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Detective Murdoch #1
Except the Dying
In the cold Toronto winter of 1895, the unclad body of a servant girl is found frozen in a deserted laneway. Detective William Murdoch quickly finds out that more than one person connected with the girl’s simple life has something to hide.
344 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
462 people are currently reading
3488 people want to read
About the author
Maureen Jennings
55 books383 followersMaureen Jennings, now a Canadian Citizen, was born on Eastfield Road in Birmingham, England and spent her formative years there until she emigrated to Canada at the age of seventeen with her mother.
This has meant that she still feels a deep connection with her homeland. It has also no doubt been a strong influence in her love for, and her writing about, the Victorian period. She attended the University of Windsor where she attained a BA in philosophy and psychology.
A couple of years trying to decide what she really wanted to do with her life resulted in her returning to university, the University of Toronto, this time where she earned an MA in English literature.For the next eight years, she taught English at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute at a time when the English department seemed to be chock full of writers. Eric Wright, went on to write the highly successful Charlie Salter mystery series, Graeme Gibson, Peter Such, and others were writing both novels and poetry. An exciting time in so many ways but after eight years, another change of direction and in 1972, Maureen left Ryerson to become a psychotherapist, which was a long time interest. She has continued in private practice since then, although nowadays she mostly conducts creative expression groups and writes. Always passionate about dogs, she is happy to own a border collie named Jeremy-Brett and a mixed breed named Varley.
Series:
* Detective Murdoch
* Christine Morris
* Detective Inspector Tom Tyler
This has meant that she still feels a deep connection with her homeland. It has also no doubt been a strong influence in her love for, and her writing about, the Victorian period. She attended the University of Windsor where she attained a BA in philosophy and psychology.
A couple of years trying to decide what she really wanted to do with her life resulted in her returning to university, the University of Toronto, this time where she earned an MA in English literature.For the next eight years, she taught English at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute at a time when the English department seemed to be chock full of writers. Eric Wright, went on to write the highly successful Charlie Salter mystery series, Graeme Gibson, Peter Such, and others were writing both novels and poetry. An exciting time in so many ways but after eight years, another change of direction and in 1972, Maureen left Ryerson to become a psychotherapist, which was a long time interest. She has continued in private practice since then, although nowadays she mostly conducts creative expression groups and writes. Always passionate about dogs, she is happy to own a border collie named Jeremy-Brett and a mixed breed named Varley.
Series:
* Detective Murdoch
* Christine Morris
* Detective Inspector Tom Tyler
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 508 reviews
January 21, 2023
I read this years ago because I'm a big fan of the TV show. The book and the TV show are different animals. Both great but different. That's to be expected. If you're looking for a new murder mystery series, you can't go wrong with Detective Murdoch.
September 9, 2024
I quite like Murdoch Mysteries the TV show, and I was curious to find out how it all began. This is the first book of the series that started it all.
A young woman’s body is found in the freezing streets of Victorian Toronto. Acting detective William Murdoch is tasked with finding out who she is, who killed her, and why. And the deeper the detective digs for the truth, the more questions rise to the surface.
Since it’s a murder mystery, the plot is the core of the story. It is a very solid plot with a gradual and natural pace, and plenty of revelations that keep your eyes glued to the pages. Though I have to admit that I am a little bit disappointed by the ending, even though it is quite good. Also, I do understand why this is done but, I would have preferred it had there been only one point of view character.
One of the things that stands out is how well the setting is brought to life. You can tell the author really made an effort and did a lot of research to get even subtle little details right. You can also tell that the foundations of the characters most people will already know and love from the TV show are definitely here. But it’s important to note that they are different characters from the ones you’re used to seeing on the show.
There are some interesting differences between the original book and the TV show. The most noticeable difference is the general tone of the story, which is a bit darker here than the usually rather lighthearted tone in the TV show. The biggest difference in terms of characters is probably the absence of doctor Julia Ogden. Acting detective William Murdoch is also a grittier character, motivated by his desire to be promoted in this book. And there isn’t really any focus on new technologies like there is in the TV show.
While there are a lot of differences between the TV show and the original book, they both have their merit. If you like the TV show, it’s worth taking a look at the books that inspired it if you keep an open mind. And even if you haven’t seen the TV show, this book is still worth reading if you’re looking for a solid historical murder mystery story.
A young woman’s body is found in the freezing streets of Victorian Toronto. Acting detective William Murdoch is tasked with finding out who she is, who killed her, and why. And the deeper the detective digs for the truth, the more questions rise to the surface.
Since it’s a murder mystery, the plot is the core of the story. It is a very solid plot with a gradual and natural pace, and plenty of revelations that keep your eyes glued to the pages. Though I have to admit that I am a little bit disappointed by the ending, even though it is quite good. Also, I do understand why this is done but, I would have preferred it had there been only one point of view character.
One of the things that stands out is how well the setting is brought to life. You can tell the author really made an effort and did a lot of research to get even subtle little details right. You can also tell that the foundations of the characters most people will already know and love from the TV show are definitely here. But it’s important to note that they are different characters from the ones you’re used to seeing on the show.
There are some interesting differences between the original book and the TV show. The most noticeable difference is the general tone of the story, which is a bit darker here than the usually rather lighthearted tone in the TV show. The biggest difference in terms of characters is probably the absence of doctor Julia Ogden. Acting detective William Murdoch is also a grittier character, motivated by his desire to be promoted in this book. And there isn’t really any focus on new technologies like there is in the TV show.
While there are a lot of differences between the TV show and the original book, they both have their merit. If you like the TV show, it’s worth taking a look at the books that inspired it if you keep an open mind. And even if you haven’t seen the TV show, this book is still worth reading if you’re looking for a solid historical murder mystery story.
November 26, 2015
I honestly admit, I'm a bit confused by this book. On the one hand, I really like it, but on the other, I am quite annoyed with it. Let me break it down into what worked and what didn't. Warning, here there be spoilers!
What worked:
The attention to detail. This book is slow, building on the minutiae of daily life. As each day goes by, you learn more of the aspects of Victorian Canadian daily interactions. I liked this. There wasn't any sudden hook to force the characters into impossible reactive scenarios, and there was no real feel of urgency. A girl is found dead. Well now what? Let's go through the motions, step by step. I liked seeing that process.
What kinda worked:
-The jumping around of narrative. On the one hand, it can be seen as distracted ploy to make the reader think that it could be any of the characters. Since it never reveals who these character are doing these nefarious deeds, you just have to assume and piece it together, but often the assumption is wrong. I liked how it let you see more insight into some of the characters, but on the other, it felt like it weakened the overall book. Murdoch is not aware of these happenings, so if feels like the reader shouldn't be either. Also, at times it felt very much like a purposeful distraction to keep the reader guessing.
-Murdoch's character. I guess I'm bias because I fell in love with Yannick Bisson's portrayal of the perfect stoic, gentlemanly scholar. This Murdoch seems to lack a defining character. He's methodical and clever enough, I suppose, but it definitely doesn't seem as though he keeps up with the forefront of scientific discovery and knowledge that so emboldens the Bisson character. This Murdoch is rougher and more life-hardened. He swears a bit more, loses his cool a bit faster, drinks a bit more, and all in all, seems like the everyday kind of man, just doing his bit, toiling away, keeping his mouth shut to his superiors, and just trying to get by.
-How the case was solved. Murdoch solves this case, not through scientific experimentation or any notes of brilliance, but through copious interviews and following up on alibis. In fact, I was a bit disappointing that this case was solved by basically getting all the main suspects together in the same room and watching as they ratted each other out.
