 
|
Publisher:
Constable Crime |
Release
Date: April 2003 |
ISBN:
1841196916 |
Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: Hardback |
Buy
it at Amazon US
|| UK |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Historical Crime [1896, Orkney, British Isles] |
Reviewed:
2003 |
Reviewer:
Rachel A Hyde |
|
An
Orkney Murder
Rose McQuinn,
Book 3
By Alanna
Knight
Alanna
Knight is the author of twelve novels set in Victorian Edinburgh
and chronicling the cases of Chief Inspector Faro. Now she is setting
down the equally diverting-but rather different-cases of his intrepid
daughter, the female private detective Rose McQuinn. In contrast
to the usual Edinburgh setting, this one takes Rose back to her
roots on Orkney and her first visit there for many years. She is
visiting her sister Emily, who is now married to the widower Erland
Yesnaby, the well-off scion of an ancient Orcadian family. But soon
her innocent holiday turns out to be anything but, as a body has
been unearthed by archaeologists from a nearby peat bog, but instead
of the longed-for Maid of Norway it is somebody rather more recent,
and very close to home. This makes Rose wonder just how much she
knows about her old home, and her own family.
This tale has a highly gothic flavor
about it and ought to appeal to all those who are mourning the demise
of this diverting sub-genre. Family secrets, a hint of the supernatural,
romance and a beautifully well-realized setting make this the sort
of tale that Victoria Holt might have penned-it is even narrated
by the protagonist. What it lacks in action it more than makes up
for in atmosphere, and after finding the first Rose McQuinn novel,
The Inspector's Daughter (also reviewed on this site), overly sentimental
and lacking in incident, I wasn't sure what to expect, but this
series is truly getting into its stride now, and a bit different
to any other Victorian detective series--which is always a good
thing. I still hope that Ms Knight might decide to pen a book or
two about Rose and Danny's American adventures, which are alluded
to and sound highly thrilling. A series about the crime-solving
exploits of a Pinkerton operative and his wife in frontier Dakota
would be something new and a worthy addition to the growing sub-genre
of the historical whodunit. Until then, I will eagerly await the
next Rose McQuinn mystery.
Reviews of previous titles
in this series
An
Orkney Murder #3
Ghost
Walk #4
Destroying
Walk #5
Murder
Lies Waiting #9
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