The Bughouse Affair by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini: Book Review

The Bughouse Affair by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini is the first book in the Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery series. It was first published in January 2013 by Forge Books.

The authors are both award winning writers. They are also a married couple who has written a few books together.

Synopsis

In 1890s San Francisco, Sabina Carpenter and John Quincannon are working on what they thought were two separate investigations. But are they really?

Sabina is working for a local amusement park to catch a lady pickpocket. Quincannon is working for a local insurance company to catch a thief. Separately they are working on their cases throughout the city, from the wharf to the downtown area.

Suddenly, the two cases overlap in a way they did not suspect. Before that, though, there are two murders and an interruption by Sherlock Holmes. Who will solve the mystery? Who will catch the culprit?

Positives

The descriptions of 1890s San Francisco were pretty in-depth. It made it easier to understand where they are. But at points, they do get a bit over the top. Readers don’t need to know the name of every street, every location, within the city. Sure, a few are helpful, but there’s no need for every single one.

The characters are well described at as well.

Negatives

I appreciate the use of time-era-appropriate jargon. But there were times it got to be too much. Especially as I didn’t understand what some of them meant. Even the book title is one word I didn’t understand until the end of the book when it’s explained.

Sabina Carpenter is a strong female character. She’s a widow. And she has told John Quincannon multiple times she was only interested in a friendly relationship, yet he keeps hoping for a more romantic relationship. Why can’t he be ok with her only wanting to be friends and business partners?

Was Sherlock Holmes really needed in the book? I didn’t get the reason behind him being in the book. If an author can’t figure out how to write a mystery and have their detectives solve the mystery, maybe they shouldn’t be writing mysteries. I don’t see why they had to add someone else’s fictional character to the mix.

My Opinion

The book is short, which helps. I mean, it’s around 270 pages. That is probably the best thing I can say about this book. No, I did not hate this book. I feel like it had so much potential, and it fell flat.

I had some serious issues with the use of the jargon. It would be understandable if the book were written in the 1890s when the jargon was commonplace. But this book was written in the 2000s, and there’s no need for there to be so much of it that it detracts from the story.

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.