What didn't work:
-The motive. I don't know if I read this book too fast or what, but I couldn't find a motive. It seemed as though several events were going on, but not one addressed the question of why Therese died. We found out why she left, but not really what happened to her after. Was it coincidence that she was picked up? Was the death intentional? Was it a drugged orgy gone wrong? Just what kind of sordid stuff was the alderman involved in, and why was his servant so intent on killing everyone to "tie up loose end" that didn't seem to even be relevant? For a book that spent so much time on crafting the scene of Victorian Toronto, it seems a let down that the same attention to detail was left out of the character motive and psychology. I finished the booking thinking nothing made sense. I was more confused, and annoyed that there was no sense of closure.
Will I read more Murdoch Mysteries? Yes. Just because I loved how detailed and well written the historical scenes were. I just hope that the storylines get more flushed out.
What worked:
The attention to detail. This book is slow, building on the minutiae of daily life. As each day goes by, you learn more of the aspects of Victorian Canadian daily interactions. I liked this. There wasn't any sudden hook to force the characters into impossible reactive scenarios, and there was no real feel of urgency. A girl is found dead. Well now what? Let's go through the motions, step by step. I liked seeing that process.
What kinda worked:
-The jumping around of narrative. On the one hand, it can be seen as distracted ploy to make the reader think that it could be any of the characters. Since it never reveals who these character are doing these nefarious deeds, you just have to assume and piece it together, but often the assumption is wrong. I liked how it let you see more insight into some of the characters, but on the other, it felt like it weakened the overall book. Murdoch is not aware of these happenings, so if feels like the reader shouldn't be either. Also, at times it felt very much like a purposeful distraction to keep the reader guessing.
-Murdoch's character. I guess I'm bias because I fell in love with Yannick Bisson's portrayal of the perfect stoic, gentlemanly scholar. This Murdoch seems to lack a defining character. He's methodical and clever enough, I suppose, but it definitely doesn't seem as though he keeps up with the forefront of scientific discovery and knowledge that so emboldens the Bisson character. This Murdoch is rougher and more life-hardened. He swears a bit more, loses his cool a bit faster, drinks a bit more, and all in all, seems like the everyday kind of man, just doing his bit, toiling away, keeping his mouth shut to his superiors, and just trying to get by.
-How the case was solved. Murdoch solves this case, not through scientific experimentation or any notes of brilliance, but through copious interviews and following up on alibis. In fact, I was a bit disappointing that this case was solved by basically getting all the main suspects together in the same room and watching as they ratted each other out.
What didn't work:
-The motive. I don't know if I read this book too fast or what, but I couldn't find a motive. It seemed as though several events were going on, but not one addressed the question of why Therese died. We found out why she left, but not really what happened to her after. Was it coincidence that she was picked up? Was the death intentional? Was it a drugged orgy gone wrong? Just what kind of sordid stuff was the alderman involved in, and why was his servant so intent on killing everyone to "tie up loose end" that didn't seem to even be relevant? For a book that spent so much time on crafting the scene of Victorian Toronto, it seems a let down that the same attention to detail was left out of the character motive and psychology. I finished the booking thinking nothing made sense. I was more confused, and annoyed that there was no sense of closure.
Will I read more Murdoch Mysteries? Yes. Just because I loved how detailed and well written the historical scenes were. I just hope that the storylines get more flushed out.
August 15, 2021
This was a buddy read with Carolyn and Shirin and a good choice of book to centre discussion around. I loved getting an insight into Toronto in 1895, and enjoyed the entire cast of characters, especially our main character, Acting Detective William Murdoch. I found the mystery itself gripping right from the first page, but I also loved the moments when Murdoch was home in his lodgings, discussing the case with his landlady and her ill husband. A lot of solid groundwork was put down here, and this is a series I am keen to read more of, both for the mystery aspects, which despite a few shaky moments was a great read, and because I want to know about the characters and follow along with their lives.
January 31, 2023
I am hard pressed to reconcile the Detective Murdoch in this book with the Detective Murdoch I have come to know in the TV series.
Nevertheless I enjoyed reading this book that appears to have started off the whole Murdoch franchise as it is said to be Detective Murdoch #1.
Of course it’s a murder mystery that requires Murdoch’s special talents in detecting as well as his understanding of people including the upper crust and his empathy towards those of a lesser echelon.
I had to keep reminding myself that the story is taking place in 1895 as I toured the streets with the characters so familiar to me today.
This is my first Murdoch Mystery in book form and I’m glad I found it thanks to a GR friend.
Nevertheless I enjoyed reading this book that appears to have started off the whole Murdoch franchise as it is said to be Detective Murdoch #1.
Of course it’s a murder mystery that requires Murdoch’s special talents in detecting as well as his understanding of people including the upper crust and his empathy towards those of a lesser echelon.
I had to keep reminding myself that the story is taking place in 1895 as I toured the streets with the characters so familiar to me today.
This is my first Murdoch Mystery in book form and I’m glad I found it thanks to a GR friend.
August 8, 2021
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
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
March 20, 2017
Join Murdoch as he begins a case, attempting to find the cold blooded murderer of an innocent teenage girl... Twist in and out through the turns and flips as the story unfolds and mirror Murdoch as he figures out just who had done the heinous crime.
This is of course, the predecessor to the television series (which I happen to be a massive fan of!), but if you are a fan of the TV series I can safely say that you will most likely enjoy this too - but you must be aware that book Murdoch is slightly less gentlemanly and more callous, less courteous and less bashful - which are some charms that I was looking forward to reading in book form but are sadly missing. That being said, I truly do love the book version of Murdoch, too, and I enjoy them both very much the same! They have formed as two separate characters to me, but I love them both dearly (and I cannot help but see book Murdoch as Yannick, too, even though he's described as having a moustache!) and have formed quite a liking towards the book version.
The appearance of Crabtree was brilliant; though I hope to see more of him in later novels so to get a feel for this version of his wonderful character! The very same goes for Brackenreid; I can't wait to see his and Murdoch's day to day conflicts! The characters are all well rounded and they leave you yearning to see more of them; they don't seem square and boring and each character has a distinguishing feature about them so you don't feel that it's the same sort of character duplicated; even the generic constables at the station house have quite telling differences about them to help you differentiate between them. It's utterly charming how each character also possesses different views and varying dialogues; which adds diversity and further depth to the story.
The back stories are also really good for the characters too and it's so nice to learn about them as we go along!
The mystery in this is strong, it keeps you guessing and completely pulls you in from the first page right until the very end - which, by the end, my heart was hammering and my eyes were wide; which is a sign of a brilliantly formed mystery novel. Jennings writes in such a way that you simply can't guess from the off "who dunnit", but begins to pepper clues here and there so that you can piece them together as Murdoch does - which helps the reader feel truly connected with the story and as if they are working alongside the detective. I felt like another Constable opposed to someone reading some documents about a case; it was written so well that I felt part of it rather than like an onlooker. The whole story was really tense and interesting all the way throughout and there definitely weren't any dull moments throughout - it kept me on my toes and well and truly kept me thinking; there was never a turn of the page whereby a thought hadn't crossed my mind. It was extremely well thought out and there was no plot holes - everything had been covered and sealed with an extremely brilliant turn of events.
I can safely say that the "climax" of the story was incredibly intense and I felt goosebumps, my heart was hammering and I was feeling so pulled into the story that I forgot there was a world surrounding me outside of the book. It was absolutely phenomenal how Jennings made the climax so easy to read, so thrilling without any slight dose of monotony or predictability. Ahhh, it was wonderful!
