The Edwin Drood Murders
Christopher Lord
Print Length: 199 pages
Publisher: Harrison Thurman Books (September 22, 2013)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00FE1TLUU
Available in paperback and as an e-book, this is a story filled with over-the-top characters, except for Simon Alistair, bookstore owner and main supporter of Dickens Junction, where people come to celebrate the life and times of Charles Dickens. Simon is cultured, diplomatic and certainly more reserved than people such as Daniel “Quilpy” Quill, a popular blogger who made his entrance into the convention wearing baggie jeans that let a bit of elastic from his underwear show and a hooded gray sweatshirt. Quite a contrast to the impeccable suits and ties most of the male guests wore.
Most of the women are dressed conservatively as well, except for Osma Dilber, who has a penchant to wrap her petite frame in outlandish muumuus of wild and bold colors. She is also the proud owner of a large ring, which would be garish had it not been worth thousands of dollars.
Those and other colorful characters gather at this convention to celebrate Dickens unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and then the real mystery begins. When that priceless ring and a rare artifact go missing, Simon and his partner Zach Benjamin learn that someone will do anything–including murder–to get what they want.
The writing is reminiscent of Dickens himself, a bit wordy with detailed descriptions of people as they enter the story, as well as the place in which they enter the story. It’s been a while since I’ve read Dickens, but I do recall that he liked to introduce the main players in his stories at a leisurely pace. Once the set-up is complete, however, the pacing does pick up, and overall the writing is entertaining with bits of wry humor and clever plotting.
The Edwin Drood Murders is the second volume in the Dickens Junction mystery series that began with The Christmas Carol Murders, a book bestselling thriller writer Chelsea Cain called “a love letter to both Dickens and to the small town amateur detectives who’ve kept the peace in hamlets from River Heights to Cabot Cove.”
One does not have to be a Dickens fan to enjoy this mystery.
