Tuesday 28 May 2019

Shipwreck - Maureen Jennings - Detective Murdoch Book 0.5

Shipwreck
Detective Murdoch Book 0.5
Maureen Jennings

Grass Roots Press
ISBN 9781926583266
eISBN 9781283550505
ASIN B0060PZOAA


Prior to reading this novella I have only read one of the Murdoch Novels. I have been a fan of the series for years, and just recently was able to get caught up to day on the show. The novels and the show diverge a bit, from what I have read, and watched. But this interesting story could fit will in either the literary or cinematographic worlds of Murdoch.

This story is a little unusual, in that it is the story in part of the telling of another story. It is being told by Bill Murdoch, at first to his grand daughter and then to his daughter, the story is about his great-grandfather, William Murdoch, who was also a police detective. I could not help but picture Peter Falk, and Bill Murdoch while reading this story. The story takes place on the eve of the anniversary of Bill’s wife’s death. And as part of his work at a support group for grief, he has begun writing stories, and in this story, he shares a tale of young William Murdoch. The story being told took place about 140 years earlier and is in part the story of one of the factors that lead William Murdoch to become a police office and a very good detective at that.   

The first part of the story is interrupted often with questions and interjections by Bill’s granddaughter. And the next day he reads the remaining part of the story to his daughter as she is in bed. 

This story is fun in imagining William’s grandson, a retired detective having followed in his footsteps, caring for his family, and working out his grief by writing family stories. It is also excellent to see this much younger William, serving at the altar at mass, and helping when a ship is wrecked. 

Writing shorter fiction is a very different art than writing the novel. This story is very well crafted. For fans of either the books or the tv show it will be a great read. For others who love shorter form fiction, and enjoy a bit of mystery, it is excellent also. It is a great addition to the canon of work about William Murdoch, and well worth the read!

Books by Maureen Jennings:
Detective Murdoch Series:

0.5 Shipwreck
1.0 Except the Dying
2.0 Under the Dragon's Tail
3.0 Poor Tom Is Cold
4.0 Let Loose the Dogs
5.0 Night's Child
6.0 Vices of My Blood
7.0 A Journeyman to Grief
8.0 Let Darkness Bury the Dead
...

Detective Inspector Tom Tyler Series:
1.0 Season of Darkness
2.0 Beware This Boy
3.0 No Known Grave
4.0 Dead Ground in Between
...

Christine Morris Series:
1.0 Does Your Mother Know?
2.0 The K Handshape
...


Paradise Café Series:

1.0 Heat Wave
2.0 November Rain
...

Other books:
The Map of Your Mind: Journeys into Creative Expression
Investigating Murdoch Mysteries: The Official Companion to the Series – with Michelle Ricci and Mir Bahmanyar
...
 









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