2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #1 discussion

What are your impressions of Frank? Did they change much from your first opinions? What about Sarah?

Even though Frank was pretty gruff from the start, I still liked him. There were enough clues pointing to some tragedy in his past that I was willing to cut him some slack and see where it led. By the end though I felt a lot more empathy for him.

My opinion of Sarah didn't really change. I liked her thoughout.

Frank was an acquired taste in the beginning when I was trying to figure out if he was a dirty cop or not. Once I understood the environment, I eased up and just let him sink in. I’m still trying to figure him out, especially that relationship with his mother, but I definitely like him. He made a big concession to Sarah when he told her she’d make a good detective.

Like you, I liked Sarah from the onset and my respect for her just grew throughout the story. She was pretty fearless.

I liked both Sarah and Frank from the start. She's smart and strong. I like how she stood up to her father in the past and wouldn't let him run her life.

I knew Frank had secrets. I was surprised when we found out he had a son. I'm guessing his mother may keep harping on him to have a relationship with his son, so he stays away from home many nights. His son reminds him of his dead wife. He still isn't completely over her.

Oh, Frank certainly wasn’t over his wife’s death. He showed the most emotion when thinking of her.

I was wary of him at first because of his obvious dislike to Sarah and the fact that his moral compass was somewhat off. However, as his backstory was revealed and we learned more about his family situation, he became more sympathetic. He's a good man who does care about people but the hardships of life were wearing him down until Sarah came along.

Lauren wrote: "He's a good man who does care about people but the hardships of life were wearing him down until Sarah came along. ."

I think that's a good way to put it. I think he's just been in survival mode since his wife's death.

I would agree. Seems as if he was a different man before she died.

I'm still out on Frank. And I love a gruff hero with a tragic love story! He just hasn't done anything for me yet to change my mind on my initial feelings.

But I liked Sarah immediately, and that never changed. I just grew to respect and like her more throughout.

I'm glad Sarah has the mind of a detective, but I wish Frank hadn't missed or neglected so many avenues of the investigation. I think that affected my opinion of him too. And I think it was only three times that he hadn't already thought of something that Sarah had, but those three measly times obviously stuck out to me.

Monica wrote: "I'm glad Sarah has the mind of a detective, but I wish Frank hadn't missed or neglected so many avenues of the investigation. I think that affected my opinion of him too. And I think it was only three times that he hadn't already thought of something that Sarah had, but those three measly times obviously stuck out to me."

I actually see that a lot in amateur sleuth mysteries where there's a female character who is the amateur sleuth. I wish that authors would find a better way to build up their heroines without making it seem like the male police/detective character is slow to make connections.

But I really started to like Frank when he refused to drop the case even when ordered to by his superior.

Veronica wrote: "But I really started to like Frank when he refused to drop the case even when ordered to by his superior...."

Yes, I definitely (begrudgingly) respected him for that.

Veronica wrote: "Monica wrote: "I'm glad Sarah has the mind of a detective, but I wish Frank hadn't missed or neglected so many avenues of the investigation. I think that affected my opinion of him too. And I think..."

I think it's a fine line between making the male detective/police officer look slow by not making connections or making him appear condescending/patronizing by already knowing them either before or the same time as the female amateur sleuth.

I should add that I love disliking a character in the beginning, only to have the author sway my feelings through more reading. That's something I always enjoy. So I'm looking forward to it!

Veronica wrote: "I actually see that a lot in amateur sleuth mysteries where there's a female character who is the amateur sleuth. I wish that authors would find a better way to build up their heroines without making it seem like the male police/detective character is slow to make connections...."

This time it felt authentic given her insight into a world foreign to the police detective. Most of his prior experience centered around a seedier environment. Plus, Frank was pretty jaded.

True, plus on at least one occasion she caught him when he'd had very little sleep.

I can tell by your responses our feelings toward Frank are going to soften 🙂

Well, mine did, but I never felt that harshly about him to start with. Time will tell about everyone else's. :-)

My feelings towards Frank did soften by the end but I'm not completely sold on him because of the way he treats his son. I'm assuming that will change as the story goes. I liked Sarah from the get go.

My feelings for frank definitely changed near the end when we got to know more about his family but i wanted to learn more about him before he will be like him as a character. I didnt like how he treated his kid but then i remember in 1896 that he how someone would treat someone who is different.

Love Sarah from the beginning, look forward to reading more about her and learning about her family.

Good point, Viki about how children born with mental or physical disabilities were viewed so differently than they are today. Most were institutionalized.

That is a good point. There's also the fact that Frank and his mother would've been going off whatever the medical advice of the time was...assuming they were even able to afford a good doctor. There were a lot of quacks too. For those who did the series read of the Sebastian St Cyr books, just think back to the reigning medical advice for pregnant women. Hero was basically not allowed to get any exercise and was severely limited in how much food she could eat, and the doctor wanted to bleed her all the time. And they could afford the best doctor in the city! lol

I recently finished The English Wife, which is also set in this same timeframe (1894 - 1899) in New York. One of the characters was pregnant with twins and she was being given this same whacked advice (her husband’s family was one of the NY 400 so this was coming from the “best” doctor). She got to a point where she demanded food. I thought of Hero when I read this.

It's a wonder women had the strength and energy to make it through labor.

True! And might explain why so many didn’t.

Jonetta wrote: "True! And might explain why so many didn’t."

Veronica wrote: "It's a wonder women had the strength and energy to make it through labor."

Yes, it explains why so many women died in child birth back then. They were weak from lack of food and blood!