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Mick Finlay

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Arrowood : À Londres, la haute société ne jure que par Sherlock Holmes. Dans les bas-fonds, on préfère Arrowood Kindle Edition

French edition by Mick Finlay (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

681 ratings

Book 1 of 1: An Arrowood Mystery

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Les bourgeois se tournent vers Sherlock Holmes,
les autres ne jurent que par Arrowood
1895 : Londres a peur. Un tueur terrorise la ville. Les pauvres ont faim ; les criminels prennent le contrôle des rues ; la police, débordée, arrive à un point de rupture. Tandis que les bourgeois se tournent vers Sherlock Holmes pour qu’il résolve leurs problèmes, dans les quartiers surpeuplés du sud de Londres, les gens s’en remettent à un homme qui méprise Holmes, sa clientèle fortunée et ses méthodes de travail voyeuristes. Cet homme, c’est Arrowood – psychologue autodidacte, ivrogne occasionnel, et détective privé.
Quand un homme disparaît mystérieusement et que la meilleure piste d’Arrowood est poignardée sous yeux, Arrowood et son comparse Barnett doivent faire face à leur plus rude défi : capturer Mr Cream, le malfrat le plus redouté de la ville.

Une enquête savoureuse, à la façon de Anthony Horowitz et Andrew Taylor.

Mick Finlay est né à Glasgow et a grandi au Canada et en Angleterre. Avant de devenir professeur à l’université, il a tenu un petit étal sur Portobello Road, a travaillé dans un cirque itinérant, été garçon boucher, portier, et a occupé diverses fonctions à la National Health Security et dans les services sociaux. Il enseigne la psychologie et a publié des travaux sur la persuasion et la violence politiques, sur la communication verbale et non-verbale, et sur le handicap. Il vit à Brighton avec sa famille.

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Review

‘Arrowood is a flawed but engaging hero and the plot spins from peril to twist and back with real panache’ The Times

‘A fantastic creation’ The Spectator

‘Richly inventive’ Daily Telegraph

‘Compelling’ Seattle Times

‘Strongly reminiscent of Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike novels…a memorable detective who can stand among the best’ Harrow Times

‘Arrowood feels… like he's always existed, we're only now being treated to an introduction. Mick Finlay's atmospheric, detailed, singular London is a terrifying place I hope to return to again and again.’ Ross Armstrong, bestselling author of The Watcher

‘If you ever thought the Sherlock Holmes stories might benefit from being steeped in gin, caked in grime and then left unwashed for weeks…Mick Finlay’s 1895-set detective debut is for you.’ Crime Scene

‘A book with enough warmth, charm, humour, and intrigue to signal the start of an excellent new series.’ Vaseem Khan, author of The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

‘Stunningly dark and atmospheric crime debut. This is a story that packs a powerful punch. With murder, intrigue, dark humour, compelling characters and an extraordinary backdrop, it’s to be hoped that Arrowood is just the opener for a thrilling and original new series.’ Lancashire Evening Post

‘Readers of historical detective fiction will enjoy this well-set, darkly humorous addition to the canon.’ Historical Novel Society

About the Author

Mick was born in Glasgow but left as a young boy, living in Canada and then England. Before becoming an academic, he ran a market stall on Portobello Road, and has worked as a tent-hand in a travelling circus, a butcher’s boy, a hotel porter, and in various jobs in the NHS and social services. He teaches in a Psychology Department, and has published research on political violence and persuasion, verbal and non-verbal communication, and disability. He now lives in Brighton with his family.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0789JCMLQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ 14 Feb. 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ French
File size ‏ : ‎ 2.1 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 355 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-1033902355
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Book 1 of 1 ‏ : ‎ An Arrowood Mystery
Best Sellers Rank: 2,529,387 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 4,446 in Crime, Thriller & Mystery in French
- 11,977 in Historical Literary Fiction
- 13,145 in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction
Customer reviews:
681 ratings

About the author

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Mick Finlay

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mickfinlayauthor/

Website: www.mickfinlay.com

Twitter: @mickfinlay2

Mick Finlay was born in Glasgow and grew up in Canada and England. He now divides his time between Brighton and Cambridge. Mick teaches in a Psychology Department, and has published research on political violence, persuasion, and verbal and non-verbal behaviour. Before becoming an academic, he ran a market stall on Portobello Road, and has worked as a tent-hand in a travelling circus, a butcher’s boy, a hotel porter, and in various jobs in the NHS and social services. He writes historical crime fiction set in 1890's South London. The first in the series, 'Arrowood', was published in 2017 by HQ Harper Collins. 'The Murder Pit' came out in January, 2019, and 'Arrowood and the Thames Corpses' in April, 2020. 'Arrowood and the Meeting House Murders' comes out on July 8, 2021.

