Except the Dying is the first of Maureen Jennings' book about Detective William Murdoch in Victorian Toronto. Yes, the same William Murdoch of the hit tv series Murdoch Mysteries ... sort of. I say "sort of" because although the show is based on the characters and set in the same time period and location, the similarities between the show (now in its tenth season) and the books (at least this first one of seven) are few and far between. I'm pretty sure that if I had read the books first, I probably wouldn't have continued to watch the show past the first episode or two. They're that different. The book is beautifully dark and gritty and far more serious. Jennings has a way with words that, now, almost seem to be satired in the show. I'm greatly looking forward to picking up the next book in the series ... and now not so excited for the next episode.
Friday 56 (today is page 156 from the paperback) is hosted at Freda's Voice &
Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.
From Amazon:
