Review by EWinters -- The 11.05 Murders by Brian O'Hare
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EWinters
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- Latest Review: "The 11.05 Murders" by Brian O'Hare
Review by EWinters -- The 11.05 Murders by Brian O'Hare
[Following is a volunteer review of "The 11.05 Murders" by Brian O'Hare.]
3 out of 4 stars
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The 11:05 Murders is the second volume of Brian O’Hare’s Inspector Sheehan Mysteries series. The novel follows Sheehan as he works to solve a series of murders that are seemingly unconnected except for the fact that each murder is known to take place at 11:05 pm. As Sheehan works to put the pieces of each murder together, another detective on his team, Denise Stewart, works to unveil the secrets of a tragedy that occurred twelve years prior.
While many elements of The 11:05 Murders are not unlike the typical mystery and cop procedural novels, the way O’Hare intertwines Irish history as well as themes of gender discrimination against women in the police workforce delightfully freshens The 11:05 Murders and makes it stand out amongst other books of its genre.
As enjoyable as it is to read a detective novel with a feminist lead, O’Hare’s attempt falls short in many respects. One, Detective Stewart’s love life plays as much (if not more) of a role in her storyline as her actual detective work. Two, her entire storyline either directly or indirectly concerns a male character, even when she is talking with another female character. Speaking of which, Three, there are only four female characters in the entire story, and two of the four are very minor characters. The storyline of one out of the four is a damsel in distress, and the last of the four, Detective Stewart, has the aforementioned issues.
It’s important for me to note, however, that the novel’s focus on Stewart’s love life isn’t just for drama or shallow reasons, but rather it plays an integral role in the overall plot of the story. Additionally, her love life isn’t the only one focused on in the novel, two of the male leads’ are as well. Albeit there’s aren’t focused on nearly as much especially not in proportion to the rest of their plotlines.
Brian O’Hare’s talent as a writer is undeniable, and The 11:05 Murders has moments of superb pacing, but there are moments (far too many, in my opinion) when the pacing of this story is unbearably slow and (I’d even go so far as to say) tortuous. Background information and details about a story’s setting(s) are necessary, but O’Hare takes it way too far in the way of details. I estimate that at least half (possibly even more) of this book is just details. Details about locations. Details about Irish history. Details about character backstories. Details about character thoughts and facial expressions. There are so many details detailed in this book that at times the story and plot get lost, and even worse, spoiled.
An essential element of any mystery story is the primary mystery to remain just that, a mystery. Brian O’Hare’s over detail uncovers two of the main mysteries of this novel for any reader paying even the most remote amount of attention. Thankfully, The 11:05 Murders has so many twists and turns that there are still some unspoiled twists to be enjoyed.
Still, I want to reiterate that The 11:05 Murders is a great read despite some problems. Two more such problems I found while reading this book (though one is more of a personal problem) are one; the characters occasionally use speech patterns and words that are unrealistic in typical, "real world" conversations and two, one of the characters has a stutter. The former wouldn't be as much of an issue if not for the fact that the characters shift throughout the novel (and even throughout a single conversation) from speaking using one manner of language style and diction to another. For example, at one point Detective Stewart tells Tom Allen (a fellow detective and friend) that he is, or is being, "incorrigible." However, other word choices the character makes throughout the story make it more likely that she'd used the word stubborn, or another simpler synonym, instead.
As for the latter complaint, the stuttering character, I found his impediment quite annoying as a reader as my brain would automatically read his dialog in a stutter. All of the frustration that can come with listening or talking to someone who stutters, I experienced while reading his dialog. Eventually, I was able to consciously read through his speech with the pauses, but anytime I reverted to autopilot reading, stuttered reading returned. Again, this complaint speaks more on me than O’Hare as a writer or the story as a whole, and despite the stutter, the character is one of my favorites.
In conclusion, The 11:05 Murders is a great book with an excellent plot, great characters, and a fresh take on the cop procedural that is perfect for any reader who loves a fascinating story full of twists and turns and lots and lots of character and setting background details. In comparison, readers who have little patience or who prefer a story that gets (and stays) to the point and remains steadily (and quickly) paced throughout may find The 11:05 Murders to be boring or a nightmare to read without skipping chunks of text.
Overall, I rate The 11:05 Murders by Brian O’Hare 3 out of 4 stars. I rate it a three rather than a four because of the excessive detail throughout that nearly ruins the mystery aspect of the story, the fair share of grammar errors and sentence structure issues I crossed while reading, and the inconsistencies in character behavior and speech. I rate it three stars rather than two because despite the noted issues I had while reading The 11:05 Murders, it is undeniably a fantastic story with many twists and turns and action sequences that are perfectly paced.
