Except the Dying

Rating:
Summary: Intense mystery with great effects
Review: I considered Except the Dying a dark mystery. It takes place in Toronto in 1895. The townspeople come across as cold as the Canadian winter it occurs in. Detective Murdoch is trying to solve the crime of a young maid found frozen to death and he doesn't seem to be getting much help.

Maureen Jennings is a gifted writer. Her characters conversations made me feel a part of the story. The author has an ability to shock her readers at some points in her story and there was a couple of points in the first three of four chapters in which I was ready to bail. But, I stayed with it to try and solve the mystery. I would consider it a mature theme mystery.

Ms. Jennings has given us an interesting series. Can't wait to see it on film.

Rating:
Summary: Would make a great movie!
Review: I read lots of mysteries, and this one especially delighted me with its well-drawn characters and period flavor. I didn't expect 1890s Toronto to be so interesting! The denouement is very exciting, and there are a couple of most-unusual crook nabbers who are particularly "fetching." EXCEPT THE DYING goes on my A#1 list.

Rating:
Summary: A Welcome Debut in the Historical Mystery Genre
Review: In Jennings' debut, it is winter in 1895 Toronto and the police have discovered the nude body of a young woman. Initially believing that she was a woman of the streets who froze to death on her way home, the police are disposed to dismiss the death as accidental. However, they soon discover that while there was no alcohol in her bloodstream there was opium and other indicators that have them believing that she was murdered. Detective William Murdoch is assigned the task of not only finding out who murdered her, but who she is as well.

This is a police procedural in the truest sense. We watch as Murdoch painstakingly follows one tidbit to the next. For each question he thinks he's answered two more arise in his mind. As we go along, we are introduced to many players any one of whom could be the murderer.

Jennings was very clever in her writing of this procedural. While the reader quickly suspects various characters, Murdoch remains an innocent - willing to suspect someone, but not willing to believe with no proof. The bits of proof are doled out slowly - as slowly as it takes Murdoch to discover them. When all the puzzle pieces finally come together, the furtiveness of several characters is adequately explained, the choice of murderer makes sense, and there is relief that that the book has finally ended. The book moves slowly, sometimes bordering on tediousness, and the temptation is to set it aside for a faster read, but resist that temptation. As Murdoch pieces the puzzle together, the book picks up speed so that it may seem like Jennings has rushed the ending, but the way she has handled it, it makes sense for this book.

Rating:
Summary: Bravo Television Movie of the Week
Review: This is the first book I have read by Maureen Jennings and I really enjoyed it! The story takes place in 1895 Toronto and is fast paced with alot of twists. William Murdoch is the detective leading an investigation in the mysterious death of a young housemaid. During his search for the truth he travels everywhere from the slums to the homes of the rich until he gets his answer.

The setting is good, the mystery is intricate and the characters are pretty well developed. However, some characters are given very little print and there are too many of them to keep track of. The main drawback though is a very key plot is never explained and there are other loose ends in the story.

Being that this is the first in a series leaves me to believe that in future novels some of these things will be dealt with in more detail. This is a very good debut, but it could have been even better. I am still going to read the next entry in the series because Jennings has a good thing going here. I recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: A very strong debut!
Review: This is the first book I have read by Maureen Jennings and I really enjoyed it! The story takes place in 1895 Toronto and is fast paced with alot of twists. William Murdoch is the detective leading an investigation in the mysterious death of a young housemaid. During his search for the truth he travels everywhere from the slums to the homes of the rich until he gets his answer.

The setting is good, the mystery is intricate and the characters are pretty well developed. However, some characters are given very little print and there are too many of them to keep track of. The main drawback though is a very key plot is never explained and there are other loose ends in the story.

Being that this is the first in a series leaves me to believe that in future novels some of these things will be dealt with in more detail. This is a very good debut, but it could have been even better. I am still going to read the next entry in the series because Jennings has a good thing going here. I recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good debut, historical context intriquing
Review: While this is one of the better debut mystery novels I have read, there are many unanswered questions at the end of the book. The major problem being--what was the motive for the murder? I think that Ms. Jennings has potential as a writer of police procedural and I am going to start her second book right away. Her description of turn of the century Toronto is intriquing and the continuing characters are quite interesting.