For me, the mystery was tense, the story was well written, the plot was well thought out and interesting and the writing was superb and kept up with the time era that it was written in; I loved how it was obvious that research had taken place in order to make even minor details like how a gas lamp was lit back then had been looked into in order to get it right! Everything was accurate to the time it was based within - even down to the entirety of the vocabulary - and it was thoroughly exciting to read.
I was honestly stricken by how brilliant this book is and how wonderfully intense the storyline was; I'm definitely excited to continue with the series and would 100% recommend you check this series out for yourself!
This is honestly an all round, great mystery novel - and I would whole heartedly recommend this to anyone (Murdoch fan or not), who is just starting out with the mystery genre or someone who has read plenty!
This is of course, the predecessor to the television series (which I happen to be a massive fan of!), but if you are a fan of the TV series I can safely say that you will most likely enjoy this too - but you must be aware that book Murdoch is slightly less gentlemanly and more callous, less courteous and less bashful - which are some charms that I was looking forward to reading in book form but are sadly missing. That being said, I truly do love the book version of Murdoch, too, and I enjoy them both very much the same! They have formed as two separate characters to me, but I love them both dearly (and I cannot help but see book Murdoch as Yannick, too, even though he's described as having a moustache!) and have formed quite a liking towards the book version.
The appearance of Crabtree was brilliant; though I hope to see more of him in later novels so to get a feel for this version of his wonderful character! The very same goes for Brackenreid; I can't wait to see his and Murdoch's day to day conflicts! The characters are all well rounded and they leave you yearning to see more of them; they don't seem square and boring and each character has a distinguishing feature about them so you don't feel that it's the same sort of character duplicated; even the generic constables at the station house have quite telling differences about them to help you differentiate between them. It's utterly charming how each character also possesses different views and varying dialogues; which adds diversity and further depth to the story.
The back stories are also really good for the characters too and it's so nice to learn about them as we go along!
The mystery in this is strong, it keeps you guessing and completely pulls you in from the first page right until the very end - which, by the end, my heart was hammering and my eyes were wide; which is a sign of a brilliantly formed mystery novel. Jennings writes in such a way that you simply can't guess from the off "who dunnit", but begins to pepper clues here and there so that you can piece them together as Murdoch does - which helps the reader feel truly connected with the story and as if they are working alongside the detective. I felt like another Constable opposed to someone reading some documents about a case; it was written so well that I felt part of it rather than like an onlooker. The whole story was really tense and interesting all the way throughout and there definitely weren't any dull moments throughout - it kept me on my toes and well and truly kept me thinking; there was never a turn of the page whereby a thought hadn't crossed my mind. It was extremely well thought out and there was no plot holes - everything had been covered and sealed with an extremely brilliant turn of events.
I can safely say that the "climax" of the story was incredibly intense and I felt goosebumps, my heart was hammering and I was feeling so pulled into the story that I forgot there was a world surrounding me outside of the book. It was absolutely phenomenal how Jennings made the climax so easy to read, so thrilling without any slight dose of monotony or predictability. Ahhh, it was wonderful!
For me, the mystery was tense, the story was well written, the plot was well thought out and interesting and the writing was superb and kept up with the time era that it was written in; I loved how it was obvious that research had taken place in order to make even minor details like how a gas lamp was lit back then had been looked into in order to get it right! Everything was accurate to the time it was based within - even down to the entirety of the vocabulary - and it was thoroughly exciting to read.
I was honestly stricken by how brilliant this book is and how wonderfully intense the storyline was; I'm definitely excited to continue with the series and would 100% recommend you check this series out for yourself!
This is honestly an all round, great mystery novel - and I would whole heartedly recommend this to anyone (Murdoch fan or not), who is just starting out with the mystery genre or someone who has read plenty!
August 10, 2016
The Murdoch Mysteries remain one of my favorite feel-good shows - the characters are awesome, the murders always interesting, and the science is fun. I've read critiques that some people object to Murdoch (and even more so, Julia) being so progressive, but wasn't this the age of suffragettes (New Zealand granted women the vote in 1893) and other social upheavals in the wake of the rapid changes in society and technology? In my season 1-3 DVD box there were also the 3 original tv movies with Peter Outerbridge as Murdoch - those are very different (much darker and therefore probably more historically accurate, but with much less humour), and I was interested to see if they were closer to the original books.
Having read the first Murdoch mystery now, I can say that they are - although they are much more graphic. However, while unsurprisingly Yannick Bisson's Murdoch remains my favorite, I was somewhat disappointed that book!Murdoch is actually the one I like least. Not that I actively dislike him. He just remains... bland, as are most of the other characters. Actually, my favorite character was probably Joe, the stable boy, and we only got one scene from his POV. And there is almost no hint of the scientific curiosity and open-mindedness I love about Murdoch (despite him taking his Catholicism much less seriously than either one of the screen!Murdochs).
So this is a lot of words about a book that had a solid mystery at its center but somehow remained colorless, despite the historical detail. I guess I'm ranting a bit because it simply surprised me that I was so disappointed - normally, books are better (or at least different but equal) to their screen adaptations, because they allow for more insights into the characters and give more background and character/relationship development.
I think I'll listen to the second Murdoch novel, maybe he'll grow on me, but so far, for probably the first time ever I'm really glad the adaptations diverge so much from the original.
Having read the first Murdoch mystery now, I can say that they are - although they are much more graphic. However, while unsurprisingly Yannick Bisson's Murdoch remains my favorite, I was somewhat disappointed that book!Murdoch is actually the one I like least. Not that I actively dislike him. He just remains... bland, as are most of the other characters. Actually, my favorite character was probably Joe, the stable boy, and we only got one scene from his POV. And there is almost no hint of the scientific curiosity and open-mindedness I love about Murdoch (despite him taking his Catholicism much less seriously than either one of the screen!Murdochs).
So this is a lot of words about a book that had a solid mystery at its center but somehow remained colorless, despite the historical detail. I guess I'm ranting a bit because it simply surprised me that I was so disappointed - normally, books are better (or at least different but equal) to their screen adaptations, because they allow for more insights into the characters and give more background and character/relationship development.
I think I'll listen to the second Murdoch novel, maybe he'll grow on me, but so far, for probably the first time ever I'm really glad the adaptations diverge so much from the original.
November 12, 2021
My parents loved watching “Murdoch Mysteries”. Dad & I are pleasantly surprised to know they began in books. After sampling the emotional prequel, “Shipwreck”: good friends Kerri, Shirin, & I were excited about this début novel. We loved “Except The Dying”, 1997! We instinctively agreed that whatever story ensued hardly mattered because William Murdoch’s warm character befriended us. Actor Yannick Bisson does him justice, with a riveting season airing this winter 2021, going since 2008! I peeked a lot at this season, girls but assure you those stories are unrelated to these books!
I dislike fabricated periods, until they reach vehicles and telephones. A friendly hero and relatable 1895 era appealed to me. Setting mysteries in Toronto is a horse of a different colour! Herein is my primary quibble. Please read carefully that I refer to Canadian born kin, who did not import Celtic or British habits.
I worked at a heritage house museum and visited others to know that we did have a servant class system briefly, with spartan little rooms upstairs. However, we had no “tea time” as a meal. It was never Canadian to call solid food “tea”. My spouse & I had spectrums of relatives from the early 1900s to observe as kids. Maureen Jennings came at age 17 and made that subtle error. I correct it because the environment sounded English, with no distinction from the billions of books constantly set there. I had to stop myself from hearing cockney accents and can only imagine that this impression would overrun non-Canadians.
We found some issues with the mystery. Why would criminals let the primary victim flee their room but decide to kill someone else just for knowing a little information? We love William’s friendship with his landlords and cannot wait to keep on visiting them.