'... crackles with energy and wit' - The Times (of London)

'Enthralling' - Publisher's Weekly

“Arrowood is the Victorian workingman’s answer to the higher-class Sherlock Holmes — a foul-mouthed, hard-drinking, shabby detective with a seriously bad attitude toward his more famous counterpart.” Seattle Times – 10 of the Summer’s Hottest Crime Fiction Titles

London society takes its problems to Sherlock Holmes. Everyone else goes to Arrowood.

Customer reviews

681 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this mystery book to be a great page turner with a cleverly constructed plot. The book features relatable characters that are easy to picture, and one customer particularly appreciates how well it captures the atmosphere of late Victorian London. Customers enjoy the humor in the book.

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Readability Suspenseful Character development Pacing Humor

26 customers mention ‘Readability’26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a fantastic and engaging read, describing it as a great page turner.

"...reader and it makes all the difference to me when I've got an enjoyable book to look forward to - and I look forward to this one...." Read more

"...It short it's an okay read, but doesn't live up to its' initial self-confident billing." Read more

"Arrowood is a really good novel. The story takes place in the same fictional universe as Sherlock Holmes but Holmes himself doesn't appear...." Read more

"Arrowood is the anti-hero of Victorian London and this first book a fine read." Read more

23 customers mention ‘Suspenseful’20 positive3 negative

Customers find the book suspenseful and cleverly constructed, describing it as an enjoyable murder mystery.

"...an engaging and complicated set of characters, and the plot that trots along at a brisk pace...." Read more

"It's an ok historical novel. I enjoyed reading it. Arrowood and Barnett are great characters, as is Ettie (and her church ladies)...." Read more

"...The plot is cleverly constructed - nothing seems to be going right for the pair, yet somehow, in the end, it all makes sense, although Arrowood's..." Read more

"...I found this an excellently plotted book and look forward to the rest of the franchise." Read more

16 customers mention ‘Character development’13 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them relatable and easy to picture, with one customer noting the wonderful supporting cast of Barnett and others.

"...The main thing though for me is the warmth of the characters, the visceral sense of place with all the mess and dirt, the pies and jugs of porter,..." Read more

"...I enjoyed reading it. Arrowood and Barnett are great characters, as is Ettie (and her church ladies)...." Read more

"Originally bought it for myself and loved the characters and world, so bought a copy for a friend." Read more

"...Finlay presents a convincing range of characters and, more crucially, there's a really well realised sense of place...." Read more

12 customers mention ‘Pacing’12 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one customer noting its excellent period detail and another highlighting how it drags readers through the filth of Victorian London.

"...The writing rolls along easily - there is no cliched or trashy writing but you're not taken out of the story by writerly styling..." Read more

"...range of characters and, more crucially, there's a really well realised sense of place...." Read more

"...the underbelly of Victorian society, both via the plot and the fine descriptions of each of the characters within the story...." Read more

"...Characters are well drawn and you get an excellent period feel from the book...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Humor’3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book.

"This is an enjoyable book, with grime, dark humour,murder & mystery...." Read more

"...historical, literary (Sherlock) & psychological interest, true and entertaining. 7 more words: read the next, do." Read more

"Murder mystery and good humour brilliant reading" Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

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Deborah M Smart
Warm and human, complicated and engrossing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 December 2022
Verified Purchase

I haven't finished the book yet but the Amazon review popped up on my screen. I'm a bedtime reader and it makes all the difference to me when I've got an enjoyable book to look forward to - and I look forward to this one. The writing rolls along easily - there is no cliched or trashy writing but you're not taken out of the story by writerly styling (which is a good thing in my opinion). The main thing though for me is the warmth of the characters, the visceral sense of place with all the mess and dirt, the pies and jugs of porter, the Dickensian breadth of the canvas with an engaging and complicated set of characters, and the plot that trots along at a brisk pace. It's quite visual - it's easy to picture the characters (and yet there are no tedious and lengthy descriptions) and the tone is actually quite filmic. It could easily be adapted. So if you like an engrossing, jolly good story with some key characters to root for then you should like this book.

