Christopher Lord’s writing style is no doubt the strength of The Edwin Drood Murders, as it’s filled with charm and an ease that’s the hallmark of a natural storyteller. It’s obvious he’s taken his cues from Ms. Christie, throwing in plenty of unexpected twists and turns and making this series his own by putting a unique spin on the setting.


See the entire review at The Novel Approach: http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/2014/01/16/the-edwin-drood-murders-puts-a-new-spin-on-the-familiar/

4 Hearts

 

Review written for MM Good Book Reviews

 

He's funny, smart and I really would like this as a audio book if he reads it. Christopher Lee looks back at his life, examining how he got to where he is and name-dropping like nothing else, but he's entitled to name-drop, he really knows these people and often has funny stories to tell about them. I really enjoyed reading this and when I had to put it down couldn't wait to pick it up again.

Originally posted on my blog Guiltless Reading. Please pop over for a visit, more reviews and lots of bookishness!

Charles Dickens and Ayn Rand. Christmas and murders. Have a merry one!

The book in one sentence: A battle of between two schools of thought - Charles Dickens vs. Ayn Rand - results in a string of murders in a quaint literary town.

My two cents: This is a murder mystery decked out Dickens style with a huge dose of literary-ness!
I enjoyed it and since this is just the first book in a series of mysteries revolving around the imaginary town of Dickens Junction and some rather eccentric characters, I am definitely going to be on the lookout for the succeeding books!

The plot: The town is in the throes of preparing for the yearly Christmas festivities, Dickens-style of course, which attract tourists -- when a stranger makes his rounds with the various business owners, trying to get them to sell their properties for exorbitant (and tempting) sums. But majority want keep the Dickens traditions and sense of community alive, but with tourism slowing down and many businesses struggling to keep afloat ... it makes one wonder, who would be pushed to the rather gruesome and public display of this murdered stranger?

The police come into the picture and whereabouts and motives are revealed. But who are all these people under that quaint picture of traditionalism and old-fashionedness? Are they really who they claim to be?

More murders happen -- each more gruesome and left with some signature Christmas aplomb - and the town is in a state of chaos. But Simon Alistair -- whose family practically established the town -- is bent on finding out who is behind these murders to keep the town's values intact.

***

Lord definitely painted Dickens Junction right -- the coziness, the literary-ness (read: Pip's Pages for the local bookstore) and just plain old fashioned and traditional. There are also tons of references to literary characters and the writings of both Dickens and Ayn Rand are central to the plot too. (I probably would've better appreciated this book if I had read more Dickens or Rand as I am betting that there are some sneaky little things put in there for fans).

But wait, there's a twist as the characters are decidedly contemporary! Simon seems spends more time going googly-eyed over a hunky writer who comes in to write feature articles about this Dickens town. There's a side story of a man who Chippendale dances at a nearby club to raise money for his upcoming wedding. Come to think of it, there were quite a few mentions of alternative lifestyles -- maybe its a bit much in just one book?

The mystery side is what really killed it for me. I love a good gruesome murder and the sleuthing entailed in order to bring a murderer to justice. But Simon's detective work didn't really impress me -- ok, he chatted with his friends and got a few nuggets, but there were no a-ha moments. Nada. Plus the dots never connected for me -- that's what I really missed: being in on the sleuthing and then slowly making my own conclusions (whether right or wrong). The murderer is pretty much handed to the reader on a silver platter ... with no resistance from anyone. With the natures of the murders being pretty spectacular, how can the murderer not have more drama?

I really wanted to like this -- like over-the-top love it. I think I fell in love with the concept of prematurely hence setting up my expectations waaay up there. Reread the latter part of the synopsis and whose heart wouldn't jump at the mention of mystery mavens Agatha Christie and Charlotte MacLeod, Oscar Wilde and Charles Dickens in one breath ... it's got to be great, right? Yes, to a certain degree, so I really hope that the rest of the books in this series have a bit more meat as a mystery.

Verdict: A cozy Christmas mystery that will get your literary side psyched but your mystery craving dulled, unfortunately. A nice quick read to cozy up on the couch for the weekend.

I received a copy of the Advanced Reading Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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I wanted it to be better being a mystery fan. Nope. It was just ok - good reading for a cold fall afternoon. Full review coming soon.

Dicken's Square was built in 1950 as the central civic attraction of the newly incorporated Dicken's Junction. It has a pedestrian areas lined with shops, a central fountain and a statue that was suppose to be Charles Dickens. It was later learned that Dickens hated memorials and wanted to be remembered for his work only so the statue was modified with an ability to change the head at different times of the year. Dickens novels were stories of social commentary. In a New York address, he expressed his belief that, "Virtue shows quite as well in rags and patches as she does in purple and fine linen".* Dicken's Junction was set to follow his beliefs especially those of a charitable nature.

It is ten days before Christmas, the perfect time for a visit to this fine town as they have many events planned for the holiday season. Simon Alastair owns Pip's Pages, a bookstore where he only stocks books he has read himself. A mysterious stranger comes in looking for a book by Ayn Rand which Simon quickly finds for him and then he learns the man represents Marley Enterprises. A company that wants to purchase all the square's properties. Simon knows this means trouble but the man has left his store before he can get any details. When the man is later found murdered Simon knows he must investigate himself to get the whole story. A story that will lead him somewhere he doesn't want to go.

Dollycas's Thoughts

Ayn Rand's beliefs and those of Charles Dickens could not be further apart. We are seeing this up close and personal now with the Presidential Campaigns today. Paul Ryan wants to emulate Ayn Rand on some of her principle beliefs while Barack Obama is more like Dickens. Rand opposes taxation as she considers it theft but she advocated the legalize abortion. Dickens brought us Scrooge, the rich capitalist and showed him how to be more charitable. Romney is like a modern day Scrooge without the later redemption, wanting to get rid of vital social programs. That makes this story a very timely read not only for the holiday season but as a look at these two very different schools of thought.

Beyond the differing philosophies Lord has created a mystery much like Agatha Christie. His protagonist has the "aha moment" when all the clues fall together. He then calls a meeting of the interested parties to reveal the guilty party.

The characters are interesting and diverse. The dialogue is sharp. The setting sounds like a wonderful place to visit. A little Dickens mixed with murder and mayhem. Let's get the holiday started right.