Book Review: "The Equivoque Principle" by Darren Craske

This is my first attempt at a book review, so please forgive me if it sucks. I won this book in a drawing from Caroline Smailes.

The Equivoque Principle is a murder mystery set in Victorian England. When a bishop hires criminals to clear a section of England, Cornelius Quaint and the members of Dr. Marvello's Traveling Circus are dragged into the middle of the killing spree. Prometheus, the strong man, is framed for the murders by being drugged and left with the body of his love.

Struggling to prove the mute innocent, the troupe is forced to face nightmares from Prometheus’s and Quaint's pasts. The quest is a trying one that unites the group, but forces some members to face their fears of their own inadequacies.

Personally, I enjoyed the book. I found myself quickly drawn into the vibrant settings and connecting to the humanity of the unusual circus characters. Although most people's personal struggles are not as dramatic as those in the book, I think it is easy to relate to the issues of loyalty, trust, and fear of failure.

Even if I weren't trying to hide from pain, I think I would've had great difficulty putting the book down in the middle. The book is well paced and keeps you hooked on every page.

Although it is written in third person omniscient, the writer has held back enough important information to leave the reader guessing. It also gives enough view into the perspective of individual characters to allow the reader to feel a bit of a bond with those characters.

One thing is bugging me about the ending. I feel like there is a flaw in the book, but it was late and I was drugged and I might just read something wrong. I'm going to have to reread part of it to check how those bits hang together. However, even if I am right that there is a flaw there, I doubt the average reader will notice.

I recommend the book to anyone who can find it. It is a good and exciting read, and I'm looking forward to more with these characters.

Edited to add: I talked to the author about the thing in the end that was bugging me. It was just me being paranoid and probably a little out of it when I read it. It doesn't have that flaw, so I am just insane.