Old City Hall: A Novel

Old City Hall: A Novel by Robert Rotenberg


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Rotenberg is a lawyer first, novelist second, and unfortunately it shows in the novel. It's a story about a fictional Canadian radio morning-show host, whose wife is found dead in the bathtub. He confesses to his newspaper delivery man that he killed her, and surrenders to the police. But, despite his confession, the things are not as straight forward as they seem.Oh, don't worry, I'm not throwing spoilers, this all happens in the first 20 pages of the book. After that, we are introduced to a long list of characters, mostly well developed, but by following so many threads at once, the story doesn't move anywhere for the next 200 pages. Then, as if the author realized the he should move the plot toward conclusion, things start happening all at once, without a hint beforehand. And, as a result, there is no real conclusion.What I like about the story is location - it's happening in Toronto, where I live. It gives the book an intimate feel. I am not quite sure how would a non-Torontonian like it. The legal process is described well, but the police investigation is a bit shallow and less believable. Oh, and Toronto Maple Leafs winning the Stanley cup is a pure fantasy, cute, but utterly impossible.What I don't like is too many characters, and at the same time lack of the main character. Too much legal and law stuff and too little investigation, clues, mystery and problem solving. The pace is way too slow. Finally, the thing I really hate is when the ending doesn't offer closure.

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