I dislike fabricated periods, until they reach vehicles and telephones. A friendly hero and relatable 1895 era appealed to me. Setting mysteries in Toronto is a horse of a different colour! Herein is my primary quibble. Please read carefully that I refer to Canadian born kin, who did not import Celtic or British habits.
I worked at a heritage house museum and visited others to know that we did have a servant class system briefly, with spartan little rooms upstairs. However, we had no “tea time” as a meal. It was never Canadian to call solid food “tea”. My spouse & I had spectrums of relatives from the early 1900s to observe as kids. Maureen Jennings came at age 17 and made that subtle error. I correct it because the environment sounded English, with no distinction from the billions of books constantly set there. I had to stop myself from hearing cockney accents and can only imagine that this impression would overrun non-Canadians.
We found some issues with the mystery. Why would criminals let the primary victim flee their room but decide to kill someone else just for knowing a little information? We love William’s friendship with his landlords and cannot wait to keep on visiting them.
August 5, 2020
This was a gritty historical mystery set in Toronto in 1895. The smoothly paced plot, description of life in Toronto, character development and twists kept me turning the pages.
June 27, 2024
‘Except the Dying’ by Maureen Jennings is book one in the Murdoch Mystery series, published in 1997. There are only eight books in this series, which is massively shocking and unexpected for me! I have been binging the TV show ‘The Murdoch Mysteries’, a Canadian television show which will begin its 17th season in 2024. I have the Hoopla app, which suggested the show to me since I mostly check out and watch video mysteries on the app, which is connected to my library card. I recently discovered the show is on Hulu, too.
I copied the book blurb:
”In the cold Toronto winter of 1895, the unclad body of a servant girl is found frozen in a deserted laneway. Detective William Murdoch quickly finds out that more than one person connected with the girl’s simple life has something to hide.”
The novel is a good one, an interesting historical novel as well as a traditional mystery. It drew me on, had me wanting to know how it would end. It has a lot of factual tidbits included about Toronto, Canada, and how people lived in 1895. I would not have wanted to be a woman in the late 19th century, but life was difficult for many people, not just women. The book does not hide from the ugly world of poverty. Murdoch would not have solved the mystery without the help of young abandoned boys who live on the streets, literally sleeping on sidewalks, or prostitutes who observe the men and carriages going by them. The pain of poverty (as well as the boredom felt by upper-class young men) was dulled by quite a bit of alcohol, drugs and laudanum, used by many characters in the book. While the novel is realistic, though, it is not graphic. There are some things in the plot which were not clear, or explained adequately, but I thought this a minor quibble. It IS a number one in a series, and perhaps the author is still finding her way in this novel.
Despite that the TV Murdoch mysteries are edgy cozies, normally a type of genre of which I am not a huge fan, I have fallen in love with this television show. The TV actors starring in the show, all of them, are charming, winsome or interesting. They all play off of each other in such a way that there is as much amusement as well as drama in watching the characters interact in their private lives.
The TV Detective William Murdoch is a genius and an inventor, an amateur scientist, who uses his scientist brain to solve crimes. Series one began airing on television in 2007. The plots involve Murdoch meeting all kinds of important inventors and writers of history who actually were alive in 1895, 1896, 1897, etc. as each season is aired. It is a fun show! Although it is more cozy than hardcore, the show tackles difficult subjects like child abuse, poverty, class prejudices, and abortion. Murdoch, in season one, is a fundamentalist Catholic. However as the show progresses from season to season, he finds he must accept and change his mind about many of things the Catholic Church considers terrible sins.
However, the TV plots are not realistic in many ways: Murdoch invents many clever things on the show which are exactly like stuff that is attributed to others throughout real-life history, like the polygraph. Murdoch ‘invents’ such a lie-detector device to use in the Toronto police station in 1900 where he works. The history books tell us it was actually invented in 1921 in Berkeley, California at the University of California by John Augustus Larson, who was also a detective on a police force.
Whatever, it doesn’t matter. It is really a good TV show, with really good actors. Murdoch is played by the actor Yannick Bisson as a very proper upstanding high-class educated officer who doesn’t have any vices whatsoever. The character Constable Crabtree, played by Jonny Harris is very funny. He believes in the more exotic pseudo-theories of science believed by crackpots, and fringe scientists, like ghosts and space aliens. Some of the things, of course, that he says, which sound like wild speculation to the others, especially the purist science guy Murdoch, actually have come to pass, like spaceships going to the moon. Thomas Craig plays Inspector Thomas Brackenreid, a Protestant lower-class Irishman, as Murdoch’s boss. Brackenreid distinctly doesn’t like Murdoch at first, and does not understand science at all. But Murdoch proves over and over science works, so Brackenreid is won over. There are other characters, all of which are distinct and entertaining to watch.
The books are completely different! Completely! I was not only shocked by how few Murdoch mystery books were written, but I was also amazed by the TV transformation of the actual characters in the novels! The TV show sparkles with tongue-in-cheek entertainment, but the book is more like any usual mystery novel, similar in style, I think, to Agatha Christie and other mystery writers of the 1930’s, almost a procedural as well as a historical novel.
In the novel, Murdoch is not a genius scientist/gentleman who is working as a detective. He is more lower-class in the novel than he is on TV, someone who couldn’t attend college because his father was an abusive drunk and his mother died supposedly by drowning in a shallow pool on a beach collecting mussels. Murdoch believes his father killed his mother in the book. He has a brother and sister, the sister having joined a nunnery at a very early age, driven to this action by their horrible homelife. In the book, Murdoch has worked at many jobs before becoming a police officer, such as a chopper at a lumber mill in Nova Scotia. He rents a room from an elderly couple in the novel. If I remember correctly, in the TV show he lives in a hotel room he rents, and not much has been seen of any family, or has any backstory been told. So far I am up to the sixth season. Viewers have met Murdoch’s sister, who is a nun on the TV show as she is in the book.
The only thing that is the same about TV Murdoch as in the book is Murdock is a Catholic. But the TV version of Murdoch is more of a fundamentalist Catholic than the novel Murdoch.
All of the other characters in the novel have been changed a lot. Crabtree, in the novel, is over 6 feet tall and hugely husky. In the TV show, Crabtree is played by a slight, 5-foot 7- or 8-inch actor, who has excellent comedic timing when saying his lines. Brackenreid bullies Murdoch, having not much respect for him in the novel, while he covers for and backs up Murdoch on TV. The medical examiner on TV is a lovely, super-educated woman, who becomes Murdoch’s love interest. In the book, there are no professional upper-class women. The only women in the book are prostitutes and wives, or lower-class store clerks or servants.
I liked the book, but I do prefer the TV show. One of those rare instances of the book being not as good! But it is a perfect novel for the beach, gentler reader!
I copied the book blurb:
”In the cold Toronto winter of 1895, the unclad body of a servant girl is found frozen in a deserted laneway. Detective William Murdoch quickly finds out that more than one person connected with the girl’s simple life has something to hide.”
The novel is a good one, an interesting historical novel as well as a traditional mystery. It drew me on, had me wanting to know how it would end. It has a lot of factual tidbits included about Toronto, Canada, and how people lived in 1895. I would not have wanted to be a woman in the late 19th century, but life was difficult for many people, not just women. The book does not hide from the ugly world of poverty. Murdoch would not have solved the mystery without the help of young abandoned boys who live on the streets, literally sleeping on sidewalks, or prostitutes who observe the men and carriages going by them. The pain of poverty (as well as the boredom felt by upper-class young men) was dulled by quite a bit of alcohol, drugs and laudanum, used by many characters in the book. While the novel is realistic, though, it is not graphic. There are some things in the plot which were not clear, or explained adequately, but I thought this a minor quibble. It IS a number one in a series, and perhaps the author is still finding her way in this novel.
