Kindle British & Irish Mystery Book Club discussion
Book Club Monthly Read
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Oct 2024 Group Road - A Long Shadow, by H.L. Marsay
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Something to start with for our discussion starting tomorrow...Detective Chief Inspector John Shadow doesn't like anything to interrupt his "full English" as you'll come to know in reading this and the others in the York-based series. He lives on a narrow boat on the River Ouse, loves crossword puzzles, and dislikes modern technology.
His assistant, Sergeant Jimmy Change's family owns one of the DCI's favorite restaurants, which he takes full advantage of in solving the murder. Nothing like a full stomach to help solve a crime. Or if that's not available, he'll grab a snack off the street.
In A Long Shadow, we have two dead girls, bodies found many years apart. Rest assured that DCI Shadow, with Jimmy's help, will figure out what's afoot, in time to finish another puzzle and have a meat pie -- or two.
Started reading yesterday and really like Shadow. I can't help wondering though if we ever get the answers to the crossword clues at the end. I'm now puzzling over 3 and am not really good at these kinds of cryptic puzzles. An excellent idea to throw them in. An easy read, which moves along quickly.
Hi, Shell, and thanks for commenting. Glad you like Inspector Shadow, I do, too, and have read all the books in the series. Just downloaded the new one that came out a few days ago! To answer your comments, yes, the solution to the crossword puzzle is at the end of the book LOL.
What do others think about the curmudgeonly Inspector? I like the character, and enjoy his way of "getting around" problems and finding solutions. Also enjoy the setting, and how he uses the City of York in the plot.
As for the story -- he's coming to realize the deaths of the two young woman -- Fay and Emma -- are somehow connected. Curiouser and curiouser.... It's a "feeling that was keeping him awake," as the book will tell you.
And then, he has the deaths of more homeless people to contend with. The plot thickens, as they say.
If you didn’t know some of York’s historic street names before, you certainly will after reading this book. I gave it a 3.5 in the end mainly for its social awareness rather than the whodunnit aspect.
Very true, Chris. The city of York is definitely part of the plot.So -- we have three bodies now, although Shadow is not happy with the "serial killer" headline in the local newspapers. But is that truly what's at play here? The Chief Inspector has an idea....
And I think you'll agree with the chief constable, "Tact is not your strong point, Shadow." He's a definite Luddite, too.
This is my first read in this group, and I completely enjoyed it! Being an introvert myself, I adore Chief Inspector Shadow. I enjoy the contrast between him and his Sergeant, Jimmy Chang. Their two differing styles of investigation seem to compliment each other and not make for conflict. I love how CI Shadow can, and will, use just enough “modern” technology to his advantage without going completely out of his comfort zone. The residents and city of York were very interesting. The story moved at a good pace, but was not rushed. It was an enjoyable and comfortable read for me. And I always like when the solution can be recognized before the last one or two chapters. I do enjoy figuring it out when I can. But I don’t like it when the guilty party is a surprise and the reasons why only come out in the final pages. I enjoyed the book, and am glad to have found another detective series to read.
Super, Rebecca, glad you liked it and "we" could steer you to another series to enjoy. As you read through other books, the author does a great job of introducing more and more about the characters' background, especially in regards to Shadow's "lost love." Sure does bring them alive. And then there's the subtle things that he does that are a wee bit outside the law... and the food! Love his forays to restaurants.
And in this book, he's not such a bad fellow; he knows how to celebrate the birth of a grandchild.
And finally, the "light bulb" moment, in more ways than one.
A Long Shadow is really a great start to a very good detective series, with all the boxes checked that makes a reader eager for further reading.
Helen wrote: "Super, Rebecca, glad you liked it and "we" could steer you to another series to enjoy. As you read through other books, the author does a great job of introducing more and more about the characters..."Thank you! That is so true, Helen. I had not thought about the grandchild. For an introverted loner, he made a beautiful response. CI Shadow is such an interesting set of contradictions himself, and he is definitely one for subtlety. I’m excited to learn the characters develop more and we get to know them better in the coming books. Shadow’s “lightbulb moment” kind of put me in mind of Inspector Thanet’s (Dorothy Simpson’s detective). His often come to him with actual physical sensations as realization or understanding settles on him.
A Long Shadow, by H. L. Marsay
"Old sins cast long shadows…
When the bodies of a young, homeless girl and a girl who disappeared thirty years ago are found on the same day, residents in the historic city of York are aghast. It seems unlikely the two cases are related, and yet some of the same players knew both victims. As Detective Chief Inspector John Shadow and his eager new partner, Sergeant Jimmy Chang, dive into their investigation, they uncover a complicated web of pop stars, pub owners, shopkeepers and old school friends who each have something to hide.
John Shadow is a man of contradictions. A solitary figure who shuns company, but is a keen observer of all he meets. A lover of good food, but whose fridge is almost always empty. He prefers to work alone and is perpetually trying to dodge his partner, who’s full of energy, modern ideas and theories.
But as the two men gradually learn to work together to solve the case, it’s clear that the past is never as far away as you think."
Discussion Leader: Helen Howerton
Link to Book on Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Long-Shadow-Ch...
Link to Book on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Shadow-...