Reviews

Except the Dying by Maureen Jennings

novelesque_life's review against another edition

4.0

4 STARS

"Toronto, February 1895. When the body of a young woman is found naked and frozen in a quiet laneway, Acting Detective William Murdoch, driven by pity for the dead girl and the desire to secure his promotion, is determined to pursue every lead and reveal the truth. Though influential people bring pressure to bear on the police to solve the mystery quickly, when the body is eventually identified it soon becomes clear that many of those connected with the girl's life have secrets to hide. Murdoch must use every detective skill he possesses and his understanding of human nature to untangle the case before more lives are lost." (From Amazon)

I really enjoyed this gritty novel and will definitely be continuing the series. I also like the TV series which is very different.

dynasty404's review against another edition

3.0

I think I love the tv show a bit too much. The differences between Murdoch in the book and Murdoch on TV were just too much that even though I know the series is based on the book, book Murdoch just does not work-he’s too …ordinary. He solves it in such a non-Murdoch way with barely any science and I don’t get the motive?

chantale's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

buddinbookworm's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

vchiasson's review against another edition

5.0

Her writing is lovely and story development is perfection! Love me some Murdoch.

jrmama42's review against another edition

4.0

I absolutely loved the Murdoch Mysteries TV series, so I decided to read the first book in the series on which the characters are based. This was a well-written and well-paced mystery, and a very quick read. The characters are a bit different from the TV portrayals, but that's not unusual. There wasn't much in the way of "forensics" in this story, and that's part of the appeal of the TV series, but it did a good job of setting the stage for future adventures. I'll have to read the next one and see if Murdoch starts incorporating "modern techniques" into his investigations!

suzanneloving's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A solid mystery. I’m always a bit put off by the language and callousness in historical fiction. 

esther_habs's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

shirin_mandi's review against another edition

5.0

Except the Dying, the first Detective Murdoch book by Maureen Jennings is a historical mystery set in the time 1895, in Toronto. William Murdoch has a great character that cares so much about human and animal. I enjoyed knowing of him more than the story itself. Although the story was good, and I think had tried to mislead us with involving few families that not murderer but guilty.

I promised Carolyn the checkmark for my next Canadian book. :) This is a five-star because:
Canada settled in the late 1800s. Check ✔️
Mysterious and suspenseful things happened that I couldn't predict. Check ✔️
A handsome and kind detective .:) Check ✔️
A great and enjoyable buddy reading with Carolyn and Kerri. Check ✔️

I read this book in Persian, and the translator believes that Maureen Jennings's books are as professional as Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. and I'm agreement with him.
جز مرگ. اسرار مرداک
فرزام حبیبی اصفهانی
انتشارات آریابان. چاپ اول 1397 در 304 صفحه

stuhlsem's review against another edition

4.0

This was a great new detective book. It starts with a poem, by one of those dead white ladies...

Detective Murdoch is an Irishman in somewhere, America, trying to keep ...

Hereby demonstrating the danger of leaving reviews unfinished. We shall never know.