Despite that the TV Murdoch mysteries are edgy cozies, normally a type of genre of which I am not a huge fan, I have fallen in love with this television show. The TV actors starring in the show, all of them, are charming, winsome or interesting. They all play off of each other in such a way that there is as much amusement as well as drama in watching the characters interact in their private lives.
The TV Detective William Murdoch is a genius and an inventor, an amateur scientist, who uses his scientist brain to solve crimes. Series one began airing on television in 2007. The plots involve Murdoch meeting all kinds of important inventors and writers of history who actually were alive in 1895, 1896, 1897, etc. as each season is aired. It is a fun show! Although it is more cozy than hardcore, the show tackles difficult subjects like child abuse, poverty, class prejudices, and abortion. Murdoch, in season one, is a fundamentalist Catholic. However as the show progresses from season to season, he finds he must accept and change his mind about many of things the Catholic Church considers terrible sins.
However, the TV plots are not realistic in many ways: Murdoch invents many clever things on the show which are exactly like stuff that is attributed to others throughout real-life history, like the polygraph. Murdoch ‘invents’ such a lie-detector device to use in the Toronto police station in 1900 where he works. The history books tell us it was actually invented in 1921 in Berkeley, California at the University of California by John Augustus Larson, who was also a detective on a police force.
Whatever, it doesn’t matter. It is really a good TV show, with really good actors. Murdoch is played by the actor Yannick Bisson as a very proper upstanding high-class educated officer who doesn’t have any vices whatsoever. The character Constable Crabtree, played by Jonny Harris is very funny. He believes in the more exotic pseudo-theories of science believed by crackpots, and fringe scientists, like ghosts and space aliens. Some of the things, of course, that he says, which sound like wild speculation to the others, especially the purist science guy Murdoch, actually have come to pass, like spaceships going to the moon. Thomas Craig plays Inspector Thomas Brackenreid, a Protestant lower-class Irishman, as Murdoch’s boss. Brackenreid distinctly doesn’t like Murdoch at first, and does not understand science at all. But Murdoch proves over and over science works, so Brackenreid is won over. There are other characters, all of which are distinct and entertaining to watch.
The books are completely different! Completely! I was not only shocked by how few Murdoch mystery books were written, but I was also amazed by the TV transformation of the actual characters in the novels! The TV show sparkles with tongue-in-cheek entertainment, but the book is more like any usual mystery novel, similar in style, I think, to Agatha Christie and other mystery writers of the 1930’s, almost a procedural as well as a historical novel.
In the novel, Murdoch is not a genius scientist/gentleman who is working as a detective. He is more lower-class in the novel than he is on TV, someone who couldn’t attend college because his father was an abusive drunk and his mother died supposedly by drowning in a shallow pool on a beach collecting mussels. Murdoch believes his father killed his mother in the book. He has a brother and sister, the sister having joined a nunnery at a very early age, driven to this action by their horrible homelife. In the book, Murdoch has worked at many jobs before becoming a police officer, such as a chopper at a lumber mill in Nova Scotia. He rents a room from an elderly couple in the novel. If I remember correctly, in the TV show he lives in a hotel room he rents, and not much has been seen of any family, or has any backstory been told. So far I am up to the sixth season. Viewers have met Murdoch’s sister, who is a nun on the TV show as she is in the book.
The only thing that is the same about TV Murdoch as in the book is Murdock is a Catholic. But the TV version of Murdoch is more of a fundamentalist Catholic than the novel Murdoch.
All of the other characters in the novel have been changed a lot. Crabtree, in the novel, is over 6 feet tall and hugely husky. In the TV show, Crabtree is played by a slight, 5-foot 7- or 8-inch actor, who has excellent comedic timing when saying his lines. Brackenreid bullies Murdoch, having not much respect for him in the novel, while he covers for and backs up Murdoch on TV. The medical examiner on TV is a lovely, super-educated woman, who becomes Murdoch’s love interest. In the book, there are no professional upper-class women. The only women in the book are prostitutes and wives, or lower-class store clerks or servants.
I liked the book, but I do prefer the TV show. One of those rare instances of the book being not as good! But it is a perfect novel for the beach, gentler reader!
March 23, 2013
As a fan of the TV show for the past few years I was thrilled to learn that the show was based on a book series and had to see how the two stacked up against each other.
Allowing the book to stand on its own it was a well done mystery. Going through it I thought I had figured out who had committed the murder and was constantly changing this answer up until the end. The story itself had me genuinely interested and it took no time at all to have this story read.
Having the show in my head made reading it far more enjoyable - except when they described Crabtree as a strong and athletic man ... that was hard to picture. Also, Dr Julia Ogden is missing from this story completely and she is a main character on the show. Other then that though it made it easier to become invested with the characters having that immense relatability (in other words the TV adaptation stayed true to the characters at least).
If you're a fan of the TV (as any good Canadian should be) you will definitely enjoy this book.
Allowing the book to stand on its own it was a well done mystery. Going through it I thought I had figured out who had committed the murder and was constantly changing this answer up until the end. The story itself had me genuinely interested and it took no time at all to have this story read.
Having the show in my head made reading it far more enjoyable - except when they described Crabtree as a strong and athletic man ... that was hard to picture. Also, Dr Julia Ogden is missing from this story completely and she is a main character on the show. Other then that though it made it easier to become invested with the characters having that immense relatability (in other words the TV adaptation stayed true to the characters at least).
If you're a fan of the TV (as any good Canadian should be) you will definitely enjoy this book.
May 17, 2016
It's a bit of a shock going into this book thinking it'll be all charming and quaint like Canada's television series starring Yannick Bisson. In reality, there is nothing charming or quaint about this book series. It's gritty, it's hard, it possesses a great deal of language and sexual innuendo, and there is not a single character who is wholly likeable or lovable, not even Detective William Murdoch although he's probably more realistic as a flawed human being. Still, I love the Murdoch of the tv series who is so socially awkward and endearing while still being a brilliant detective. Much to love there. And don't get me started on his senior officer, Inspector Thomas Brackenreid. The man is boorishly entertaining in the tv series and an absolute bloody terror and bigot in the book series. Thank goodness they gave him that overhaul in the television program. And where, I'd like to know, is Dr. Ogden, the female pathologist that Murdoch has a crush on?! I did like the elderly couple who Murdoch lives with as their boarder. They're gentle and compassionate . . . except towards Methodists. Apparently there's some bad blood between Methodists and Catholics, of which Murdoch happens to be one.
And speaking of religion, because I'm going to do so, it was fascinating to read a book where the lead character is Catholic. It grows tiresome after awhile to read protestant fiction with a severely negative bent against Catholics. So I enjoyed Murdoch being Catholic (just like he is in the tv series). I know very little about Catholicism on the whole, but don't have a negative view of Catholics so the harsh bigotry against Murdoch and other Catholics within the book surprised me. I don't know why it did, though, since I know protestants and Catholics have a long, unhealthy hatred of one another.
So, obviously, this is not a Christian novel. There is unpleasant talk of murder, of sex, of an aroused dog, of prostitutes, and there are plenty of nasty slang terms flying around for various parts of the anatomy. There's even mention of *gasp* homosexuality. I don't usually like that much "stuff" in the books that I read and I do think Ms. Jennings went overboard quite a bit, which is why I'm only rating the book 3 stars. Negative content should not be added to a novel simply for the sake of shock value, whether it's secular fiction or not.
