Mr. Trow clearly knows and enjoys the time and setting, and both come to life. The characters of Grand and Batchelor are refreshing realistic, and enjoyably down-to-earth. There are a plethora of supporting characters, and they are all multi-dimensional as well. If anything, the amount of characters and the space they occupy in this novel may have been a bit of a hindrance at times. I found myself enjoying each tangential character and their individual stories, but at the expense of narrative drive and tension. I felt at times that Mr. Trow was taking two good stories, almost two good books, and forcing them into one fairly enjoyable but rather unwieldy whole. The amount of coincidences and plot devices that had to happen to bring the two main characters and their stories together stretched credulity at times, but it never broke. Mr. Trow’s assured prose, and his unabashed enjoyment managed to keep the plot one point, and if the pace was slowed now and again by the side trips, each detour was enjoyable. I suppose it might not be too much of a spoiler, since this is advertised as the first book of a series, that in the end Grand ends up staying in London, and he and Batchelor hang up their shingle. I’ll probably drop in for the next case.
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July 2020
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