Category: Brit-Lit

TITLE: The Murder Pit
SERIES #: Arrowood #2
CHARACTERS: William Arrowood
AUTHOR: Mick Finlay
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/05/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Where Evil Lies Buried

1896: Sherlock Holmes has once again hit the headlines, solving mysteries for the cream of aristocracy. But among the workhouses and pudding shops of South London, private detective William Arrowood is presented with far grittier, more violent and considerably less well-paid cases. Arrowood has no doubt who is the better detective, and when Mr. and Mrs. Barclay engage him to find their estranged daughter, Birdie, he’s sure it won’t be long before he and his assistant, Barnett, have tracked her down.

But this seemingly simple missing-person case soon turns into a murder investigation. Far from the comfort of Baker Street, Arrowood’s London is a city of unrelenting cruelty, where evil is waiting to be uncovered…

REVIEW:
Oddly enough I had two books set in the same time period in the last month and both were equally as good yet different. Arrowood is like a poor man’s Sherlock Holmes. He is in London back in the 1800’s and like Holmes people come to him when they need help.

Arrowood is clever and quizzical. He sees the clues most can’t and makes the discoveries no one else is able to do.

If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes pick up this series. I suggest reading the first in the series before this one so you understand Arrowood a bit better but trust me you will not be sorry you did.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: Death At Hungerford Stairs
SERIES #: Charles Dickens & Superintendent Sam Jones #2
CHARACTERS: Charles Dickens & Sam Jones
AUTHOR: JC Briggs
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/27/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
London, 1849. When a boy is found drowned in the River Thames at Hungerford Stairs, novelist Charles Dickens and Superintendent Jones of Bow Street are mystified to discover that the child is not the missing youngster for whom they have been searching. But when two more boys are brutally murdered, the trail leads them on a hunt for a serial killer in a complicated case that tests their abilities to the limit.

REVIEW:
I didn’t read the first in this series but I may go back and pick it up. I enjoyed this book so very much. Being set in the 1800’s the story has a bit of Sherlock Holmes on the streets of Dicken’s Village.

The story keeps you on the edge of your seat and meeting Superintendent Sam and Charles Dickens as investigators was just delightful.

You need to be a fan of OLD English lit. If you aren’t a fan of the storylines of Holmes, Jack the Ripper and the like you won’t want to read this… Or maybe reading this will take you back to trying the classics.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: Arrowood
CHARACTERS: Arrowood
AUTHOR: Mick Finley
PUBLICATION DATE: 07/18/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
London Society takes their problems to Sherlock Holmes. Everyone else goes to Arrowood.

The Afghan War is over and a deal with the Irish appears to have brought an end to sectarian violence, but Britain’s position in the world is uncertain and the gap between rich and poor is widening. London is a place where the wealthy party while the underclass are tempted into lives of crime, drugs and prostitution. A serial killer stalks the streets. Politicians are embroiled in financial and sexual scandals. The year is 1895.

The police don’t have the resources to deal with everything that goes on in the capital. The rich turn to a celebrated private detective when they need help: Sherlock Holmes. But in densely populated south London, where the crimes are sleazier and Holmes rarely visits, people turn to Arrowood, a private investigator who despises Holmes, his wealthy clientele and his showy forensic approach to crime. Arrowood understands people, not clues.

REVIEW:
There is one phrase I kept thinking while reading this book “a poor man’s Sherlock”. As a fan of Sherlock Holmes I guess I should have realized I would have a hard time not comparing the characters. But I have to say the tag line caught me “London Society takes their problems to Sherlock Holmes. Everyone else goes to Arrowood.” I mean come on any fan of Holmes and Watson would fall for this line.

I think the story was ok. Nothing more, nothing less. Not sure I will be picking up the next in the series.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.