Review by mgruscinski -- The 11.05 Murders by Brian O'Hare
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mgruscinski
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- Latest Review: "The 11.05 Murders" by Brian O'Hare
Review by mgruscinski -- The 11.05 Murders by Brian O'Hare
[Following is a volunteer review of "The 11.05 Murders" by Brian O'Hare.]
4 out of 4 stars
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The 11:05 Murders by Brian O’Hare is a fiction police detective murder mystery set in Northern Ireland. The first chapter describes an event that happened twelve years ago, and the rest of the book deals with that one significant event. Ultimately, the reader learns what happened at a college party twelve years ago, and why it is relevant to the situation at hand.
The 11:05 Murders is the second book in the Inspector Sheehan Mysteries. The book reviewer did not read the first book in the Inspector Sheehan Mysteries, but understood and followed the character development in The 11:05 Murders. Like most murder mystery novels, the story is fast-paced and the reader wants to keep reading and stay up until late hours to finish this book. Without giving anything away, this story is about murders which occur at 11:05 and appear to be done by the same killer. The book is about solving the murders and attempting to prevent future murders occurring at 11:05.
O’Hare introduces young female detective Sergeant Stewart early in the novel. Sergeant Stewart tells the story from her point of view. She is new to this police force, and left her previous job due to sexism issues. In this office, however, she is trusted and well-respected. Stewart’s co-workers allow her to shine as a woman detective.
I like a good mystery so I liked this book. I definitely plan on reading more by Brian O’Hare. O’Hare kept me guessing until the end. I had several ideas of who the killer might be, based on all the clues scattered throughout and based on my own instincts. I liked that I did not know for sure until the end, and ultimately, it made sense.
This story has powerful characters, though the focus is on the case and the detective work. As someone who has worked for a prosecutor’s office, I enjoyed the police-procedural aspects of the book. At a few moments, this book highlights the relationship between police detective work and law enforcement prosecutor work. There is a fine line between detectives and prosecutors, and O’Hare was careful to separate the two, simultaneously not confusing a reader who might not recognize the difference between the two.
This book has everything: budding romances, murders, investigation, and a variety of characters to keep the story interesting. It pays tribute to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Not only does O’Hare compare Inspector Sheehan to Sherlock Holmes, but also the reader notes that the murder mystery feels similar to something Holmes would solve.
I personally would have liked to learn more about Sergeant Denise Stewart, and what made her leave her former office, and what makes her motivated to work extra hard. I admire strong female leads in a male dominated career, so I respect O’Hare for developing Sergeant Stewart’s character, but I still want to know more about her. I would like to see her play a deeper role in a future Inspector Sheehan murder mystery. Eventually, Sergeant Stewart could have her own line of mysteries.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because it is well-written and it has everything a reader could want in a murder mystery. The end is not disappointing and there are not any noticeable errors in the book or its editing. This book will appeal to anyone who respects Irish authors, murder mysteries, or suspense. I look forward to reading more by Brian O’Hare. You may want to visit Ireland after reading this book.
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The 11.05 Murders
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4 out of 4 stars
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The 11:05 Murders by Brian O’Hare is a fiction police detective murder mystery set in Northern Ireland. The first chapter describes an event that happened twelve years ago, and the rest of the book deals with that one significant event. Ultimately, the reader learns what happened at a college party twelve years ago, and why it is relevant to the situation at hand.
The 11:05 Murders is the second book in the Inspector Sheehan Mysteries. The book reviewer did not read the first book in the Inspector Sheehan Mysteries, but understood and followed the character development in The 11:05 Murders. Like most murder mystery novels, the story is fast-paced and the reader wants to keep reading and stay up until late hours to finish this book. Without giving anything away, this story is about murders which occur at 11:05 and appear to be done by the same killer. The book is about solving the murders and attempting to prevent future murders occurring at 11:05.
O’Hare introduces young female detective Sergeant Stewart early in the novel. Sergeant Stewart tells the story from her point of view. She is new to this police force, and left her previous job due to sexism issues. In this office, however, she is trusted and well-respected. Stewart’s co-workers allow her to shine as a woman detective.
I like a good mystery so I liked this book. I definitely plan on reading more by Brian O’Hare. O’Hare kept me guessing until the end. I had several ideas of who the killer might be, based on all the clues scattered throughout and based on my own instincts. I liked that I did not know for sure until the end, and ultimately, it made sense.
This story has powerful characters, though the focus is on the case and the detective work. As someone who has worked for a prosecutor’s office, I enjoyed the police-procedural aspects of the book. At a few moments, this book highlights the relationship between police detective work and law enforcement prosecutor work. There is a fine line between detectives and prosecutors, and O’Hare was careful to separate the two, simultaneously not confusing a reader who might not recognize the difference between the two.
This book has everything: budding romances, murders, investigation, and a variety of characters to keep the story interesting. It pays tribute to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Not only does O’Hare compare Inspector Sheehan to Sherlock Holmes, but also the reader notes that the murder mystery feels similar to something Holmes would solve.
I personally would have liked to learn more about Sergeant Denise Stewart, and what made her leave her former office, and what makes her motivated to work extra hard. I admire strong female leads in a male dominated career, so I respect O’Hare for developing Sergeant Stewart’s character, but I still want to know more about her. I would like to see her play a deeper role in a future Inspector Sheehan murder mystery. Eventually, Sergeant Stewart could have her own line of mysteries.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because it is well-written and it has everything a reader could want in a murder mystery. The end is not disappointing and there are not any noticeable errors in the book or its editing. This book will appeal to anyone who respects Irish authors, murder mysteries, or suspense. I look forward to reading more by Brian O’Hare. You may want to visit Ireland after reading this book.
******
The 11.05 Murders
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Like mgruscinski's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "The 11.05 Murders" by Brian O'Hare
