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Inspector Faro #11
The Coffin Lane Murders
Another Case for Inspector Jeremy Faro, Edinburgh's Victorian detective, by Scotland's leading mystery writer, Alanna Knight, and author of over 30 novels.
218 pages, Paperback
First published May 22, 1998
About the author
Alanna Knight
80 books47 followersaka Margaret Hope
Alanna Knight MBE has published more than sixty novels (including sixteen in the acclaimed Inspector Faro series, and seven featuring his daughter Rose McQuinn), as well as non-fiction, true crime and several books on Robert Louis Stevenson, numerous short stories and two plays since her award-winning first book ‘Legend of the Loch’ in 1969. A founding member and Honorary President of the Scottish Association of Writers and of the Edinburgh Writer’s Club, born and educated on Tyneside, she has two sons and two granddaughters and lives in Edinburgh.
Alanna Knight MBE has published more than sixty novels (including sixteen in the acclaimed Inspector Faro series, and seven featuring his daughter Rose McQuinn), as well as non-fiction, true crime and several books on Robert Louis Stevenson, numerous short stories and two plays since her award-winning first book ‘Legend of the Loch’ in 1969. A founding member and Honorary President of the Scottish Association of Writers and of the Edinburgh Writer’s Club, born and educated on Tyneside, she has two sons and two granddaughters and lives in Edinburgh.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 24, 2017
Though a historical mystery like the last book I read, this one was very different in tone and setting from it. Though no 11 in the series, this was the first of the Inspector Faro books I’ve read. It is close to Christmas in Victorian Edinburgh (just the time to read this one) and the atmosphere is cold and icy. The residents including Inspector Faro’s family are enjoying ice-skating, but his stepson Lance Laurie and his partner, both doctors, have to contend with influenza fast spreading in the city. Inspector Faro himself has a challenge as big or perhaps bigger on his hands soon, as a killer begins to strike lone women in Coffin Lane stabbing them quite ruthlessly with a knife. But there seems no connection between the victims, all from different walks of life, and there for different purposes. While evidence points to a certain person, the case turns out to be far more complex than first meets the eye with various connected threads.
This was as I said very different in tone from the last historical mystery (The Prodigal Son) that I’d read immediately before, far more sombre, and with the characters’ stories far “heavier” (if that makes sense). At the start of the book, I found myself a little confused as to the various characters and their relationships with one another (the impact probably of starting a series this late on) but I did have them sorted out before I got too far in. Many of the characters have had troubled pasts or are facing troubles in their current lives, each carrying a burden in that sense. The end of the book also reveals some secrets (I wasn’t sure to what extent these facts are known to readers from past books in the series) but these do come as a surprise. I wonder how this will impact the characters as the series progresses. One also gets a glimpse into the social side of things, mores, class, issues facing women, the mentally-ill, as well as lighter aspects.
As for the murders themselves, I certainly didn’t guess who or why―in fact my suspicions were in a completely wrong direction but I was consoled by the fact that the Inspector considered that option too :) The who and why were both far more twisted than I’d expected. Some part of the mystery as regards one of the characters I’d managed to guess but not the whole of it, while another revelation towards the end came as a complete surprise. I see my statements are very general but I don’t want to refer to anything that might end up a spoiler.
This was a good read though a rather more serious one than I’d planned to pick up at the moment.
(On a side note, it was interesting to see that the author has written a separate series featuring the Inspector’s daughter Rose as the detective).
This was as I said very different in tone from the last historical mystery (The Prodigal Son) that I’d read immediately before, far more sombre, and with the characters’ stories far “heavier” (if that makes sense). At the start of the book, I found myself a little confused as to the various characters and their relationships with one another (the impact probably of starting a series this late on) but I did have them sorted out before I got too far in. Many of the characters have had troubled pasts or are facing troubles in their current lives, each carrying a burden in that sense. The end of the book also reveals some secrets (I wasn’t sure to what extent these facts are known to readers from past books in the series) but these do come as a surprise. I wonder how this will impact the characters as the series progresses. One also gets a glimpse into the social side of things, mores, class, issues facing women, the mentally-ill, as well as lighter aspects.
As for the murders themselves, I certainly didn’t guess who or why―in fact my suspicions were in a completely wrong direction but I was consoled by the fact that the Inspector considered that option too :) The who and why were both far more twisted than I’d expected. Some part of the mystery as regards one of the characters I’d managed to guess but not the whole of it, while another revelation towards the end came as a complete surprise. I see my statements are very general but I don’t want to refer to anything that might end up a spoiler.
This was a good read though a rather more serious one than I’d planned to pick up at the moment.
(On a side note, it was interesting to see that the author has written a separate series featuring the Inspector’s daughter Rose as the detective).
November 11, 2017
At some point, I found this as a free kindle download. A few weeks ago, I started reading it in a bout of insomnia. That (and jumping into a series deep in the middle) may account for my loose grasp of the characters early on - I had a hard time remembering which male was which, and the tale was slow to catch my attention. I suspect people who are familiar with the series and the characters would enjoy it more than I did.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews