Murder At The Boxing Match

One would think that after eight previous books in this who-done-it series, the author would have worked out some of the prose quirks that get in the way of his story. The direct dialogue quotes are stilted and unbelievable. The frequent use of thrice-repeated standalone relative clauses after a simple declarative sentence leads to a rhythm that is less Hemingway and more Dr. Seuss. Homeric epithets (“…youg scrapper Harley”) stick to characters all the way through the book. The mystery plot is formulaic and the denouement seemed arbitrary.

“Murder at the Boxing Match” is my introduction to the Inspector Hunnam Mystery series by Davin Colten and is the ninth in the series. I was looking for a nice cozy mystery and, to a point, found one. Set in the 1920’s boxing scene in London, the details of the competition, corruption, and characters are believably told. The murder and motives make sense, and the guilty party is, of course, found out from the large pool of suspects. However, I was continually distracted by elements of the author’s style. Adjectives describing the characters are overused, e.g., “the handsome Inspector Hunnam” and “the lovely Miss Grey” are repeated; once their comeliness is established, we do not need to be continually reminded. show more Characters repeat back to each other, or to a third party, what someone has just said. I began to wonder if the author was trying to achieve a word count. In the end, the mental editing detracted from story, which could have easily earned a higher rating. show less

This is my first Inspector Hunnam mystery and it was a nice murder mystery. I like the characters, and it moved along at a good pace. The ending was satisfying and wrapped the story up nice. What bothered me the most was characters repeating word for word back what they were just told. But I got over that and just sat back and enjoyed a really nice story.

I received from LibraryThing Early Reviewer for and honest review.

Murder at the Boxing Match by Davin Colten

The story moves at a fast pace, with attention to detail, and is character-driven in the classic whodunit style. With a likable lead, interesting characters, and a long list of suspects, I was guessing until the end.

Overall, I found Murder at the Boxing Match very enjoyable. I look forward to reading more in this series. Perfect for those who enjoy cozy murder mysteries. Easily read in one sitting. A good read !