Except the Dying

First Line: They started with the boots, which looked new.


It is bitterly cold in Toronto in the winter of 1895, and the nude body of a servant girl has been found frozen in the snow on a deserted path. Acting detective William Murdoch is assigned the case, and he hopes that he can solve it quickly and with distinction. After all, he's been an acting detective for three years, and unless someone is transferred or dies, it looks as though his career is stalled. But the more he investigates, the longer his suspect list becomes-- and the more he has to contend with bigoted superiors on the police force.

I originally read this book because I've become a devoted fan of the Canadian television series based upon Maureen Jennings' work. So many show more times when I sample a book (or series of books) that has been turned into a television series, my reading pleasure is greatly diminished. That definitely was not the case with Except the Dying. Jennings' historical accuracy and her main character transform what could well have been a conventional murder mystery. While William Murdoch shows himself to be a compassionate man of principles who's still mourning the death of his fiancée, I was also taken with Jennings' turn of phrase-- one woman is described as being "as neat as a nuthatch" and someone else was so hungry he "could eat moss off a rock." The book also opens with a scene that immediately put me in mind of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Writing style, main character, historical accuracy... I am so glad that I introduced myself to Maureen Jennings' books. I'll definitely be reading more. show less

I wish I could judge this book without prejudice, but the fact is, I kept comparing it in my mind to the TV show, "Murdoch Mysteries." I loved the TV Murdoch. He is an amateur scientist, very well read and in quite a bit of conflict with his religious expectations and the life he experiences. The book detective didn't move me at all and had none of these characteristics. In fact, the other characters around him were far more interesting. This is an historical mystery, which takes place in Toronto in the late 1800s. There was quite a bit of slang which I didn't understand and threw me off pace in my reading. Also, much of the story was quite sordid and I don't enjoy that. The author would be in the middle of a scene, then abruptly end it show more with no resolution and switch to a different part of the story, leaving us to piece together the rest of the scene from vague hints later. All that being said, I did like the mystery. There was enough interest in the setting and characters to make me continue reading. I will try to read one more of her books to see if Murdoch develops at all. show less

This book is the first book in a series set in late 19th century Toronto. There may be comparisons to Anne Perry, but it isn't quite there in the first book yet, though it does show promise.
Coming from a small Victorian town myself, which glories in the era and in its past, this book brings home how restricted and restricting life was back then. The social divisions seem every bit as active as they would have been back in England. So much for the New World.
A body is discovered out in the snow. Murdoch, a man very much cleverer than his superiors, sets about homing in on the murderer. There's a lot of nastiness hiding behind respectable, middle class doors, as there always is in these novels.

Murdoch is my newest fictional crush. I blame the television adaptation solely for that, because it really is one of the greatest TV shows that I’ve been watching lately. (It’s so nice to have good Canadian television that doesn’t make me want to cringe.) I also blame the TV adaptation for giving me yet another book series to become immersed into.

Except the Dying is the first of the Detective Murdoch mysteries by Maureen Jennings. Taking place in the late 1800′s in Toronto (Ontario, Canada) Murdoch is an acting detective for the Toronto police force. This case starts off with the murder of a pregnant maid from a wealthy family. Murdoch has run-ins with all types of people in this story, ranging from the pair of prostitutes who show more stole the girl’s clothes when she was lying dead on the snow-covered street, to the wealthy household the girl worked for. Soon more people are getting murdered – what seems to be those who know something about the first girl.

I can say upfront that I am certainly going to be making my way through the rest of the series. This book had so many great things going for it. First, it takes place in Toronto in the late 1800′s. How fun is that?! Second, Murdoch is positively wonderful! I may love Murdoch in the same sense and way that I love Horatio Hornblower, and that’s saying quite a bit. Thirdly, the rest of the characters are so real and wonderful – especially Crabtree, who is one of my favourites on the show.

Then there is Jennings’ style of writing, which sucked me in right from the beginning. I loved that she started with giving us a bit of the victim’s last night from the victim’s point of view, to actually make use care about the girl and the story. She was also able to surprise me with the ending of the book. Certainly not who I had expected to be the killer!

While there are some differences between the show and the book, I found the show keeps itself fairly true to the book. There were some differences (always are), but it had the same atmosphere, and the characters that I really care about were (for the most part) the same. And Murdoch was just as wonderful in the book as I had expected him to be! show less

Honestly, I'm a huge fan of the television series and was more than excited to find out that it had been based off of a book series. Really, who wouldn't be excited that something they adore was already a book; more bits that weren't in the show is what excites me.

The book was rather good, being set in 1895 Toronto and revolves mainly around Detective William Murdoch and his cases. I'm already a huge fan of things being set during this time period, and to find something set in Toronto was brilliant.

I only had occasional issues with the book--a few lines that I had to re-read before I either understood or finally gave up on, and a few bits were punctuation were missing (quotation marks, mostly). As much as those types of things bother show more the living hell out of me, the book was a good read over all.

I really hadn't guessed who the murderer of Alice Black and Theresa Laporte; the story had led me to believe it was one person and was a bit surprised to see that it was someone completely different who hadn't actually been talked about in the story until the last couple of chapters, really.

Overall, I liked it enough to read on with the series! :) show less

I have been watching the Murdoch Mysteries series for all the years that it's been aired on television. I absolutely love it and I love the characters When i received this book as a gift I was thrilled because, for some reason, I hadn't read any of the books that inspired the series. Well, I was in for a bit of a surprise. This book is not at all like the series. The names of the main characters are the same and the setting is Victorian Toronto, but that is where the similarity ends. This is a much more gritty and explicit Murdoch than what I'm used to seeing. In this book Murdoch is an Acting Inspector at Staton 4 in Toronto. He's bright and has excellent detective skills. He is trying to make his mark and get a leg up in the police show more department. When the body of a young, naked woman is found on a snowy, frozen street in Toronto, Murdoch is assigned the case. His investigations take him to all echelons of Toronto society, as well as the backroads and byways where the not-so-respectable "night people" live. During his investigation, another woman is killed and Murdoch is placed at great risk for his own safety. This is an engaging historical mystery that kept my interest throughout, and now I want to read the other five books in this series. show less

A young servant girl is found naked and frozen on the streets of Toronto. Detective Murdoch must sort through the lies to discover the truth about the girl. Everyone, from her employer’s family, their servants and the people on the street where she is found seem to have secrets. This story gave a sharp picture of Toronto in 1895, as well as a good mystery. I particularly liked the main character and the family where he boards. I will look for more of these mysteries.