Retrato do autor

Gary Dolman

Autor(a) de Red Dragon - White Dragon

4 Works 28 Membros 10 Críticas

Séries

Obras por Gary Dolman

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Sexo
male
Nacionalidade
England, UK

Membros

Críticas

Esta crítica foi escrita no âmbito dos Primeiros Críticos do LibraryThing.
The premise was definitely intriguing enough for me to request this novel through LT's Early Reviewers and it is a nicely produced book. But I am sorry to say that this was disappointing.

In 1890's England the Foxes are a married couple who are hired to investigate a particularly gruesome murder. Travelling from their home in Harrogate to Northumberland, where they stay at the home of Sir Hugh Lowther. More murders follow and there seems to be a link to King Arthur.

This started out reasonably well though some things were a bit clunky but I put that down to being a debut novel. I did like the atmosphere of the wild Northumberland countryside and there was a real sense of place. But as I read on I found the characterisation weak; I am not sure that the behaviour of some of the characters fit into the Victorian setting; in places the dialogue was more like a lecture than an actual conversation; the clues to the mystery were heavy handed and the reader is told who the murderer is much too early in the story. All this is unfortunate as the author does show promise and I will not rule out reading more of his work… (mais)
 
Assinalado
calm | 8 outras críticas | Sep 17, 2013 |
Esta crítica foi escrita no âmbito dos Primeiros Críticos do LibraryThing.
A murder mystery set in Victorian England, 1890 Northumberland to be exact, with a husband and wife investigative team, wind swept moors, grisly deaths, Gothic elements of a long-vanished castle and the legend of King Arthur that just will not die equals a wonderful blending of some of my favorite mystery elements all in one book. What more could a girl ask for.

I have some mixed feelings about this one. The beginning was a bit of a distraction for me as we jump right into the story and the characters with little to no background build. Some people like to jump right into the story, I need my background build. It felt to me as though I was reading the second or third book in series and had missed the 'get to know your character' meet and greet that usually occurs in a stand alone book or first book in a series. Okay, I am probably quibbling over this point so lets progress. Atticus and Lucie Fox, our married investigative team, seem like a balanced husband and wife team and I did enjoy how Lucie, the trained medical nurse, is the one to step forward when a body is discovered and displays practical observation and insight, while Atticus is more the man of precision and analytical thinking. Still wish I new more about them.

I did like how Dolman crafted his mystery around the legends of King Arthur, the Arthurian hallows and the Norns of Norse mythology, otherwise known as the Writing Women or the Sisters of the Wyrd. I wasn't sure how that would work but I can happily report that it worked rather well. Dolman provides enough information to explain these elements to the uninformed reader without making them come across as informative digressions or sidebars to the mystery. I did have some trouble with how the story jumped around and it started to lose me once I had figured out the 'who dunnit' but Dolman managed to keep the story going with a couple of more interesting twists and turns.

Not sure what I think about the ending except that by the time I reached the last 10 pages I was just skim reading to finish the book and not really paying attention to the ending as it played out. A different ending might have captured my attention better.

Overall, an interesting murder mystery. Did I enjoy this book enough that I would read another book with Atticus and Lucie Fox investigating a new mystery? Yes, I would. Would I recommend it to others? Yes, I would.

This book was courtesy of Librarything's Early Reviewer Program.
… (mais)
½
1 vote
Assinalado
lkernagh | 8 outras críticas | Sep 17, 2013 |
Esta crítica foi escrita no âmbito dos Primeiros Críticos do LibraryThing.
Strong start; engaging middle; weak at the end. Is it wrong to expect a significant surprise towards the end? With a stronger ending, this would easily have been a 4 or even a 4-1/2 star read. But I still recommend it as a light, quick, enjoyable murder mystery.

Dolman has a great idea and it is well set up . I like the slow revealing of the antagonist, and even appreciated knowing who the murderer is (and mostly why) at about the mid-point. Watching Atticus and Lucie Fox slowly close in on the solution was quite engaging. But our two detectives then began to miss what should have been obvious. And who let Lucie wonder how a bugle could be a murder weapon right after finding a body with another 'hallow' placed in the scene, not as a murder weapon, but as a symbol. She seemed to lose track of the evidence right before our eyes.

Even so, the ending was not weak enough to ruin the enjoyment of the overall story and Dolman can write. This work just needed more guidance in crafting the ending. I'd still recommend it - how often does a Victorian murder mystery have King Arthur hanging out just out of the corner of your eye?

Os.
… (mais)
½
 
Assinalado
Osbaldistone | 8 outras críticas | Aug 24, 2013 |

Estatísticas

Obras
4
Membros
28
Popularidade
#471,397
Avaliação
½ 3.7
Críticas
10
ISBN
7