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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Mick Finley seems to have been slowly affecting Arrowood and Norman's life before now, but with Arrowood and the Thames Corpses, he turned things up about three notches. Everything seems to be in an upheaval and the surprises don't stop until the final page. Highly recommended.
Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers for access to a NetGalley ARC for this book.
I should preface my review by stating that I have not previously read the other two novels in the "Arrowood" series. I jumped into this book 3 without any knowledge of the characters, aside from what was provided in the blurb. Normally, I never read book series out of order, but in this case, I was actually surprised by how well is worked out. Even without any prior knowledge of the characters and the world I was walking into, it was very easy to fall in step with the events and the relationships. I never once felt lost, or that I had "missed out" by not having read the first two books in the series, which I feel is a huge feat by the author.
As to the story itself, "Arrowood and the Thames Corpses" is a grittier, darker version of a Sherlock Holmes mystery, and quite frankly, it has a unique charm in that regard. You get a sense of familiarity and shocking newness all in one package. The year is 1896, and we are shown the events of the case through the eyes of Norman Barnett, a "strong man" type that assists William Arrowood in his investigations. Arrowood himself is a poor man's Sherlock Holmes, more focused on the psychological aspects of casework, and is relentlessly plagued by his vehemence towards the famous detective, who in fact lives in this version of Victorian England, simultaneously solving his own famous cases as Arrowood works his. You get a Holmes & Watson dynamic between Arrowood and Barnett, but as previously mentioned, it's far more gritty and many dark secrets about their pasts are revealed along the way. In this installment, the pair must work together to help a river boating captain and his daughter when a string of 14 skulls and 3 corpses are found attached to their river boat...
The case was deceptively complex, and the reader is given a lot of insight into the painstaking process of solving it using the resources of the era. You really get to feel for the characters as they exhaust themselves in this perilous pursuit, and just when you think they've made progress, a new twist blows the case wide open. Even the final sentence of the book was a bombshell! Overall, I gave the book 4 stars, only missing out on that last star as I felt the descriptions could be overly vulgar at times, truly only for the sake of being vulgar (aka, do we really need to talk about the bodily functions of the characters? Or go into the more visceral elements with such detail?). There was some crude language along the way (but given the circumstances, it made sense) and some pretty graphic elements, so if violence, gore, or swearing upset you, this is likely not the crime fiction series for you.
I should preface my review by stating that I have not previously read the other two novels in the "Arrowood" series. I jumped into this book 3 without any knowledge of the characters, aside from what was provided in the blurb. Normally, I never read book series out of order, but in this case, I was actually surprised by how well is worked out. Even without any prior knowledge of the characters and the world I was walking into, it was very easy to fall in step with the events and the relationships. I never once felt lost, or that I had "missed out" by not having read the first two books in the series, which I feel is a huge feat by the author.
As to the story itself, "Arrowood and the Thames Corpses" is a grittier, darker version of a Sherlock Holmes mystery, and quite frankly, it has a unique charm in that regard. You get a sense of familiarity and shocking newness all in one package. The year is 1896, and we are shown the events of the case through the eyes of Norman Barnett, a "strong man" type that assists William Arrowood in his investigations. Arrowood himself is a poor man's Sherlock Holmes, more focused on the psychological aspects of casework, and is relentlessly plagued by his vehemence towards the famous detective, who in fact lives in this version of Victorian England, simultaneously solving his own famous cases as Arrowood works his. You get a Holmes & Watson dynamic between Arrowood and Barnett, but as previously mentioned, it's far more gritty and many dark secrets about their pasts are revealed along the way. In this installment, the pair must work together to help a river boating captain and his daughter when a string of 14 skulls and 3 corpses are found attached to their river boat...
The case was deceptively complex, and the reader is given a lot of insight into the painstaking process of solving it using the resources of the era. You really get to feel for the characters as they exhaust themselves in this perilous pursuit, and just when you think they've made progress, a new twist blows the case wide open. Even the final sentence of the book was a bombshell! Overall, I gave the book 4 stars, only missing out on that last star as I felt the descriptions could be overly vulgar at times, truly only for the sake of being vulgar (aka, do we really need to talk about the bodily functions of the characters? Or go into the more visceral elements with such detail?). There was some crude language along the way (but given the circumstances, it made sense) and some pretty graphic elements, so if violence, gore, or swearing upset you, this is likely not the crime fiction series for you.
Full review can be found here: https://www.criminalelement.com/book-review-arrowood-and-the-thames-corpses-by-mick-finlay/
Complex characters and marvelous period detail in the setting.
I love this series and I loved this instalment that kept me hooked.
It's always great to meet the flamboyant MC, travel to the Victorian London and visit its seediest parts.
The mystery is solid, full of twists and turns, and kept me guessing.
It was an engrossing and entertaining read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's always great to meet the flamboyant MC, travel to the Victorian London and visit its seediest parts.
The mystery is solid, full of twists and turns, and kept me guessing.
It was an engrossing and entertaining read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I will preface this by saying that I read this without having read the previous books. I got this book as a surprise gift in a book box last year and I didn't know it was a part of a series but after looking into it it seemed like it would be oke to read this as a standalone - and I'm glad to confirm it is fine. I do think that maybe there would've been some more things/background that aren't necessarily relevant to the plot of this book but might've been fun to have but nevertheless I did really enjoy this book.
