Jess Faraday

When I bought these and started reading, I didn't realise they were a collection of short stories all centering around a central character. Because of this, the action sort of starts in the middle somewhere instead of us really learning more about the main character first which also means I don't ever feel invested in what's happening or the outcome. This is an attempt at mimicking Conan Doyle and the Sherlock Holmes collection (I mean, it's obvious from the title of this book) but at least those started with [b:A Study in Scarlet|102868|A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes, #1)|Arthur Conan Doyle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519031842l/102868._SX50_.jpg|1997473] which is longer and serves as the introduction to Holmes, Watson, and their London. Faraday doesn't quite pull it off here and I never really got sucked into the two stories featured in this first book. Besides that, however, they are written fairly well with good descriptions and characterisation. I feel the second story is much more memorable but, again like Sherlock Holmes, they both had a sense of the paranormal until the mystery is ultimately solved by our clever hero. I will try to continue on with this series but the first installment leaves a bit to be desired.… (plus d'informations)

We follow Simon through his adventures, he is the constant in these stories. While these are separate mysteries (8 in total), there's a continuous storyline and they cannot be read as standalones. One has to read the entire serial to get the full picture.

After the first story I didn't think much of Simon. But with each instalment he revealed more of himself. And I even think I may have misjudged him at one point.

There is a romantic story arc which basically carries over from one story to the next and stretches to the end and final conclusion. It is not necessarily the focus, at least not at first. If I have to sum it up I'd say this is about Simon's evolution, it just happens to be that Simon is gay and he stumbles upon someone who is also gay and then things happen between them. I, for one, felt satisfied with how that turned out.

The mystery and investigation part was enjoyable for me, even though the cases are not hard to crack, usually the culprits give themselves away pretty quick, or give themselves up out of guilt. Another interesting thing is that Simon did not get these cases assigned to him, he just happened to be at the right place at the wrong time. :)

Lately, whatever I read I end up disappointed by the conclusion. I'm starting to think that might be on me. The lead-up was great, the 3 stories before the last one filled me with anticipation and a bit of dread, but I also felt content. And that's all part of the package. But the ending felt too easy and neat.

Historically (I think) this era is well represented, both in speech and manners, and even the police investigation process.

The writing flows nicely. I had one qualm about it, but even that got better after a while. For example, during each investigation when Simon asked the witnesses to describe the events, that didn't happen in a dialogue format. Instead Simon himself summed it up for the reader what he learned from the witness. Another example, when Simon met someone new (either friend, colleague or lover), again we didn't see them conversing, instead we learned through Simon's narration what there is to know about that person.I wonder if this kind of style is how the author usually writes or it's because these are short stories. Would it be different if I were to read a longer novel? I will find out.

After my initial hesitation I got more and more invested with each story and maybe like-minded Capricorns are drawn to each other, as Simon certainly got me on his side quickly. I wanted him to have a happy ending in whatever way he got it.

3.5 stars… (plus d'informations)