Review by Leah Edwards -- The 11.05 Murders by Brian O'Hare

[Leah Edwards]

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

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2 out of 4 stars

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I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.

This fast-paced crime book follows the Severe Crimes Unit of a police department as they investigate a recent murder that happened at 11:05PM on a Tuesday Evening (hence being titled The 11.05 Murders). The plots boasts endless amounts of potential, with numerous hooks and twists, but there are unfortunately moments where the characters fall a little flat.

When I began reading this book and I realised the protagonist was a female detective, I was excited. I’m a lover of books driven by women, and at first glance, I thought this book was going to be just that, and it certainly makes attempts. The book constantly tries to drive the notion of Detective Stewart being independant and self-sufficient. She’s guarded, smart and quick-witted.

That’s what we’re told, anyway.

In reality, it all seems a little forced. Her internal monologue consists of her making decisions, and then questioning why she would be making those decisions as she considers herself a feminist. She relies heavily on the male characters and rarely stands up for herself, and the moments she does have for herself are often overshadowed by the male characters actions, so much so that lead detective Sheehan became a much more interesting character, and at times I felt as though I would have preferred the book being led by him rather than the female detective Stewart (O’Hare seems to think so too, as he advertises his next project which focuses on another Sheehan case in the back of the book), who at most seemed like nothing more than a background character, serving the plot justice without serving her character the same thing.

When the perspective was held by her male counterparts, however, I enjoyed the writing style. It was easy to follow and held my attention without much difficulty. There were a few grammatical issues and missed typos which ruined my immersion, but it didn’t draw away too heavily on the quality of the plot or the writing style.

At times, it seemed as though the foreshadowing was a little heavy-handed. I wasn’t kicking myself at the end, like Tom Allen, because I already knew how it was going to end. There were cues at times when there was clue that the detectives didn’t quite catch, which made it a little more obvious than I would have liked about where the plot was going to end up, and the change of perspective made clues that would have slipped by otherwise gain prominence in the text, therefore making it easier to deduce who the killer was, hence why my rating wasn’t as high as it could have been.

All of these problems, I believe, could be fixed by a good editor to sift through and remove all of the obvious typos and grammatical errors in the text that could slip by a more tired eye. A new set of eyes could allow the text to reach its maximum potential, ridding of the clunky pieces of the prose wherein Stewart battles with the feminist within her and the damsel, and replacing it with more Sheehan, more mystery, and a little more tension.

The ending still reached a satisfying conclusion, though. All the loose ends were tied up, all the plots and theories fit neatly together, and seeing the characters finally realise who they were really after was a grin-inducing moment. The ending was the best part, and I wished it had been pulled out longer than just the fifty or so pages it was given so I could revel in the satisfaction a little longer.

To me, The 11.05 Murders seems like a great first draft, that with a little more refining could become an incredible piece of work with a gripping story line, strong characters and a little less focus on the romantic sup-plot to ensure the reader remains focused on the main plot of the story, which is where all of my interest lay. It’s a commendable effort and a wonderful story, and with just a little more work, Brian O’Hare could be onto something great.

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The 11.05 Murders
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Like Leah Edwards's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kdstrack]

Interesting comments. I also enjoyed the ending but wondered if there could have been some closure for the parents. Thanks for your review.

[Antares]

Our review is very similar. I agree with you about everything. I look forward to seeing more reviews from you in the future.
Thank you for such a well thought out review!

[Izesicle]

I agree about the inconsistency in with the portrayal and characterization of Denise. I rated the novel two out of four stars.