Trowchester Blues (Alex Beecroft)
4.5 stars
Sometimes you get to read a book that feels like it's written just for you -- a book that just checks all your list of the things you want to read. You won't care what everyone else thinks about the book, people might hate it, might think it's mediocre. Heck, you might even see some issues later on when you read other people's reviews. But you don't care, you know you love it, and the story fills your heart with such gentle, warm, lovely feeling, that you don't want to let the characters go. Not just yet.
This is what Trowchester Blues for me. I loved it that much and it was (nearly) perfect for my mood, for a read on a rainy day. Even days after I finished this one, whenever I thought back about it, I felt like I was being cloaked with state of content. Unfortunately, I also often found it difficult to explain the reason why ...
Maybe it was the storytelling -- there was something compelling in the way Beecroft wrote the story of Michael May, a former homicide detective who has been slowly crumbled after failing to save victims, and Fintan "Finn" Hulme, a bookshop owner who has been trying to live as honest man after leaving his old days as a fencer for stolen
antiquities. Both are mature characters -- over 40 years old -- and have dealt with losses in their life. But while Finn has slowly climbed out of his grief of losing his partner for the past five years, Michael is still haunted with the ghost of his tyrannic father as he returns to his childhood home at Trowchester. There was this solemn mood in the book, a balance between hopeful encounter and a possible complication that might happen when an ex-criminal and a former detective forge a relationship. Especially when both have to deal with old client who brings danger to Finn's door, including arson and kidnapping.
Oh, I wish I can write something poetic or coherent to further tell you how I fell in love with these characters and the small-town setting. But I can't ... words just fail me. All I can say that the story is beautiful, I was clinging to every words, every conversation that happened between Michael and Finn, every arguments that arise, even their inner thoughts and worries and wishes. How I cheered when Michael had the chance to be Finn's white knight, for finally being able to do 'right' for someone who matters to him. How I felt relieved that Finn could be Michael's savior, his sole reason to smile and be happy.
The one story line I wasn't sure of was the one related to the homeless / runaway girl, Sarah. As a character, she might be designed to give layers to both Michael and Finn. For Michael, Sarah is his one chance to do things right -- things that he couldn't do for all those missing girls that he couldn't save during his time on the Met. While for Finn, Sarah is his 'ghost-company', someone he silently (and namelessly) shared his meal with without ever exchanging any information. It was sweet but I didn't think that this plot was deeply explored. So at times, I just found it distracting.
However, in overall, Trowchester Blues is a satisfying combination of a little mystery, a little suspense, and a lot of character development and romance. What else can I ask for?
The ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.
This could be ours. D’you think you could do that? In this place where I don’t think you were very happy for a very long time, d’you think I could make you happy in the future?
Sometimes you get to read a book that feels like it's written just for you -- a book that just checks all your list of the things you want to read. You won't care what everyone else thinks about the book, people might hate it, might think it's mediocre. Heck, you might even see some issues later on when you read other people's reviews. But you don't care, you know you love it, and the story fills your heart with such gentle, warm, lovely feeling, that you don't want to let the characters go. Not just yet.
This is what Trowchester Blues for me. I loved it that much and it was (nearly) perfect for my mood, for a read on a rainy day. Even days after I finished this one, whenever I thought back about it, I felt like I was being cloaked with state of content. Unfortunately, I also often found it difficult to explain the reason why ...
Maybe it was the storytelling -- there was something compelling in the way Beecroft wrote the story of Michael May, a former homicide detective who has been slowly crumbled after failing to save victims, and Fintan "Finn" Hulme, a bookshop owner who has been trying to live as honest man after leaving his old days as a fencer for stolen
antiquities. Both are mature characters -- over 40 years old -- and have dealt with losses in their life. But while Finn has slowly climbed out of his grief of losing his partner for the past five years, Michael is still haunted with the ghost of his tyrannic father as he returns to his childhood home at Trowchester. There was this solemn mood in the book, a balance between hopeful encounter and a possible complication that might happen when an ex-criminal and a former detective forge a relationship. Especially when both have to deal with old client who brings danger to Finn's door, including arson and kidnapping.
Oh, I wish I can write something poetic or coherent to further tell you how I fell in love with these characters and the small-town setting. But I can't ... words just fail me. All I can say that the story is beautiful, I was clinging to every words, every conversation that happened between Michael and Finn, every arguments that arise, even their inner thoughts and worries and wishes. How I cheered when Michael had the chance to be Finn's white knight, for finally being able to do 'right' for someone who matters to him. How I felt relieved that Finn could be Michael's savior, his sole reason to smile and be happy.
The one story line I wasn't sure of was the one related to the homeless / runaway girl, Sarah. As a character, she might be designed to give layers to both Michael and Finn. For Michael, Sarah is his one chance to do things right -- things that he couldn't do for all those missing girls that he couldn't save during his time on the Met. While for Finn, Sarah is his 'ghost-company', someone he silently (and namelessly) shared his meal with without ever exchanging any information. It was sweet but I didn't think that this plot was deeply explored. So at times, I just found it distracting.
However, in overall, Trowchester Blues is a satisfying combination of a little mystery, a little suspense, and a lot of character development and romance. What else can I ask for?
The ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.
5