Solitary House (Charles Maddox Detective, #2)

by Lynn Shepherd

[empressbrooke]

I read this book because I signed up to win the sequel on Library Thing's Early Reviewers program. I was also in the mood for a mystery after gorging on non-fiction and sci-fi this year, so the timing was perfect.

On its own, The Solitary House is a completely solid and well written Victorian mystery. I really enjoyed the omniscient narrator that interjected its own observations and made amusing comments. I liked how all the different pieces slowly unfolded and connected.

However, I have to admit that any deeper enjoyment was probably lost on me for having not read [a:Charles Dickens|239579|Charles Dickens|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1357465042p2/239579.jpg]' [b:Bleak House|31242|Bleak House|Charles Dickens|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1280113147s/31242.jpg|2960365]. As the author explains in her afterward, this book takes place in the space between Bleak House and [a:Wilkie Collins|4012|Wilkie Collins|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1192222099p2/4012.jpg]' [b:The Woman in White|5890|The Woman in White|Wilkie Collins|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1295661017s/5890.jpg|1303710], and extensively wraps her own mystery into the events of Bleak House.

I've read The Woman in White, and in fact consider it one of my favorites. However, having not yet read Bleak House, I feel I'm doing Lynn Shepherd a disservice because it seems she's done something very skillful and unique here. I feel like I've read [a:Jasper Fforde|4432|Jasper Fforde|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1350497674p2/4432.jpg]'s [b:The Eyre Affair|27003|The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next #1)|Jasper Fforde|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309201183s/27003.jpg|3436605] without having first read [b:Jane Eyre|10210|Jane Eyre|Charlotte Brontë|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327867269s/10210.jpg|2977639] - completely enjoyable on its own, but missing that extra 'something' by not getting the connections.