Audiobook Review: Hyde by Craig Russell
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 2 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Random House Audio (September 28, 2021)
Length: 14 hrs and 12 min
Author Information: Website
Narrator: James Cosmo
It’s hard to say exactly why Hyde didn’t really work for me, though I did enjoy the author’s last novel The Devil Aspect and somehow I just didn’t feel this one held the same fascination or appeal.
Our story begins in Victorian Edinburgh where Captain Edward Henry Hyde holds the post of chief detective, and as such it is his job to uphold the law and lead the investigation into any serious crimes in the city. And so, when he wakes up one day at the scene of a grisly murder, he is immediately alarmed. For you see, Hyde suffers from a particularly worrying form of epilepsy that causes him to lose time. These amnesic occurrences can come on very suddenly, and every time he finally comes to, he can never remember anything that happened.
In this case, his awakening so near to the crime scene inevitably leads him to wonder whether he had any connection to the murder. To make things worse, the victim was killed in an especially brutal manner called the Threefold Death, linked to an ancient Celtic ritual involving the spirts and sacrifice. As the chief detective though, Hyde has no choice but to keep his condition and suspicions a secret, even as his investigation takes him to some dark places, both literally and figuratively.
First let me just say my issues with this novel are entirely subjective. Craig Russell is an excellent writer, as I found out with The Devil Aspect, and his prose was just as delectable here in Hyde, as was the overall style which was pure immersion and atmosphere. However, it was the story itself that failed to engage me. Due to the circumstances surrounding our protagonist, there was a disjointed feel to the plot that didn’t quite do it for me, not to mention the entire book felt simply too drawn out.
In some ways, I think my indifference might also have been the result of the author doing his job too well. Had my interest been greater in the time period or the ultra-gothic vibes, the book might have resonated with me more. An obvious example of this was the Hyde’s internal exposition detailing his thoughts, emotions and memories, which was heavy-handed to the point of driving all life from the writing. To a lesser extent, this over-telling was also happening with the dialogue, resulting in conversations that felt awkward and contrived.
Ultimately, it became very difficult to care about the story or the characters. This made reading Hyde a struggle for much of my time with it, and it didn’t help that the narrator for the audiobook had a relatively flat, droning kind of voice. Despite zoning out on the audiobook frequently, I also found I was missing very little because of how slowly the plot progressed. Credit where it’s due though, when all was revealed, the final resolution to the mystery was enjoyable, though probably not enough to make up for everything else. I wish we’d gotten more of the mythological side of things too, but instead the story decided to go in another direction. In hindsight, I can understand why, but in the end that did little to help spark my enthusiasm.
Bottom line: you win some, you lose some. I’d looked forward to Hyde ever since having such a great time with The Devil Aspect, so of course I’m heartbroken that this turned out to be a disappointment. My previous positive experience with Craig Russell makes me want to chalk this up to one of those “it’s not this book, it’s me” situations though, so your mileage may vary, and I’m probably going to keep checking out the author’s projects and hope that his next one will be more my speed.
The BiblioSanctum 
Great review! Shame it wasn’t more enjoyable.. I don’t think this one will make it to my reading list. Thanks so much for your honesty!
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I always try to be honest and fair even if I didn’t care for a book, so thank you for your kind words!
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You’re very welcome.. and I think that’s for the best. Being honest. I just tend to feel bad for the author.
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Remember when I said the I was sure your next read would be better? Yeah, sorry about that 😬
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Haha! If it makes you feel better, I don’t always write and post my reviews in the order I read them. I think I actually read a pretty good book after my last blah read, so your blessing helped! 😀
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Yeah I’m sure it was all me 😂
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I was hoping he turned into Jekyll and did monstrous scyenze’y stuff. Oh well….
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Well, not going to go into that topic in detail in case of spoilers, but…it didn’t turn out the way I expected or wanted!
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Sorry this wasn’t better. I think I remember Lynn loved it so I thought I might even add it to my list. Hmm maybe not…
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To be fair, I definitely think it was just me! So I would still give it a chance if it interests you!
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Oh well, they can’t all work. But glad to hear it wasn’t enough to dampen your interest in the author. Let’s just hope the future rewards you for that.
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Thanks! Hopefully he won’t write in this similar style or use this structure again!
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The words “internal exposition” do indeed sound like heavy weight pressing on a story… I’m sorry you were so disappointed, and let’s hope that the author’s next work will better fulfill your expectations!
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Thanks, I hope so too! This was just not the right style for me, unfortunately.
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Ha damn Mogsy! Too bad you didn’t love it!
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Yeah, a shame too because I was looking forward to it so much! Next one should be better, hopefully 😀
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Aw that’s unfortunate. I can see your issues with it though, definitely, and a lackluster narration doesn’t help. Too bad too because the epilepsy angle and Celtic hints seem intriguing.
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Those were my favorite elements too. Just too bad they didn’t come together very well
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Ouch! Sorry that was such a struggle to get through; admittedly, too much exposition is never a good sign. Here’s to a better next read!
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Especially when it comes to audio, those sections tend to make me lose focus and drift off!
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Yeah, it does not scream my name
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Skip it, read his Devil Aspect instead! 😀
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Oh dear, sorry this was such a struggle for you. I really enjoyed this one, at first I thought it wasn’t going to work for me but then it slowly reeled me in – I do recall the plot feeling a little ‘busy’ but I liked that the author plays on the dual personality aspects and i loved the inclusion of the original author in the storyline. Strangely enough, I didn’t really enjoy the original story which is kind of ironic.
Lynn 😀
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Your review was great, and I could see why it worked so well for you! I really think it was just my mood at the time and this one was just so oppressive in its atmosphere! Sometimes that can be a good thing, but it was too heavy for me to take!
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