Poor Tom is Cold [Hardcover]

Maureen Jennings (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2001

In this third adventure featuring the lovable detective William Murdoch, he becomes involved with the apparent suicide of Constable Oliver Wicken – a man who was the sole support of his mother and invalid sister. But further investigation by Detective Murdoch takes him far afield and he begins to suspect that the Eakin family, whose house adjoins the one where Wicken died, is more involved with the case than they admit. Whether describing a tooth extraction, the unquestioning prejudice toward the few Chinese immigrants in the city, or the well-intentioned, but bizarre, treatment of mentally ill women, Maureen Jennings once again brings the period vividly to life.


From the Paperback edition.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The plethora of historical mysteries makes it difficult for a writer to carve out a time and place uniquely her own. However, Jennings has laid strong claim to the Toronto of the late 19th-century with the Anthony award-winning Except the Dying and Under the Dragon's Tail, and she cements her hold with this deft combination of mystery and social issues. Now an acting detective, William Murdoch faces heartache and toothache as well as the troublesome (apparent) suicide of a young constable, Oliver Wicken. The constable's body is found in an abandoned house on his patrol route when his supervisor reports his absence. A note by the body suggests Wicken killed himself over a lover's rejection. A witness even comes forward to claim she was the woman involved. Murdoch's investigation is driven as much by the desire of the police to avoid the stigma of a suicide in its ranks as it is by a desire to expose a crime. Jennings exposes the era's "political correctness" without ever mounting a soapbox or becoming strident. So many incidentals of her book fascinate, horrify or inform: the treatment of those consigned to the "insane asylum"; the prevailing prejudice against Chinese and Catholics; the new, "painless" dentistry then available. The result is a satisfying mystery perfectly wedded to its evocative setting. Jennings's sales and reputation should continue to grow with this third strong effort. Agent, Teresa Chris. (Feb. 6)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-On a dreary, dull mid-November day in 1895 in Toronto, Acting Detective William Murdock begins searching for Oliver Wicken, who hasn't reported in during the last hours of his beat. Murdock finds the constable dead from a shot to the temple and his body poised in a suicide position. The detective painstakingly gathers information until he finally fits the pieces of the mystery together. The solution involves greedy relatives intent on inheriting an old man's money in spite of his young wife. A tensely played last-minute attempt of the wife to save her own life results in a suspenseful ending. Jennings brings the late-19th-century Canadian town into clear view, complete with food, myriad cultural perspectives, daily routines, and varied religions. Murdock carries out most of the transfer of information while secondary characters are a balance to his sometimes dreary way of thinking. The young woman's family shows a real sense of the evil workings of mankind as they try and try again to murder her. Her male relatives are so vulgar and crude that they intensify the sense of evil and stand in direct contrast to the inherent goodness of the protagonist. Jennings weaves an intriguing plot through all types of obstacles, and concludes with a great burst of action.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312268920
• ISBN-13: 978-0312268923
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a mesmerising read, January 29, 2001

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poor Tom is Cold (Hardcover)

Although I knew from almost the very beginning that a murder had been committed and who did it, this novel still managed to captivate my attention. This is the third novel in the William Murdoch mystery series set in Victorian Toronto, and it is as riverting and as compelling as the first two books.

A young constable, Oliver Wicken, is found dead on his beat, with a bullet in his head from his own gun, and a suicide note on his body. William Murdoch is asked to investigate Wicken's death; and in spite of the coroner's desire to wrap things up quickly, and Murdoch's own niggling doubts about the suicide, William Murdoch is determined to do his best find out the truth about Wicken's death. But his initial investigations only seems to confuse the issue further: Murdoch finds quite a few people that can testify that Wicken was in his usual excellent spirits; however he also finds evidence that Wicken did indeed have a sweetheart and that he did meet her on the night of his death, thus giving credence to Wicken's suicide note. In the meantime, in the house ajoining the one in which Wicken's body was found, the Eakin family are having problems of their own. Nathaniel Eakin's third wife, Peg, fears that someone in the family is trying to poison her, and has barricaded herself in her room, refusing to come out or to eat. Just as Murdoch arrives to ask if anyone in the Eakin household had seen or heard anything that might shed light on Wicken's death, Peg is being carted off to the local asylum. Little does Murdoch realise that Peg is at the center of all that is going on around her. And as each chapter ends, the suspense and the anticipation mounts: will Murdoch get to Peg before it is too late?

This is a very atmospheric novel. Maureen Jennings's stark and bleak descriptions of the Canadian winter actually made me feel chilled to the bone. And the chapters where she describes the treatment that is meted out to poor Peg at the asylum is chilling and horrifying. Peg's feelings of helplesness and hopelessness are palpable to the reader, and is a testimony of Maureen Jennings's talent and art. And although this is not a conventional murder mystery -- the murderer is glaringly obvious even if his motif is not at first; also Maureen Jennings has set up the plot is such a way as to make the reader an omniscient one -- this is still a suspenseful novel. The reader is invited to eagerly read on as Murdoch follows the faint strand of evidence that leads him to all kinds of eccentric characters and all over Toronto. A mesmerising read indeed.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Police procedural in Victorian Canada, March 6, 2001

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Poor Tom is Cold (Hardcover)

Police Constable Wicken is dead--an apparent suicide. Still, Acting Detective Murdoch feels that things don't fit. Who was the woman who so conveniently testified about Wicken's broken heart? And what possible connection could Wicken's death have with the nearby home--a home where Peg Eakin has apparently taken leave of her senses in a paranoid fit?

Two things make POOR TOM IS DEAD stand out from the crowd. Murdoch and the fine turn of the (previous) century detail. Murdoch is a human character, fully rendered. His toothache is a nice detail, his frustrated love for his neighbor adds both human interest and historical detail about the then-current chasm between religion and class. Author Maureen Jennings has obviously researched her history--the details of police procedure, treatment of the insane, and class/race distinctions ring true. Better, she integrates these details into her novel so subtly that I didn't feel lectured to.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well crafted mystery, January 17, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poor Tom is Cold (Hardcover)

In Toronto, Patrol Sergeant Hales asks acting detective William Murdoch to see if he can find a missing officer, Oliver Wicken, who was not where he was supposed to be during the shift inspection. William, suffering from a toothache, finds a dead Oliver in an abandoned house. Oliver has a bullet wound in his head, a note implying he just lost his sweetheart, and the gun placed in a strange position on his legs. The coroner believes suicide and browbeats that idea to the juror at the death spot and the inquest. Only William, who knew Oliver and after meeting the deceased's mother, has doubts.

Her husband dying, her terrorizing adult stepchildren, want Peg Eakin declared insane by Dr. Ferrier so she cannot inherit. They have her locked away in an asylum. Meanwhile William investigating the death of Oliver finds himself involved with the Eakin family as they seem to show up at every step of his inquiries, even being members of the jurors.

Anyone who enjoys a rich historical fiction novel with a powerful nineteenth century police procedural as its core will want to read POOR TOM IS COLD. The story line is exciting, but what makes the novel fascinating is the descriptions of the Canadian late 1890s justice system. They are interwoven and are key elements of the plot. Maureen Jennings depicts Toronto's nineteenth century police-legal processes as a major part of a vivid tale.

Harriet Klausner