That said, I still enjoyed Except the Dying . . . immensely. I finished it in only a few days because I couldn't put it down. In some ways it reminded me of the originality of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael books that I love so dearly. I've already begun reading book 2 in the series. And I've done a fair job separating the books from the tv series, which took a bit of doing. But I'm growing to like Ms. Jennings' Murdoch even though I'll never love him as much as I do the Murdoch in the tv series.Ah well, life isn't always perfect.
And speaking of religion, because I'm going to do so, it was fascinating to read a book where the lead character is Catholic. It grows tiresome after awhile to read protestant fiction with a severely negative bent against Catholics. So I enjoyed Murdoch being Catholic (just like he is in the tv series). I know very little about Catholicism on the whole, but don't have a negative view of Catholics so the harsh bigotry against Murdoch and other Catholics within the book surprised me. I don't know why it did, though, since I know protestants and Catholics have a long, unhealthy hatred of one another.
So, obviously, this is not a Christian novel. There is unpleasant talk of murder, of sex, of an aroused dog, of prostitutes, and there are plenty of nasty slang terms flying around for various parts of the anatomy. There's even mention of *gasp* homosexuality. I don't usually like that much "stuff" in the books that I read and I do think Ms. Jennings went overboard quite a bit, which is why I'm only rating the book 3 stars. Negative content should not be added to a novel simply for the sake of shock value, whether it's secular fiction or not.
That said, I still enjoyed Except the Dying . . . immensely. I finished it in only a few days because I couldn't put it down. In some ways it reminded me of the originality of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael books that I love so dearly. I've already begun reading book 2 in the series. And I've done a fair job separating the books from the tv series, which took a bit of doing. But I'm growing to like Ms. Jennings' Murdoch even though I'll never love him as much as I do the Murdoch in the tv series.Ah well, life isn't always perfect.
September 2, 2019
Been watching the show for years i absolutely love it and I will say so far the characters of Murdoch and Crabtree are less flat and more lovable in the show. The book however was good, i liked it had a well paced plot and wasnt super predictable.
June 6, 2022
Thanks to Carolyn and Shirin I was able to read the short prequel to this series “Shipwreck” before starting this book. It provided some background information for William Murdoch as a young boy and gave us a glimpse into why he became a detective. I immediately liked the young Murdoch and I’m happy to say I like the older one just as much. The New York Times was right in saying that “Murdoch’s warm heart makes him the right sleuth for this cold city.” Wow was Toronto cold, and not just temperature wise.
A great example of Murdoch’s warm heart was when he spotted a young man huddled up by a gate in the freezing cold. He sent the freezing, newly immigrated German to the police station with a note so that he’d be allowed to stay the night. How many people would have just walked past the man? Murdoch also proves his intelligence and perception when he recognizes that “to subject children to the influence of the desperate and destitute was to ensure they’d follow in those footsteps.”
I also immediately liked Constable Crabtree, and Arthur and Beatrice Kitchen. I instantly feel as worried about Arthur’s health as Beatrice and Murdoch are. My favourite parts were when Murdoch theorized about the mystery with the Kitchens. The mystery was engaging and the confrontation with the murderer very intense, but it wasn’t all wrapped up quite as I would have liked it to be.
Reading this book makes me excited to continue watching the show, as I’ve only seen random episodes here and there over the years. I’m excited to be able to match the faces of the actors to the characters in the story, as well as get a better image of the setting.
A great example of Murdoch’s warm heart was when he spotted a young man huddled up by a gate in the freezing cold. He sent the freezing, newly immigrated German to the police station with a note so that he’d be allowed to stay the night. How many people would have just walked past the man? Murdoch also proves his intelligence and perception when he recognizes that “to subject children to the influence of the desperate and destitute was to ensure they’d follow in those footsteps.”
I also immediately liked Constable Crabtree, and Arthur and Beatrice Kitchen. I instantly feel as worried about Arthur’s health as Beatrice and Murdoch are. My favourite parts were when Murdoch theorized about the mystery with the Kitchens. The mystery was engaging and the confrontation with the murderer very intense, but it wasn’t all wrapped up quite as I would have liked it to be.
Reading this book makes me excited to continue watching the show, as I’ve only seen random episodes here and there over the years. I’m excited to be able to match the faces of the actors to the characters in the story, as well as get a better image of the setting.
February 4, 2017
I can’t believe it’s already the first of February and I haven’t posted one review. In my own defence I got that horrific cold that’s going around – it’s a bad one – so stay healthy everybody. I still have the tail end of the cough. Also, every time I fired up the computer I had other things to do on it. After being downsized out the door at my job at the end of last year I decided that while I have the safety net of unemployment benefits I am going to try to start a small home based business – but more on that later this week. There are some prizes in the offing so stay tuned.
Sick as I was I was still reading, mostly light stuff that I could digest through my stuffy sinuses. My BFF has long been a fan of the television series “Murdock Mysteries”. I finally gave it a look when I was up at strange hours because of my cough and there were reruns on at crazy morning times. I was pretty quickly hooked because it’s a rather clever series set in turn of the 19th century Toronto. Of course when I found out that the series was based on books – WELL! – You know I had to pick up the books. So on to my first review of 2017 …
EXCEPT THE DYING
In the winter of 1895 Toronto acting Detective William Murdock is called out to a murder scene. A young woman is found naked in an alleyway. She is clearly not a lady of the evening and winter in Toronto is not a time anyone would be outside without clothing so obviously, this young woman met with foul play.
William Murdock knows no boundaries when it comes to looking for a killer. He visits the lowest and highest echelons of society to look for his answers. And answers he finds through meticulous police work without the availability of all toys and whistles a reader might be used to in more modern police procedurals.
This was Ms. Jennings debut book and it was an interesting read. It showed some good research into that era of Toronto’s history and the dialogue was excellent. There were a few slow spots, but I could forgive those. Having the hindsight of reading a few more in the series before writing this review I can honestly say the books improve with each addition to the series.
The cover of the book is a bit deceptive as it pictures the characters from the television series. For fans of the series – be forewarned – the book is similar but definitely not the same. While the show is often humorous and tongue-in-cheek the book is deadly serious (pun intended). I did particularly enjoy the more in-depth look into Murdock’s life away from the police station.
“Except the Dying” is well worth the read and I’m giving it 3.5 stars because I know the series improves in subsequent books.
Sick as I was I was still reading, mostly light stuff that I could digest through my stuffy sinuses. My BFF has long been a fan of the television series “Murdock Mysteries”. I finally gave it a look when I was up at strange hours because of my cough and there were reruns on at crazy morning times. I was pretty quickly hooked because it’s a rather clever series set in turn of the 19th century Toronto. Of course when I found out that the series was based on books – WELL! – You know I had to pick up the books. So on to my first review of 2017 …
EXCEPT THE DYING
In the winter of 1895 Toronto acting Detective William Murdock is called out to a murder scene. A young woman is found naked in an alleyway. She is clearly not a lady of the evening and winter in Toronto is not a time anyone would be outside without clothing so obviously, this young woman met with foul play.
William Murdock knows no boundaries when it comes to looking for a killer. He visits the lowest and highest echelons of society to look for his answers. And answers he finds through meticulous police work without the availability of all toys and whistles a reader might be used to in more modern police procedurals.
This was Ms. Jennings debut book and it was an interesting read. It showed some good research into that era of Toronto’s history and the dialogue was excellent. There were a few slow spots, but I could forgive those. Having the hindsight of reading a few more in the series before writing this review I can honestly say the books improve with each addition to the series.
The cover of the book is a bit deceptive as it pictures the characters from the television series. For fans of the series – be forewarned – the book is similar but definitely not the same. While the show is often humorous and tongue-in-cheek the book is deadly serious (pun intended). I did particularly enjoy the more in-depth look into Murdock’s life away from the police station.
