Poor Tom Is Cold

I really liked this book in the Murdoch series. It is a riveting period piece mystery that is so well written you can't put it down. It gave me a respect his dedication to law enforcement in those times. I love how it explores the genesis of modern evidence gathering, detection, and early forensic science techniques. Murdoch is a good man with deep feelings about the victims and a perseverance that leads him to the murderer. He is also a man of integrity and spirit who longs for the friendship and love of a good woman. He agonizes over his faith and finds an acceptable way to resolve his questions about it.

I am somewhat disappointed in the books. They are different than the TV series. I don't think the series gives a full understanding of the hard times for people at the turn of the century. The series has glamorized alot of the poverty and division of people from rich to poor during that period of time. Doctor Ogden is wealthy and young in the series, in the books she is older and quite stodgy. His love interest becomes a teacher in his boarding house who is a woman's sufferagette... so many issues that do not coincide.

Amazing story Somewhat long at timesHow easy it was to lock someone up in olden timesHow terrible the solutions to crime solving

entertainment

I found this book started great and I couldn't put it down but about two thirds of the way through it seemed to get bogged down. I then found the end seemed rushed on the last few pages as if the author wanted to finish all at once. I still however say it is worth the read.

The book's detail to the slang and the culture of the period gives the reader a good education. However the plot was an easy guess after the first few chapters and waiting for the characters to catch up was painful. Murdoch did not solve this case, he fell over it by accident. Frankly I thought he acted like a pubescent sap in this novel. I hope the next book has a better plot and a more intelligent Murdoch.

I started watching what in the US is called "The Artful Dectective." It is a really good show, produced in Canada and called there, "Murdoch Mysteries." This is one of the novels the series is adapted from. The books are grittier and a little darker than the TV show, but still good mysteries.

This was a very good mystery and this comes after the fact that I had sen the tv movie version before I got the book. I really enjoyed it and liked the characters in the book even better than I did in the movie. I look forward to reading more of Maureen Jennings's books in the future.

watch the series on tv its better

This volume of the Murdoch Mystery series lines up all the characters and repeats them often enough so the reader does not lose track of them. This did not happen in her second novel, Except the Dying, where she attempted to put a clue in each chapter and tie it together at the end. I found that difficult to follow, but subsequent books were tight and well thought out. The Murdoch Series has been adapted for film in the UK, and a joint UK/Canadian Series is currently being made and shown successfully in Canada based on the main characters in her books. She is currently a creative consultant of this series, and although the characters veer a little from the TV series, they are also tight and well put together. Trying to guess what techniques were available to Toronto Police in the late 19th and early 20th century is great fun, and Ms Jennings has done thorough research in the area.

Uneven story jumps around from character to character each chapter. The mystery takes place in the Murdoch chapters & character background filler for the rest.The secondary characters seem detached from the main mystery and they didn't hold my interest. I was tempted to skip their chapters, but I felt key information would be missed.I did enjoy the other Maureen Jennings Murdoch books.

I just started reading the book and I am enjoying it.

Like told I enjoy all six book and I would like to read more of Murdoch and I am reading book seven I start last night