Excellent Intentions

I’ve never read a mystery formatted like this one. It took me a while to figure out just what was going on. It starts in the courtroom with the opening arguments of the prosecution and the thoughts of the judge, then moves on to the witness’s testimony. That’s where it got a bit confusing. It jumps back and tells, in minute detail, what happened when the ‘least popular man’ drops dead on a train. We learn all about everyone’s thoughts, words, and actions. Then it goes back to the courtroom for a little bit and then jumps back to Police investigations. Once you get used to following the jumps, it makes a really interesting format.
Despite the setting being in a courtroom, we are never told who is on trial till the very end. I did figure it out, but just when the author wanted me to, so just at the very point Inspector Fenby also figures it out. Oh, all the clues were there in plain sight; I didn’t put them together till he has sorted out all the red herrings. It was really a very fun read.
The last chapter was not precisely to my liking though. I thought it was the weakest part of the whole book. It really has nothing to do with the mystery or the solution, and could easily have been left out. I guess it was just Hull’s attempt to make us feel better.
I remember one curse word and have a vague feeling that there was another one somewhere, but I’m not certain about that. There was no sex even vaguely hinted at. There were no affairs. It was just a good clean murder mystery. I would recommend it to everyone.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to share my honest opinions.