Rating: 
Summary: Mystery Upon Mystery! Delectable!
Review: This is a delectable book. I use that word deliberately. The richness of the prose and character development lead you to savor the writing slowly as if tasting it on your tongue. The protagonist, Mr. Blair, is the most interesting character I've encountered in years! Some readers don't care for the slow pace of this book, but this book is all about building characters and place, and less about fast-paced plot.I first read this book several years ago and kept it for a re-reading after enough time had passed that I had forgotten the details. I'm 3/4 of the way through for the second time, and I remember that something surprising and amazing is coming, but I don't remember what! Meanwhile, I'm loving this mystery upon a mystery. What is the secret of the mysterious, vulnerable, and somehow likeable (in spite of or because of his rough edges?) Mr. Blair? What is the secret behind the disappearance of the respectable Curate Maypole? Does the apathy of the town concerning the disappearance of Maypole point to a town-wide conspiracy? What is behind the Bishop's investigation? It's clear he has a hidden agenda and means our Mr. Blair no good! And what is the secret of the two women in the story? Charlotte, Maypole's fiance is angry, cold, and strangely antagonistic to her father the Bishop (she compares him to Saturn, who ate his children). And Rose--who works in the mine, flaunting her rebellion against Victorian England's rigid guidelines on what is respectable work for a young woman--why does she have books in her strangely comfortable home, when the rest of the mine workers live in hovels and can barely read? All of these opposing threads are beginning to be pulled together. Can they all have something to do with Maypole's Home for Women Who Have Fallen for the First Time? (I'm not kidding about that name.) I can hardly wait to find out (or re-remember from my first reading). This book is really worth your time. I'd love to see a sequel.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I picked up "Rose" after it was highly recommended by a friend. While the details of life in an 1870s English coal-mining town are exceptionally well done, I felt the overall story was flat. In fact, it seems more like Smith wanted to write a story about coal-mining and then had to contrive a plot rather than coming up with a plot and then filling in the details. The disappearance of the town's curate is only a cover for the deeper mystery of Rose herself - but that mystery isn't all that hard to figure out and makes other plot lines seem ridiculous in retrospect. While there's enough of a story here to hold one's interest through to the end, it might be better not to start it in the first place.
Rating: 
Summary: Lovely book, wonderful atmosphere and mystery...
Review: A real page-turner, a character so deep he belongs in those mines, and just beautiful writing. I enjoyed the book, but was so disappointed that I'd figured out the big surprise at the end that that sort of ruined it for me. But I really would recommend the book very highly. The characters were so beautifully developed, the scenery so vivid, I was "there". I hated Bill Jaxon and that character went nowhere - that's my only criticism. None of the miners' characters went anywhere, they were sort of superfluous.
Rating:
Summary: This is a so-so book
Review: Since there is no half, I would rate this 2-1/2. The only thing I like about this book is suspense and Blair's character as a smart aleck and his perservance. What I don't like about this book is that it is a slow page-turner especially from the beginning to halfway thru probably because I'm ignorant about the mine stuff. In a small way, I felt like I was reading a literature (I have nothing against literature) or stuff I couldn't comprehend or what's it all about. Four Arkady Renko novels (Gorky Park to Havana Bay) that I have read are a lot better read than this book. I was disappointed this one was not as interested as I thought.
Rating: 
Summary: Plot twists to the last sentence
Review: I really enjoyed all the explicit detail of this book on coal mines and the town of Wigan, where the story takes place. The main character is investigating the disappearance of a man who no one seems to care is missing, even though he was hired to find him by a very prominant character in the isolated mining town who also doesn't seem concerned over his disappearance. Our investigator finds that there was a mine explosion on or about the date of his disappearance, and thinks it is likely related, but no one will help him. I don't recommend peeking at the end of the book, because some questions are left to the very last sentence. I passed this on to my husband, who enjoyed it as much as I did, and has now passed it on to someone else. Very much enjoyed this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Blair is a great charcter
Review: This book is not Mr. Smith's best work as far as plot. However, his characterizations are brilliant and his characters seemingly alive. Blair, a would-be explorer who is the main character, is unforgettable for the reader, even when disgruntled, drunk, failing at his task. Rose is also worth reading for the stunning description of England's old mining towns.
Rating:
Summary: I Read a Story with Clog Dancing and Mining and Loved It!
Review: I never thought I'd utter those words, but it's true! Drawn to this novel by Cruz Smith's reputation alone I was instantly (and typically) drawn into another fantastic world I had no idea existed. This world exists in a Welsh mining town in the mid nineteenth century. The details of the people, their work, their addictions, calluses, etc is remarkable. I can actually forgive Mr Smith for his low output because he is obviously doing ungodly amounts of research.
Rating:
Summary: A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
Review: The mark of a great writer is perhaps the breadth of his canvas. Martin Cruz Smith displays his far reaching talent in this 'Victorian' novel with style, grace and aplomb. That an American writer should tap so deftly into a long forgotten English world with such accuracy and uncanny attention to detail is perhaps all the more remarkable. As an ageing Englishman, whose great-grandparents came from that era, I have childhood memories of where Cruz Smith writes: Yesterday is made as clear and vibrant as today. Heartliftingly simple, quite beautifully told, a throat-catching book you will find hard to set aside.
Rating: 
Summary: Lifeless, dull, endless.
Review: Rose: by Martin Cruz Smith * There was something about this book I think I liked, but I cannot put my finger on what it is. For the most part, I found it extremely boring. A writer writes what he/she knows, and a very good writer will make it fascinating, no matter how boring the subject matter. Martin Cruz Smith writes well about coal mines and the life of coal miners, but falls far short of making it fascinating. We learn of a character he calls only "Blair", who is sent to the horrible town of Wigan to search for a missing Reverend. Blair doesn't relish the job, but needs it to make enough money to return to his beloved Africa. In Wigan, the townspeople are covered in coal, a major coal mine has just suffered a disaster that killed 76 men, and no one is friendly. As Blair's search for the missing Reverend Maypole unfolds, he remains an elusive character, yet interesting. The development of Blair's background, which Martin Cruz Smith only touches on, may have redeemed this story. No one in the town seems to much care what may have happened to the good Reverend, and a pit girl named Rose develops into a major character. She has no depth, however, and the reader feels neutral about her for the most part. The endless descriptions of the coal mine and the process of mining coal were lifeless. Bill Jaxon is the story's villain. He is better developed but too mythical and ridiculous. He suspects Blair of having an interest in Rose, whom he considers his girl, and he becomes Blair's arch enemy and a formidable foe. As the story winds down, the ending, which was obviously meant to kick the reader in the solar plexus, is anti climatic and serves nothing other than to relieve you of the daunting task of actually finishing this 400 page trial. The novel is a cadaver of novels, and I would not recommend as even the most desperate read.
Rating:
Summary: The Beauty of a Rose
Review: Have you ever imagined a book with romance, drama, passion and mystery? If so, then Rose, by Martin Cruz Smith, is the book for you. Smith uses specific details and slowly reveals secrets to entice the reader to read further. It is evident that Smith did a lot of research in order to write this book, especially in the descriptions of the coal mines of the town. Rose is about a man named Blair who is sent to Wigan, England by Bishop Hannay to find the Bishop's daughter's missing fiance. Blair reluctantly goes, but only because of the money and the chance to get back to Africa for various reasons. Because of Blair's ambitions and inquiries about the missing fiance, he gets caught up in an ongoing soap opera in the small, early nineteenth century town. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspense and romance. The sudden twist at the end made me fall in love with Rose.
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