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Where Monsters Dwell (2011)

by Jørgen Brekke(Favorite Author)

3.61 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1250016800 (ISBN13: 9781250016805)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Minotaur Books

series

Odd Singsaker

review 1: Being from Richmond, VA, where part of this novel took place, I was interested to read it. I noticed that the author got things very slightly wrong (calling Monument Avenue "Monument Street", for example) (we natives simply refer to it as "Monument", actually) and placing a Victorian mansion in Windsor Farms, the neighborhood where I grew up; Windsor Farms was constructed in the 1920s and has mostly Colonial Revival-style houses, no Victorians, faux or otherwise. Eh, whatever; I doubt the author has ever been to Richmond and chose it as one of his locations simply because of the Poe museum. And what was the deal with that, anyway? This book was all over the place--a medieval monk/anatomist/serial killer (?), EAP, a strangely promiscuous librarian, a modern-day serial kille... morer with no sensible motivation that I could detect, a sexual abuse victim-turned-detective (I can't call her a survivor since years later she is barely hanging on), sketchy book dealers...many, many plot threads to distract the reader. There was a lot of interesting historical information stuffed in, as well, which kept me reading, but overall there was just too much going on, too many characters, and, towards the end, too much silly melodrama and unlikely romance for me to go higher than an "it was OK" rating.
review 2: Almost 5 stars but dialogue a bit strained due to translation or cultural difference perhaps. That said, thrillers with historical backgrounds are favorites of mine and this author is now on my list of must read in the future. This story's Odds Singsaker is a detective right up there with Harry Hole for characters of strange and damaged goods. Gruesome to be sure but a fast, easy and compelling read to enjoy and highly recommend. less

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