The premise was definitely intriguing enough for me to request this novel through LT's Early Reviewers and it is a nicely produced book. But I am sorry to say that this was disappointing.

In 1890's England the Foxes are a married couple who are hired to investigate a particularly gruesome murder. Travelling from their home in Harrogate to Northumberland, where they stay at the home of Sir Hugh Lowther. More murders follow and there seems to be a link to King Arthur.

This started out reasonably well though some things were a bit clunky but I put that down to being a debut novel. I did like the atmosphere of the wild Northumberland countryside and there was a real sense of place. But as I read on I found the characterisation weak; I am not sure that the behaviour of some of the characters fit into the Victorian setting; in places the dialogue was more like a lecture than an actual conversation; the clues to the mystery were heavy handed and the reader is told who the murderer is much too early in the story. All this is unfortunate as the author does show promise and I will not rule out reading more of his work ( )

A murder mystery set in Victorian England, 1890 Northumberland to be exact, with a husband and wife investigative team, wind swept moors, grisly deaths, Gothic elements of a long-vanished castle and the legend of King Arthur that just will not die equals a wonderful blending of some of my favorite mystery elements all in one book. What more could a girl ask for.

I have some mixed feelings about this one. The beginning was a bit of a distraction for me as we jump right into the story and the characters with little to no background build. Some people like to jump right into the story, I need my background build. It felt to me as though I was reading the second or third book in series and had missed the 'get to know your character' meet and greet that usually occurs in a stand alone book or first book in a series. Okay, I am probably quibbling over this point so lets progress. Atticus and Lucie Fox, our married investigative team, seem like a balanced husband and wife team and I did enjoy how Lucie, the trained medical nurse, is the one to step forward when a body is discovered and displays practical observation and insight, while Atticus is more the man of precision and analytical thinking. Still wish I new more about them.

I did like how Dolman crafted his mystery around the legends of King Arthur, the Arthurian hallows and the Norns of Norse mythology, otherwise known as the Writing Women or the Sisters of the Wyrd. I wasn't sure how that would work but I can happily report that it worked rather well. Dolman provides enough information to explain these elements to the uninformed reader without making them come across as informative digressions or sidebars to the mystery. I did have some trouble with how the story jumped around and it started to lose me once I had figured out the 'who dunnit' but Dolman managed to keep the story going with a couple of more interesting twists and turns.

Not sure what I think about the ending except that by the time I reached the last 10 pages I was just skim reading to finish the book and not really paying attention to the ending as it played out. A different ending might have captured my attention better.

Overall, an interesting murder mystery. Did I enjoy this book enough that I would read another book with Atticus and Lucie Fox investigating a new mystery? Yes, I would. Would I recommend it to others? Yes, I would.

This book was courtesy of Librarything's Early Reviewer Program. ( )

Strong start; engaging middle; weak at the end. Is it wrong to expect a significant surprise towards the end? With a stronger ending, this would easily have been a 4 or even a 4-1/2 star read. But I still recommend it as a light, quick, enjoyable murder mystery.

Dolman has a great idea and it is well set up . I like the slow revealing of the antagonist, and even appreciated knowing who the murderer is (and mostly why) at about the mid-point. Watching Atticus and Lucie Fox slowly close in on the solution was quite engaging. But our two detectives then began to miss what should have been obvious. And who let Lucie wonder how a bugle could be a murder weapon right after finding a body with another 'hallow' placed in the scene, not as a murder weapon, but as a symbol. She seemed to lose track of the evidence right before our eyes.

Even so, the ending was not weak enough to ruin the enjoyment of the overall story and Dolman can write. This work just needed more guidance in crafting the ending. I'd still recommend it - how often does a Victorian murder mystery have King Arthur hanging out just out of the corner of your eye?

Os. ( )

Red Dragon, White Dragon, by Gary Dolman is set in 1890s Northumberland, where a madman has begun murdering individuals in a grisly manner, using objects that are related to the myth of King Arthur. It is said that the King lies slumbering with his Guinevere in the remains of a long-vanished castle in the area, and there is at least one viable suspect, a former soldier who has delusions related to the Arthurian cycle. The local gentry, Sir Hugh Lowther, commissions investigators Atticus and Lucy Fox from Yorkshire to investigate the deaths and to provide evidence of the soldier's guilt. The couple are happy to have this commission, a change from the more usual lost pet or straying mate cases that they are offered, but they intend to follow the evidence in full scientific fashion rather than accept Sir Hugh's certainty as to the identity of the murderer, and that firm resolve might just get them killed too.... I very much enjoyed this novel, evidently the second by an author not previously known to me; I don't know if the first novel features our intrepid investigators or, indeed, if Mr. Dolman is planning further novels with these characters, but I hope he does because both Atticus and Lucy are engaging in their separate ways and also when working together. There were a number of suspects, each given fair hearings, and although the murderer is revealed in approximately the final third of the novel, knowing who did it that early did not cause a loss of interest in the story; instead, this reader's curiosity just turned to the how and why of it all. Definitely recommended, and I will look for more work by this talented author. ( )

A Victorian murder mystery complete with gothic manor house, Arthurian legend and hintings of the supernatural all combine to make Red Dragon - White Dragon a light, enjoyable read. There were some errors in character behaviour that I found jarring, I cannot believe that a "gentleman", however gruff and abrupt, would address a newly met, married woman by her first name in this period setting, nor could I believe the verbosity of some of the servants. But those quibbles aside, this story had some ingenious twists and interesting developments. I truly enjoyed spending time with the crime solving couple, Atticus and Lucie Fox and would favourably consider reading more of their investigations.