For anyone who loves the authors (and their characters) of the time, The Golden Age of Murder is a rewarding experience.
A revenge novel with an interesting premise, Gallows Court introduces Rachel Savernake, the Truemans, and Jacob Flint. Rachel is the daughter of the notorious Judge Savernake and grew up isolated on Gaunt Island with the Truemans (Hetty, Clffi, and Martha) as servants and friends. She has a mind for murder, but her intentions are ambiguous and Rachel is a cold and enigmatic character.
Jacob Flint, a crime reporter, is drawn into the mystery as he looks for a scoop.
More complicated than complex, there are plenty of twists and turns.
There were parts I enjoyed and parts that seemed far more confusing than necessary.
Mystery/Crime. 2018. Print length: 368 pages.
The characters have little depth, which is not atypical in Golden Age Detective novels, but usually there is something likable about the main characters and a hint of more in their personalities. Rachel remains distant, aloof, detached from the other characters (with the exception of the Truemans) and undisturbed by the many deaths.
The events are often disconnected, and only at the end are the links all untangled. There are hints, some obvious, others subtle, but still a stretch of the imagination.
Despite Martin Edward's love of the time period and the novels of the Golden Age, neither book was as entertaining as I had hoped.
NetGalley/Poisoned Pen Press
Detective/Crime. April 2, 2020.
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Too bad Edwards' mysteries weren't as good as his book about mysteries. The Golden Age of Murder is one I really want to read. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure to read The Golden Age of Murder and find out more about the lives of the 39 original members of the Detection Club. :)
DeleteI want to read The Golden Age of Murder because I've heard good things. As to the other two, I might get to them - kind of have to be in the mood for historicals that are not in Jack the Ripper's time. LOL
ReplyDeleteI love historical mysteries of all kinds, but these weren't among my favorites. You'd really like The Golden Age of Murder, Kay.
DeleteCount me as a fan of Edwards' The Golden Age of Murder and as someone who really didn't care for Gallows Court-- to the point where I didn't even bother reading Mortmain Hall. On a much brighter note, Edwards' Lake District mysteries are very good.
ReplyDelete:) I love the nonfiction, but wasn't fond of the two fictional Rachel Savernake books. Maybe I'll try the Lake District books at some point.
DeleteWoo-hoo! That's hilarious. That's too bad about the Edwards' books but the Golden Age book on the other hand sounds super interesting.
ReplyDeleteYep, that Mother-in-law makes it very clear about unwanted mail! The Golden Age book was full of all kinds of details about the authors, the rules, the murders that inspired some of the books, etc. I really liked it!
DeleteAll the books sound intriguing to me; and all the more with the Golden Age period. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm in a whirlwind of reading after getting over the first part of the stay-at-home restlessness. Hope you and your family are getting through the strange pandemic times, Melody!
DeleteI like Gallows Court and the revenge premise. It definitely sounds promising!
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