Winter at Death’s Hotel by Kenneth Cameron
Hello!
Oliver and Spencer have kindly let me review this book on their blog. They know that I have an expertise in an areas vital to this book they do not. In my previous life, before I came to live with Oliver, Spencer, and their friends, I was in the employ of an historic hotel in Melbourne, and thus I had an insight into the setting of this book.
And while my employer was an historic hotel in Melbourne and Winter at Death’s Hotel is set in a hotel in New York in 1896, the differences are far less than one might imagine. The portrayal of the hotel, and the hotel’s employees was very well done, if you ask me. The fact that the hotel becomes almost a character unto itself was ingenious. Having read this book, even though the New Britannic is a fictional hotel, I am happy my employer had modernized most of the historic hotel. I would not have wanted to work at such an establishment without modern conveniences.
My expertise aside, this was an interesting book. I did not really know what to expect when beginning the book. The cover did not give many clues, and the blurb was more teaser than anything else. The book began rather slowly, and it was not until the last few chapters that the action picked up and became a race to the finish. Reviews I read after finishing the book called the book uneven, and I have to say that is an accurate description. The action is very uneven, lurching like one of the lifts in the hotel would, or how the heroine does limping along on her crutches. The uneven nature of the book made it difficult for me to read a great deal at any one time, and it was not the kind of book I could not put down. I found it very easy to put the book down at the end of sections or chapters.
There are many unresolved plot points in the book, though I doubt the author has any plans to continue this as a series to war them up. The nature of this story makes it highly likely that this is a stand-alone mystery, though characters from this story could be picked up in a series. Then again, it’s nice for this to be a one-off kind of tale.
I thoroughly enjoyed having the main character of the book be Louisa Conan Doyle. That made for a refreshing change from the myriad Holmesian pastiches or mysteries featuring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as a main character. It did not bother me in the least that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was relegated to minor character in this book, or that his portrayal was not entirely flattering. (His estate may have something to say about that, but it is none of my concern.) I liked Louisa as a character; she was engaging and likable and early on she became a friend.
The story stumbled along like it could have used a better editor, and there were threads that could have been tied up in much better ways than they were. But on the whole it was a good book with an interesting premise. The mystery was clever and the characters were likable for the most part. The final resolution was..., well, I can’t say anything about that without spoiling the book for others, so I am torn.
Despite the Holmesian connection, Winter at Death’s Hotel is not a cozy mystery by any means, it does tend toward the darker, more graphic end of the genre. I think readers should be prepared for that, and not read too much of it too late at night — both Oliver and I had trouble falling asleep after reading some before bed. I would say it’s definitely the kind of book to read on a sunny day, if only to counter the darkness of the book’s world with the brightness of the real world.
Overall, it was well worth the time to read it. Getting to know this version of Louisa Conan Doyle was a treat. The portrayal of Theodore Roosevelt as Police Commissioner of New York was different than I have experienced before as well, which you can take however you wish. Saying too much more might spoil parts of the books, so I will just leave it at that.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four cups of strong tea with a brandy chaser (trust me you’ll need it), and a tea-tray of sweet and savory treats for fortification
Thanks for the opportunity,
Hope to see you soon,
Guillaume
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