Although the titular character, Arrowood, would 100% kill me for saying this, yes I would 100% recommend this book to fans of Sherlock Holmes. I will say this is more in plot than writing style and I lean towards the author probably being more inspired by the show than the books, just based on the beats of the story, although this book is set in the same time period as the original Sherlock Holmes. I really did like how we, again, saw the story through the eye's of Arrowood's assistant and have both the characters be a bit more regular and down to earth.
Although the titular character, Arrowood, would 100% kill me for saying this, yes I would 100% recommend this book to fans of Sherlock Holmes. I will say this is more in plot than writing style and I lean towards the author probably being more inspired by the show than the books, just based on the beats of the story, although this book is set in the same time period as the original Sherlock Holmes. I really did like how we, again, saw the story through the eye's of Arrowood's assistant and have both the characters be a bit more regular and down to earth.
I love this series and I loved this instalment that kept me hooked.
It's always great to meet the flamboyant MC, travel to the Victorian London and visit its seediest parts.
The mystery is solid, full of twists and turns, and kept me guessing.
It was an engrossing and entertaining read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's always great to meet the flamboyant MC, travel to the Victorian London and visit its seediest parts.
The mystery is solid, full of twists and turns, and kept me guessing.
It was an engrossing and entertaining read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
There is nothing quaint or picturesque about Mick Finlay’s London in 1896. He writes a tale of desperate and brutal people committing ugly crimes to sustain themselves and get a toehold in the slums of South London. Arrowood and Norman are detectives, living on the margins, and trying to scrape together enough business to support themselves and their small family. When approached to find out who is destroying the business of a pleasure boat captain, they are eager to take on the case, but quickly find themselves in far more danger than they had anticipated.
This is a great, atmospheric historical whodunit, and works well as a standalone despite being third in a series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a great, atmospheric historical whodunit, and works well as a standalone despite being third in a series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
In the underbelly of 19th century London, the downtrodden and overlooked don't have the same access to the protections and justice offered to the higher echelons of society. So while Holmes searches out treasure and unravels mysteries worthy of front page news, those living in the slums and sewers have only one recourse open to them - William Arrowood and his hired muscle Norman Barnett.
Living a hand to mouth existence themselves, Arrowood and Barnett are desperate for work, feel the impacts of their vices both financially and mentally and find themselves emotionally raw when it comes to relationships and family.
So when Captain Moon and his daughter come to them with a seemingly straightforward tale of professional rivalry and sabotage, the sleuths for hire jump at the chance to earn some earn and much needed cash. But they are not prepared for the web of murder and revenge in which they find themselves entangled.
Arrowood and the Thames Corpses by Mick Finlay is a mystery thriller for fans of historic crime: it's no mistake that it's set in the same universe as Sherlock, but it does offer more depth than any Arthur Conan Doyle tale I've read. While I enjoy a Holmes classic, I always get frustrated by the conclusions based on the flimsiest of assumptions, the giant leaps of logic and the thin characterisation. Arrowood fixes all those problems for me.
The puzzle is as complex and maze-like as you would expect, but the route to unravelling it is logical, believable and heartbreakingly tragic in some places. Neither Arrowood nor Barnett are overly likeable, drowning as they are in their self-pity, ego and often brutal manipulations of the surrounding characters, but they are fully realised, flawed men and their breadth of character pulls you into the story and engages you fully.
At times, the wealth of supporting characters can get confusing, especially the burly men and characters whose threads are left hanging. But the stench and poverty of London's darker side is tanglible and the tragedy of people, particularly children, who are trying to scrape some semblance of a life together in the face of constant fear and danger is particularly well depicted.
Some revelations you will see coming a mile away, but mostly the information is provided on a need to know basis, allowing the story to unfold and most of the reveals to happen as Arrowood and Barnett themselves figure them out.
All in all, a grim, dark but satisfyingly escapist crime mystery.
Arrowood and the Thames Corpses was published on 2 April 2020 and is available now.
Living a hand to mouth existence themselves, Arrowood and Barnett are desperate for work, feel the impacts of their vices both financially and mentally and find themselves emotionally raw when it comes to relationships and family.
So when Captain Moon and his daughter come to them with a seemingly straightforward tale of professional rivalry and sabotage, the sleuths for hire jump at the chance to earn some earn and much needed cash. But they are not prepared for the web of murder and revenge in which they find themselves entangled.
Arrowood and the Thames Corpses by Mick Finlay is a mystery thriller for fans of historic crime: it's no mistake that it's set in the same universe as Sherlock, but it does offer more depth than any Arthur Conan Doyle tale I've read. While I enjoy a Holmes classic, I always get frustrated by the conclusions based on the flimsiest of assumptions, the giant leaps of logic and the thin characterisation. Arrowood fixes all those problems for me.
The puzzle is as complex and maze-like as you would expect, but the route to unravelling it is logical, believable and heartbreakingly tragic in some places. Neither Arrowood nor Barnett are overly likeable, drowning as they are in their self-pity, ego and often brutal manipulations of the surrounding characters, but they are fully realised, flawed men and their breadth of character pulls you into the story and engages you fully.
At times, the wealth of supporting characters can get confusing, especially the burly men and characters whose threads are left hanging. But the stench and poverty of London's darker side is tanglible and the tragedy of people, particularly children, who are trying to scrape some semblance of a life together in the face of constant fear and danger is particularly well depicted.
Some revelations you will see coming a mile away, but mostly the information is provided on a need to know basis, allowing the story to unfold and most of the reveals to happen as Arrowood and Barnett themselves figure them out.
All in all, a grim, dark but satisfyingly escapist crime mystery.
Arrowood and the Thames Corpses was published on 2 April 2020 and is available now.