“Except the Dying” is well worth the read and I’m giving it 3.5 stars because I know the series improves in subsequent books.
February 3, 2021
I have been watching the Murdoch Mysteries series for all the years that it's been aired on television. I absolutely love it and I love the characters When i received this book as a gift I was thrilled because, for some reason, I hadn't read any of the books that inspired the series. Well, I was in for a bit of a surprise. This book is not at all like the series. The names of the main characters are the same and the setting is Victorian Toronto, but that is where the similarity ends. This is a much more gritty and explicit Murdoch than what I'm used to seeing. In this book Murdoch is an Acting Inspector at Staton 4 in Toronto. He's bright and has excellent detective skills. He is trying to make his mark and get a leg up in the police department. When the body of a young, naked woman is found on a snowy, frozen street in Toronto, Murdoch is assigned the case. His investigations take him to all echelons of Toronto society, as well as the backroads and byways where the not-so-respectable "night people" live. During his investigation, another woman is killed and Murdoch is placed at great risk for his own safety. This is an engaging historical mystery that kept my interest throughout, and now I want to read the other five books in this series.
June 24, 2020
A young maid leaves her place of employment at night and begins to wander the streets of late-1800 Toronto. The next day she is found, dead of the cold, stripped of her clothing and offering up a challenge for Acting Detective William Murdoch, in this introduction to the intrepid Toronto police officer.
The mystery deepens as an autopsy shows that the young woman was drugged and is pregnant. The people she worked for appear to have no clue as to what happened what drove her away but Murdoch is persistent and gradually finds the clues to what was really going on.
If you are used to the television series, the names may be the same but very little else is similar in this mystery that tells as much about the times and the city of Toronto as it does about Murdoch and his drive to find the solution to the crime. Good solid writing, good story. My only gripe is that we are never told the why — and that is a big flaw in this particular story.
The mystery deepens as an autopsy shows that the young woman was drugged and is pregnant. The people she worked for appear to have no clue as to what happened what drove her away but Murdoch is persistent and gradually finds the clues to what was really going on.
If you are used to the television series, the names may be the same but very little else is similar in this mystery that tells as much about the times and the city of Toronto as it does about Murdoch and his drive to find the solution to the crime. Good solid writing, good story. My only gripe is that we are never told the why — and that is a big flaw in this particular story.
July 17, 2022
Except the Dying by Maureen Jennings is the first book in the Detective Murdoch Mystery series. Detective Murdoch investigates the murder of a naked girl found frozen in a deserted laneway. Being a big fan of the television series, I just had to read the books it was based on. Detective Murdoch is just as kind, compassionate and smart as in the series with attention to details that help him with his work. I loved the descriptions of Victorian Toronto and I enjoyed the sessions Murdoch spends with his landlady and her sick husband where they discuss the case. An enjoyable more classical style detective story, but very different to the television series.
May 19, 2020
I love the TV series so I decided to read the books the series was based on. The two have much in common. William is called to the death of a young girl found naked and frozen to death on the side of the road. The girl was a maid of a local, wealthy couple with a son and sly servants. The girl was pregnant and only 13. Murdoch finds two prostitutes that he questions, he is sure they took her clothes, but won't admit it. The family has some doubtful connections from the son and father. Murdoch finds the clues. Love the book.
March 17, 2012
What a disappointment after the Canadian TV series. The characters with whom I fell in love in the first season of "Murdock Mysteries" are really nothing like the ones in the book. In the book, they're not nearly as likeable, and definitely not as lovable. Then there's the constant stream of innuendos, which was annoying in the first few chapters, chafing in the next few, and downright painful in the last few. All in all, not worth the hours it takes to read.
May 6, 2013
A nice gentle mystery, reminiscent of Poirot. Lots of great historical detail, particularly in the slang.
September 9, 2025
Toronto, Canada, un freddissimo inverno di fine Ottocento. Una visione turba l’immacolato candore della neve che fiocca: il corpo di una giovane donna morta, completamente assiderata. Da un primo esame risulta che la ragazza era incinta nonché completamente assuefatta all’oppio. L’omicidio è tragicamente accertato, si tratta ora di individuare chi sia stato e perché. La vittima non è una prostituta o una donna qualsiasi, bensì è Therese Laporte, cameriera della celebre famiglia Rhodes. Il mistero appare fin da subito molto fitto, quindi. Viene chiamato a investigare l’investigatore reggente William Murdoch, il quale - data l’importanza del caso - indaga con il massimo della perizia per ottenere una promozione. Il suo metodo è minuzioso, metodico e paziente e per questo si trova spesso in contrasto con il suo diretto superiore Thomas Branckenreid, più impulsivo e sbrigativo. Le indagini porteranno Murdoch a incontrare tutte le persone che sono entrate in contatto con la ragazza, dalle alte sfere rappresentate dagli algidi membri della famiglia Rhodes fino alle prostitute dei bassifondi caratterizzati da sporcizia, malattia e povertà. Ognuno di loro ha qualcosa da nascondere, ma solo uno è il colpevole e soprattutto è pronto a colpire di nuovo...
April 13, 2025
DNF around 25-30%
I wanted to like this book, but found myself forcing a chapter every day, or couple days. I tried to give it its due, but if I’m not enjoying it I’d rather read something else. I love the TV show, and while I have successfully read books (and loved them) after watching their media counterpart, this one fell flat. The writing style was boring, I never felt connected to the characters and I was over 100 pages in at this point. I thought it was picking up when Murdoch started questioning, but then the author kept jumping around to the suspects POV who I didn’t really know much about and I wanted to read Murdoch’s investigation. I’ll just stick to the TV show
I wanted to like this book, but found myself forcing a chapter every day, or couple days. I tried to give it its due, but if I’m not enjoying it I’d rather read something else. I love the TV show, and while I have successfully read books (and loved them) after watching their media counterpart, this one fell flat. The writing style was boring, I never felt connected to the characters and I was over 100 pages in at this point. I thought it was picking up when Murdoch started questioning, but then the author kept jumping around to the suspects POV who I didn’t really know much about and I wanted to read Murdoch’s investigation. I’ll just stick to the TV show
January 28, 2024
At the end of this novel, I was left with more questions than answers. I felt like I had to be my own detective to piece together who did what and why. And even the last one was uncertain for the killer; why did he kill? No one knows.
If you love the Murdoch Mysteries show on CBC, as I do, then don't read this book. The characters are very different from how the show portrays them. Stick with the TV show!
If you love the Murdoch Mysteries show on CBC, as I do, then don't read this book. The characters are very different from how the show portrays them. Stick with the TV show!
August 21, 2013
3.5 stars.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Maureen Jennings. The world that she created in Victorian Toronto was just wonderful, and her characters, particularly her lower class ones, were so colorful and well written. The world and the people inhabiting it were gritty and rough around the edges. Even the people in the upper class were less than classy. I really enjoy the Murdoch Mysteries TV series, but honestly, it doesn't hold a candle to this book. The characters in the book are gritter and less refined than the characters in the TV show, and while I like those characters, too, the characters as written by Marueen Jennings in her books seem more realistic for the time period than the characters in the show do.
I never had this mystery figured out, I never had a culprit that I favored, and I was guessing clear up until the end. That's great, but for me, it's also the book's weak point. You see, While that should drop this book another star for me, I just liked the world and the characters too much to eliminate an entire star.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Maureen Jennings. The world that she created in Victorian Toronto was just wonderful, and her characters, particularly her lower class ones, were so colorful and well written. The world and the people inhabiting it were gritty and rough around the edges. Even the people in the upper class were less than classy. I really enjoy the Murdoch Mysteries TV series, but honestly, it doesn't hold a candle to this book. The characters in the book are gritter and less refined than the characters in the TV show, and while I like those characters, too, the characters as written by Marueen Jennings in her books seem more realistic for the time period than the characters in the show do.
