Bumpy Oak Books

4 stars

Critique of Criminal Reason is certainly what it promised to be- a historical fiction detective novel. Michael Gregorio cleverly utilized a historical background of Napoleonic era Prussia combined with the inspiration of the philosophies of Immanuel Kant to form the backbone of the story. Add in one young investigative magistrate in Hanno Stiffeniis and a serial killer on the loose in Konigsberg, and there’s the book.

I enjoyed the novel, though I thought that there was untapped potential in the plot and characters. Stiffeniis did not appear to be fully developed as a character, and came across as rather naive. Particularly given his role in investigating a serial killer, I found the naivete to be a bit off-putting. As such, I found myself enjoying side characters more than our protagonist, but that isn’t an uncommon thing for me as a reader.

It is also true that the reader is able to guess the twists well before they come, though the “twists” are executed fairly well despite the lack of originality.

The author(s) writing style was one I enjoyed, and the ability to create the atmosphere of the era was something that definitely contributed to my enjoyment.

Overall, I was entertained throughout the book and found the pacing to be nice. While I would not go out of my way to seek out the sequel to this novel, I would also happily read it if I happened across it or other works by Michael Gregorio.