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

Connie Otwani · Post by **Connie Otwani** » 16 Nov 2017, 16:36

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

3 out of 4 stars

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Does life sometimes throw you a curve ball you are unsure of handling? Woman Detective Sergeant Denise Stewart finds herself in such a situation in The 11:05 Murders, a C/T/M/H novel by Brian O’Hare. While grappling with a heart break, work place gender discrimination, bullying, hostility and outright hatred for exposing some corrupt colleagues, Denise gets a sudden transfer to Strandtown Police Station on promotion, only to discover that the serious crime unit she has been assigned to is another male dominated environment. It is small wonder that she seems prickly to her new colleagues!

Set in Northern Ireland, The 11:05 Murders, is the second book in the Inspector Sheehan mysteries, and revolves around Denise, her superior Chief Inspector Jim Sheehan and all the Serious Crime Unit detectives. One Tuesday after Denise testifies in her ex-colleague’s trial, a bizarre murder is committed at 11:05 pm. As the unit embarks on gathering evidence, Denise realizes she has to learn to not only work amicably with the others as a team, but to also trust that her team members have her back. Soon there is another similar murder, and yet another is looming. In addition, Denise has to deal with a stalker, a mystery caller, accidents to a close colleague and attention from 2 gorgeous men yet she is sure that she is not ready for romance again. Can things get any more complicated?

As the team follows various leads to apprehend the maniacal killer, they line up 3 suspects, each with compelling evidence that somehow lacks the bow that would neatly tie it. There also emerges a connection to a university incident twelve years back, which again, cannot be easily uncovered. As the murders pile and pressure intensifies, the story becomes so engrossing with the team frantically pulling at different strings, unearthing many secrets but getting no direct pointer to the murderer. As a reader, you can’t help developing a suspect list of your own too, at this point! Finally, after the second murder, the team is able to predict the next victim, and put in place an elaborate ambush plan to capture their prey in the act. He however eludes them again, at the final moment, and disappears with one greatly prized item. In the ensuing gloom, Inspector Sheehan suddenly gets an ‘aha!’ moment, BUT, is he just grasping at straws or will he this time successfully lead his team in not just recovering their loss, but arresting the culprit as well? And considering the killer has proved to be cold, ruthless and highly intelligent, will they all come back alive?

I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery, suspense, twists and the do-or-die scenarios that O’Hare cleverly created. I also liked the way the whole unit as a team worked together on solving the mystery, as opposed to only two top detectives as is common practice in many novels of this genre. What I disliked was the slow pace with which the story line initially unfolded, the way Denise could be so emotional sometimes and the amateurish way the team was fooled in their ambush plan. Moreover, the killer made it to my own suspect list long before the team figured him! The book had a few grammatical errors; occasional very hard words like malfeasance, perspicacity and garrulous; and unexplained acronyms like DCI, PSNI and SOCOs. These however didn’t interfere much with the flow of the story.

In view of these, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars and recommend it for anyone who enjoys mystery, detective work and suspense. I must warn you though that there is a bit of gore and horror, as expected in books of this genre.

******
The 11.05 Murders
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CommMayo · Post by **CommMayo** » 17 Nov 2017, 13:52

Interesting review of The 11.05 Murders. I like how you pose questions throughout the review. I think this keeps the reader engaged. I find it kind of funny that you call out the author for using unexplained acronyms, but you use an acronym not known by many in the second sentence of your opening paragraph. I would caution against using that acronym since many people do not know what it means. All in all, this was a nice and thorough review. Good job!

Connie Otwani · Post by **Connie Otwani** » 17 Nov 2017, 15:04

CommMayo wrote:Interesting review of The 11.05 Murders. I like how you pose questions throughout the review. I think this keeps the reader engaged. I find it kind of funny that you call out the author for using unexplained acronyms, but you use an acronym not known by many in the second sentence of your opening paragraph. I would caution against using that acronym since many people do not know what it means. All in all, this was a nice and thorough review. Good job!

Ha ha, you caught me there! I didn't even realize I was throwing stones while I live in a glass house (Is that how they say it?). Thanks for catching and pointing out the irony. C/T/M/H - Crime, Thriller, Mystery, Horror. I hope this once most people won't notice!!

CommMayo · Post by **CommMayo** » 17 Nov 2017, 16:52

I had to google C/T/M/H and I have a degree in English literature!

The throwing stones in brick houses analogy is perfectly fitting

Connie Otwani · Post by **Connie Otwani** » 19 Nov 2017, 15:41

Wow, a degree in English Literature! I guess you are the right individual to explain why anyone thought it is okay for some people to throw stones..at houses!!!!

Anyway on a serious note, sorry about having to google. I will be more careful next time.

MLove83 · Post by **MLove83** » 19 Nov 2017, 19:10

You bring up some interesting points. You know, I hadn't even considered that their plans for ambush were dismantled way too easily. I just remember thinking, "WHY do they need radio silence all the way until 11:30??"