******
The 11.05 Murders
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3 out of 4 stars
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The 11:05 Murders is the second volume of Brian O’Hare’s Inspector Sheehan Mysteries series. The novel follows Sheehan as he works to solve a series of murders that are seemingly unconnected except for the fact that each murder is known to take place at 11:05 pm. As Sheehan works to put the pieces of each murder together, another detective on his team, Denise Stewart, works to unveil the secrets of a tragedy that occurred twelve years prior.
While many elements of The 11:05 Murders are not unlike the typical mystery and cop procedural novels, the way O’Hare intertwines Irish history as well as themes of gender discrimination against women in the police workforce delightfully freshens The 11:05 Murders and makes it stand out amongst other books of its genre.
As enjoyable as it is to read a detective novel with a feminist lead, O’Hare’s attempt falls short in many respects. One, Detective Stewart’s love life plays as much (if not more) of a role in her storyline as her actual detective work. Two, her entire storyline either directly or indirectly concerns a male character, even when she is talking with another female character. Speaking of which, Three, there are only four female characters in the entire story, and two of the four are very minor characters. The storyline of one out of the four is a damsel in distress, and the last of the four, Detective Stewart, has the aforementioned issues.
It’s important for me to note, however, that the novel’s focus on Stewart’s love life isn’t just for drama or shallow reasons, but rather it plays an integral role in the overall plot of the story. Additionally, her love life isn’t the only one focused on in the novel, two of the male leads’ are as well. Albeit there’s aren’t focused on nearly as much especially not in proportion to the rest of their plotlines.
Brian O’Hare’s talent as a writer is undeniable, and The 11:05 Murders has moments of superb pacing, but there are moments (far too many, in my opinion) when the pacing of this story is unbearably slow and (I’d even go so far as to say) tortuous. Background information and details about a story’s setting(s) are necessary, but O’Hare takes it way too far in the way of details. I estimate that at least half (possibly even more) of this book is just details. Details about locations. Details about Irish history. Details about character backstories. Details about character thoughts and facial expressions. There are so many details detailed in this book that at times the story and plot get lost, and even worse, spoiled.
An essential element of any mystery story is the primary mystery to remain just that, a mystery. Brian O’Hare’s over detail uncovers two of the main mysteries of this novel for any reader paying even the most remote amount of attention. Thankfully, The 11:05 Murders has so many twists and turns that there are still some unspoiled twists to be enjoyed.
Still, I want to reiterate that The 11:05 Murders is a great read despite some problems. Two more such problems I found while reading this book (though one is more of a personal problem) are one; the characters occasionally use speech patterns and words that are unrealistic in typical, "real world" conversations and two, one of the characters has a stutter. The former wouldn't be as much of an issue if not for the fact that the characters shift throughout the novel (and even throughout a single conversation) from speaking using one manner of language style and diction to another. For example, at one point Detective Stewart tells Tom Allen (a fellow detective and friend) that he is, or is being, "incorrigible." However, other word choices the character makes throughout the story make it more likely that she'd used the word stubborn, or another simpler synonym, instead.
As for the latter complaint, the stuttering character, I found his impediment quite annoying as a reader as my brain would automatically read his dialog in a stutter. All of the frustration that can come with listening or talking to someone who stutters, I experienced while reading his dialog. Eventually, I was able to consciously read through his speech with the pauses, but anytime I reverted to autopilot reading, stuttered reading returned. Again, this complaint speaks more on me than O’Hare as a writer or the story as a whole, and despite the stutter, the character is one of my favorites.
In conclusion, The 11:05 Murders is a great book with an excellent plot, great characters, and a fresh take on the cop procedural that is perfect for any reader who loves a fascinating story full of twists and turns and lots and lots of character and setting background details. In comparison, readers who have little patience or who prefer a story that gets (and stays) to the point and remains steadily (and quickly) paced throughout may find The 11:05 Murders to be boring or a nightmare to read without skipping chunks of text.
Overall, I rate The 11:05 Murders by Brian O’Hare 3 out of 4 stars. I rate it a three rather than a four because of the excessive detail throughout that nearly ruins the mystery aspect of the story, the fair share of grammar errors and sentence structure issues I crossed while reading, and the inconsistencies in character behavior and speech. I rate it three stars rather than two because despite the noted issues I had while reading The 11:05 Murders, it is undeniably a fantastic story with many twists and turns and action sequences that are perfectly paced.
******
The 11.05 Murders
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Like EWinters's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "The 11.05 Murders" by Brian O'Hare