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5 people found this helpful

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Judi
Good, but lose the Americanisms please - and more description too
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 June 2018
Verified Purchase
It's an ok historical novel. I enjoyed reading it. Arrowood and Barnett are great characters, as is Ettie (and her church ladies). It will be interesting to see how they develop as the series progresses. I can see that at some point, our heroes are almost sure to have to join up with Sherlock Holmes in some case or other - you can see it coming a mile off.
Having said that, I had a few issues with it. Firstly, it needs a UK editor. If it has had one already, then they need demoting! The text is scattered with non-UK words that grate on a British reader. For example, at one point, a character is chasing someone (through Victorian London, remember) and they run to 'an intersection' (junction, crossroads); a bowler hat is repeatedly called a derby (the US name); an attic room is described as a 'garret'. I could go on, as there are lots more examples, but you get the point.
I would have liked more description. It's true that the writing already conjures up a murky old London, which is good, but there is a dearth of actual description. Maybe that's just me. I also get the feeling that the author has found as many facts about Victorian London as possible and has then squeezed them into the story just to show how well read he is. I can see how it's a good idea to be accurate, but here you can see the joins where he has put something in. Having said all that, I have pre-ordered the next in the series. This would make a great TV series.

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Kindle Customer
Great Read for Sherlock Holmes fans who want something darker
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 April 2025
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Originally bought it for myself and loved the characters and world, so bought a copy for a friend.

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Jim Bowen
An okay read I guess
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 September 2020
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I got this book as part of Amazon's "First Reads" programme.

I'll be honest, I approached this book with a certain amount of interest. Any book that opens with comparisons with Sherlock Holmes, and touts on the cover that "London Society takes their problems to Sherlock Holmes. Everyone else goes to Arrowood." had better "bring it", and show why those erstwhile comparison where merited. Otherwise you'.

It didn't.

The sort of lead character, Arrowhead, is a private investigator for the down at heal, and hasn't the money for Holmesian science, instead relying on gut instinct, and an ability to "read people". He means well. His Watsonian sidekick is more prominent than Watson in the Holmes stories. He's more central to the story that Watson. He means well too in his efforts as local "strongman", it's just I didn't really care for long periods.

The lead characters are beyond incompetent in places (one of their local child scamps-cum-observers is caught, not once, but twice, by the bad guys), and they're somewhat clueless about their client, who has lied to them constantly, since asking them to find her brother.

Another thing that irritated me was it read like a Peaky Blinders story set in London, a generation earlier. Everyone was a bit "Coe Blimey Guv'nor" and in either Oliver Twist, or some toffee-nosed so and so, looking down on the working class.

My final grumble is it was a little predictable, if you've read thrillers or detective fiction before, or watched any modern crime fiction on tevesion.

It short it's an okay read, but doesn't live up to its' initial self-confident billing.

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Steve bailey
Arrowood is a really good novel. The story takes place in the same ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 March 2018
Verified Purchase
Arrowood is a really good novel. The story takes place in the same fictional universe as Sherlock Holmes but Holmes himself doesn't appear. The London portrayed owes more to Arthur Morrison's brutal Jago than the sanitised London offered in Conan Doyle's Strand stories - which is a really clever meta-fictional aspect to this novel. Arrowood, the down-at-heel detective protagonist, hates Holmes and is convinced he's basically a charlatan. The ultra-realistic poverty and grime of the story makes you as a reader question the Holmes stories which are always so 'cozy' in their presentation (the novel has the conceit that the Holmes stories that we know appear in the Strand as reportage by Dr Watson).
Finlay presents a convincing range of characters and, more crucially, there's a really well realised sense of place. This is the first of a series and it's a certainty that I'll read the second book.

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Judith
My first experience of this series...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 September 2024
Verified Purchase
...and a first class one, I'm pleased to say, as the author's words have brought to life the shabbiness of the underbelly of Victorian society, both via the plot and the fine descriptions of each of the characters within the story. This was another author new to me but I acquired the next two books as well hoping that they would be just as enjoyable.

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