I had a little trouble with the acronyms, too. It was actually somewhat confusing in the beginning, but I assume that's because I'm not from Northern Ireland. I figure their PSNI is as familiar as the FBI or NYPD is to an American. I googled a little bit about the Troubles and their police rankings and that helped.

As far as the big words, I was actually thrilled to see some new words. No, they're not words I'll start using in conversation, but I think they're interesting anyway

I agree, I don't think there were enough to be distracting. Now, if there were so many I couldn't figure out what was going on...I probably would've quit reading.

You really think Denise was overly emotional? Maybe I've just been unlucky enough to have read way too many books with wishy-washy, not-so-intelligent female characters. I actually found her to be quite strong

Connie Otwani · Post by **Connie Otwani** » 20 Nov 2017, 11:52

Thank you soo much for your response

The ambush failing was a sort of anti-climax for me, after having built up my anticipation. Like you, at the radio silence decision I also went like ‘really, how will they coordinate this operation without communication?’ Then 2 trained detectives huddle together to be stunned simultaneously by a civilian? And to cap it, the ‘babysitter’ just opens the door on an assumption, at a time she is supposed to be awaiting the arrival of a dangerous criminal? I know the plot needed the ambush to fail, but did this have to leave the police looking so inept?

Yeah, it was exciting to learn some new words. Just that I think I have already forgotten them, though I console myself they won’t appear so foreign next time I come across them! For the acronyms I think a page with a list of acronyms would have been helpful, since they were quite a number.

Actually Denise is strong. She was only overly emotional in very few instances. Like the time they were taking the medic’s testimony, and her eyes so filled with tears, she couldn’t see what she was writing. A couple of times she was so irked over some situation in the field that her partner had to nudge her to keep her cool. I think I liked and cheered her on, that’s why I felt like ‘come on, this is beneath you!’ In view of your comment though, maybe these instances just make her a bit more human?

Anyway, it was nice hearing your thoughts on these. I also enjoyed the perspectives in your review of the same book.

MLove83 · Post by **MLove83** » 20 Nov 2017, 15:11

Those instances probably didn't stand out to me as much because, personally, I am an overly emotional blubber-baby

I agree, I think showing emotion at those times balanced her out and made her human. I think she might have come across as cold otherwise.

Actually, what I originally thought you were referring to was the couple times in the beginning when she snapped at her male co-workers and made them think she was prickly. In light of the discrimination and bullying she faced previously, her reaction is understandable, although Chief Sheehan was right to tell her to leave it outside the squad room. I thought it was big of her to apologize. She could've just let it go, and I think most people would have.

Donatelloo · Post by **Donatelloo** » 23 Jan 2018, 04:12

I have heard so much about this novel. I really like the plot full of mystery, suspense and killings
Great review

Connie Otwani · Post by **Connie Otwani** » 23 Jan 2018, 08:31

Darakhshan Nazir wrote: ↑23 Jan 2018, 04:12 I have heard so much about this novel. I really like the plot full of mystery, suspense and killings
Great review

Thanks, it is an interesting read.

Carmen-17 · Post by **Carmen-17** » 07 Apr 2018, 11:36

Thank you for referring me to your review. I enjoyed how you began the review with a question and integrated the plot with the themes of the book. Reading your review will make my reviews better. Thanks again!

Connie Otwani · Post by **Connie Otwani** » 06 Jun 2018, 03:29

Carmen-17 wrote: ↑07 Apr 2018, 11:36 Thank you for referring me to your review. I enjoyed how you began the review with a question and integrated the plot with the themes of the book. Reading your review will make my reviews better. Thanks again!

Thanks for your feedback. I am glad you found something that is helpful to you. Indeed life is made up of always learning different ways of doing things.

Nma26 · Post by **Nma26** » 29 Aug 2018, 09:16

Is it possible to understand the story without reading the first series? I'm not surprised at the reaction of her colleagues.A woman in a male dominated environment is usually not given equal rights and opportunities like her male colleagues.

sharkyjen998 · Post by **sharkyjen998** » 03 Sep 2018, 07:15

I'm putting this one on my "want to read shelf." It seems like you and I like the same type of books, so I'm hoping that I enjoy this one! I love suspenseful crime novels, and I also tend to read right past most errors without noticing them. Overall, I think I'll like this one. Thank you so much for your comments!

Connie Otwani · Post by **Connie Otwani** » 03 Sep 2018, 23:24

Nma26 wrote: ↑29 Aug 2018, 09:16 Is it possible to understand the story without reading the first series? I'm not surprised at the reaction of her colleagues.A woman in a male dominated environment is usually not given equal rights and opportunities like her male colleagues.

Yes, I easily followed the story without having read the others. Thanks for reading and commenting.