I never had this mystery figured out, I never had a culprit that I favored, and I was guessing clear up until the end. That's great, but for me, it's also the book's weak point. You see, While that should drop this book another star for me, I just liked the world and the characters too much to eliminate an entire star.
July 23, 2020
I picked up the hard cover of this at the library because I'm quite fond of the TV show. Usually, the books such shows are based upon are even better. This is one of the few cases in which this is not true. This first book of the series is a fine mystery set in Toronto in the 1890s. A young woman dies in the snow under mysterious circumstances, and William Murdoch, acting detective of the Toronto constabulary, is called upon to investigate. Except this isn't the Murdoch of the TV show. Not at all. He is not only physically different (tall and mustachioed), he's a totally different character, and not as interesting. The one in the book is dedicated and fairly bright but otherwise fairly average in terms of period norms for beliefs, prejudices, and personality. The one in the show is shorter, clean shaven, emotionally restrained, considerate, and scientifically literate. An interesting trait of the TV Murdoch is that he is exceptionally rational in all things except for his strong religious beliefs, for which he has a glaring blind spot. There is no such internal conflict in the book version of the character, who seems to have little or no interest in science and is less committed to his Catholicism. Other characters from the show are also different. Crabtree, for example, is a big bruiser, married, with four kids. (The TV Crabtree is a bit nerdy, single, and quite likeable.) Obviously, the TV show was "inspired by" rather than "based on" the books, and while I'd rate the TV series a full five stars, this book warrants only three.
October 9, 2009
this is probably my first historical mystery since my childhood attempts at arthur conan doyle, so my take on the genre probably isn't worth much. that said, this is a fun, engaging novel with a nice sense of toronto at the tail end of the 19th century. there's something charmingly restrained about its narrative, which has all the sordid details i expect from a murder mystery but still finds room for a good-hearted, cautious, gentle christian protagonist. as a look at christianity, the book is particularly strong - there's something humble and ethical about detective murdoch, and jennings does a good job of aligning that with his faith. i'm tempted to call him a "soft-boiled" detective - and to mean it as a compliment.
as far as the story is concerned, it's fairly conventional, but it wraps its structure around a great deal of atmosphere. at times, it seems like a look at larger issues (poverty, sexuality, religious tension), but it typically falls back into the genre conventions just when things get interesting. i found the ending a bit hurried, but i guess the adventure is always more exciting than the conclusion.
i read about 2/3rd of this during plane rides on a work related trip last week, and it was exactly the sort of book i want on trips like that. i'll continue with the series; it's off to a good start!
as far as the story is concerned, it's fairly conventional, but it wraps its structure around a great deal of atmosphere. at times, it seems like a look at larger issues (poverty, sexuality, religious tension), but it typically falls back into the genre conventions just when things get interesting. i found the ending a bit hurried, but i guess the adventure is always more exciting than the conclusion.
i read about 2/3rd of this during plane rides on a work related trip last week, and it was exactly the sort of book i want on trips like that. i'll continue with the series; it's off to a good start!
February 5, 2015
I wonder how many people have read this series without seeing the TV show first?
Once you get over that the books are nothing at all like the series, I actually rather enjoyed this. Murdoch has much more of a bite and is more like a real person than the archetype of a perfect detective. He gets crabby, he (lightly) swears, he dislikes people--characteristics you don't really see on the show.
The mystery didn't make a whole lot of sense, and I still have questions about just how Murdoch solved the case, but I enjoyed the gritty descriptions of 19th century Toronto--not always the Toronto I have in my mind. I think Jennings tries a little bit too hard to pepper the writing with period details, but overall, I like the writing style.
My one regret: no Julia! I desperately would love to see her character in print, but as far as I can tell from reading the synopses of the rest of the book series, she's not a part of this.
It also appears that the series gets markedly better as it goes along, at least according to other reviewers. Considering that this book wasn't at all bad, this bodes well for me reading the rest of the books. (The "Miss Fisher" series was a terrible disappointment, so I'm looking forward to finding another set of books related to TV shows I enjoy. Now only if the Maisie Dobbs books would get made into a miniseries! A girl can dream...)
Once you get over that the books are nothing at all like the series, I actually rather enjoyed this. Murdoch has much more of a bite and is more like a real person than the archetype of a perfect detective. He gets crabby, he (lightly) swears, he dislikes people--characteristics you don't really see on the show.
The mystery didn't make a whole lot of sense, and I still have questions about just how Murdoch solved the case, but I enjoyed the gritty descriptions of 19th century Toronto--not always the Toronto I have in my mind. I think Jennings tries a little bit too hard to pepper the writing with period details, but overall, I like the writing style.
My one regret: no Julia! I desperately would love to see her character in print, but as far as I can tell from reading the synopses of the rest of the book series, she's not a part of this.
It also appears that the series gets markedly better as it goes along, at least according to other reviewers. Considering that this book wasn't at all bad, this bodes well for me reading the rest of the books. (The "Miss Fisher" series was a terrible disappointment, so I'm looking forward to finding another set of books related to TV shows I enjoy. Now only if the Maisie Dobbs books would get made into a miniseries! A girl can dream...)
March 24, 2018
Almost impossible not to make comparisons with the TV show.....
Ok, so I came to MM via the excellent TV series, and therefore HAD to read the books on which the series is based.
I binge bought 5 of the 6 and started at #1....
And as a standalone book, it was ok but had several flaws, the most annoying of which was that NOTHING was ever fully explained. It was all hints and guesses and supposition rather than an ACTUAL explanation of EXACTLY what happened and most importantly WHY?? (Especially when he has an interested landlord/lady to return to at the end where a FULL explanation was begging to come out).
The writer gave some good descriptions of Victorian Toronto, which as a Canadaophile I appreciated, but there was none of the humor or wit of the TV show and not very much characterization. Murdoch is nothing like his TV persona, neither is Crabtree (almost non-existent) and neither is Brackenreid. In novels you expect a lot more backstory, but this delivers little. All in all (and with what I've seen of the beginning of book #2) if you like the TV show, you probably won't like the books. Far too pedestrian and lacking in excitement. It's a shame as the characters have SO much to offer the genre, but they're sadly under-utilized and what we get is a run-of-the-mill Victorian detective novel. I won't be rushing to read the remaining 3...
Ok, so I came to MM via the excellent TV series, and therefore HAD to read the books on which the series is based.
I binge bought 5 of the 6 and started at #1....
And as a standalone book, it was ok but had several flaws, the most annoying of which was that NOTHING was ever fully explained. It was all hints and guesses and supposition rather than an ACTUAL explanation of EXACTLY what happened and most importantly WHY?? (Especially when he has an interested landlord/lady to return to at the end where a FULL explanation was begging to come out).
The writer gave some good descriptions of Victorian Toronto, which as a Canadaophile I appreciated, but there was none of the humor or wit of the TV show and not very much characterization. Murdoch is nothing like his TV persona, neither is Crabtree (almost non-existent) and neither is Brackenreid. In novels you expect a lot more backstory, but this delivers little. All in all (and with what I've seen of the beginning of book #2) if you like the TV show, you probably won't like the books. Far too pedestrian and lacking in excitement. It's a shame as the characters have SO much to offer the genre, but they're sadly under-utilized and what we get is a run-of-the-mill Victorian detective novel. I won't be rushing to read the remaining 3...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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