Author: Ross Montgomery
Genre: Mystery (locked room, cozy*)
Publisher: HarperCollins, Penguin Random House UK
Format: Audiobook (NetGalley copy)
Narrators: Joe Jameson, Derek Jacobi
TW: murder, period typical sexism, mention of eugenics in a true context, verbal abuse, sexual harassment (mentioned)
*The main lady character, Decima swears like a sailor (period accurately), which might put off some cozy readers, but I definitely believe this counts as cozy.
I, pardon my French, freaking loved The Murder At World’s End.
But first, the plot: It’s 1910 in Cornwall, England. The day Hailey’s Comet caused a worldwide panic. Swept up in this panic is Viscount Conrad Stonckington, who decides to seal up his estate, the semi island of World’s End, in hopes to emerge into a new world. Thrust into this lunacy is Stephen Pike, a prisoner turned footman here with a reference to work in the house. Hired on to take care of the helion Miss Decima, Conrad’s irasible aunt, it seems to be simple. Seal the doors, and wait untill the next morning for the lunacy to boil over. But not everyone makes it out alive. The next morning, Conrad is found dead, a crossbow bolt in his brain, and Stephen is a prime suspect.
The mystery unravels from there, with many twists and turns and red herrings. The mystery was tantalizing enough to keep me hooked and guessing until the end. The world building was believeable and complex, and the language was surprisingly vivid but also in character, even if the amount of times Stephen jumped or bumped into someone stood out. (But since it’s his diary, the repetitive actions makes a lot of sense.)
But the characters were the real draw.
Stephen Pike is initially a bit naive. A country boy done in for a crime he didn’t commit, his last chance is World’s End. I love Stephen. He’s endearing (I love his habit of carrying around a notebook and writing down words he doesn’t know so he could look them up later) and insanely observant, without being mean. The book is primarily told through those notebook entries in first person with a few interstitial bits done in third person, which is very intimate. His perspective is a joy to read, and his background came right through and added colour to the story, balancing out the other lead, Decima.
I love Stephen, but I would follow Miss Decima Stockington into the jaws of hell, and I think Stephen would too. Decima is a force of nature. Worldly, whip smart and assertive, but also flawed. Her mistreatment by her family has hardened her, and she has prejudices and meanness that she has to overcome. Her verbal sparing with Stephen is amazing, and her voice is so different from his. (She swears, for one, oh the horror!) Her character at the end of the novel had me crying.
The side characters felt so real too. Shout out in particular to Temperance and Mr. Stokes, and the hilariously incompetent Inspector Jarvis. But for spoiler reasons, I won’t mention anything more about them.
It would be remis of me not to mention the outstanding narration done by Joe Jameson and Derek Jacobi. Jameson voiced every character in the novel and did it well too. He brought every character to life and was so good at it that I was convinced there were multiple narrators. Derek Jacobi voiced the outside of the diary parts, and he was excellent as well, with a dignified voice that sparkled with barely held mirth near the end.
I am so glad there is room for a sequel.
I will be buying this book for my mother in law. She’ll love it as much as I did.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review audiobook!
Final Rating: 5 Stars
Drink Paring: Black tea in a porcelain cup, hot and steaming
No comments:
Post a Comment