It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of historical mysteries but most of the ones I read take place in London so it was quite a treat to read Except the Dying which is set in turn-of-the-century Toronto.
The novel starts with the discovery of the body of a young woman. The police identify the body as that belonging to the housemaid of the prominent Rhodes family. At first there is a question about her character because why else would she have been out late at night? All that is put aside when the police find that she was pregnant and drugged and this quickly becomes a murder investigation.
Detective Murdoch has to tread carefully as he questions the Rhodes family members. Donalda, the wife seems like she cared for the girl but he knows she’s hiding something and her son's furtiveness also makes him suspicious. Detective Murdoch can’t alienate them or offend them but their silences only lead him to ask more questions. There are many suspects and Jennings does a good job of making the reader question the motives of a lot of the characters and look for the clues to solving the mystery.
I think what was most touching in this novel was Detective Murdoch’s loneliness and heartache. He’s still grieving for his fiancée yet at the same time you can see that he is trying to get on with living. He’s even enrolled in dancing classes and looks forward to when he can dance with a young woman again.
Perhaps the weakest point in the novel was the actual revelation of the whodunit. It was a bit underwhelming. Still despite that I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
Additional Resources:
Author's Web Site
Added 02/07