3.5★

I wanted to read this novel as soon as I found out that;

☞ Although Hume was born & died in England and wrote his most famous work (this one) while living in Australia, his time in NZ obviously meant a lot to him and he identified as a Kiwi for the rest of his life.

I can relate to that. I am still a Canadian citizen but I always feel 100% like a New Zealander. Home is where your heart is. ♥

☞ This book supposedly inspired [a:Arthur Conan Doyle|2448|Arthur Conan Doyle|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1495008883p2/2448.jpg] to write his first Sherlock Holmes book.



And I really enjoyed the start. Hume's style was initially fast paced and far more fresh and lively than most Victorian authors. I really engaged with the characters.

But I have to go on my own reading experience and for me the pace fell off and I had to read the ending twice to figure out the killer's motivation.

3.5★ is a good rating from me - it does mean I want to read more by this author. And I am tougher on the murder mystery genre as I read so many of them