are not logged in. Please log in or sign up to view members replies, participate in the discussion, and access more features.
