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annieb123's review
4.0
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Chinese Puzzle is the 8th Charles Dickens investigation by J.C. Briggs. Released 28th Feb 2021 by Sapere Books, it's 336 pages (print edition) and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book (and the rest of the series) is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.
This is a very well written and plotted historical mystery series with three dimensional characters and a Dickensian vibe. I've really enjoyed these historical mysteries set in the middle of the 19th century in London and environs. Charles Dickens is clever, loyal, dogged, and practical and his friendship and cooperative investigation with superintendent Sam Jones makes for engaging and entertaining reading. The plots are always convoluted and well engineered, full of twists and surprises. The story itself is written around a framework of real historical events and people and so well entwined that it's not always apparent where reality shades over into fiction. Each of the mysteries works well as a standalone and this one is no exception.
Whilst an entertaining read, I did find myself struggling sometimes with the plethora of secondary characters and keeping all the lawyers, clergy, hostlers, drudges, shopkeepers, and servants straight was taxing. I found myself having to check back in the story to remember which family was which. It's a relatively minor problem though, and considering the high quality of the writing, worth the occasional confusion. Having read the book as an ebook, it was not a problem to check who was who with the search function.
The dramatic arc, climax, and denouement are well written and immersive.
Overall, it's a good read and a quality example of the historical-person-as-amateur-sleuth sub-genre. Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Chinese Puzzle is the 8th Charles Dickens investigation by J.C. Briggs. Released 28th Feb 2021 by Sapere Books, it's 336 pages (print edition) and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book (and the rest of the series) is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.
This is a very well written and plotted historical mystery series with three dimensional characters and a Dickensian vibe. I've really enjoyed these historical mysteries set in the middle of the 19th century in London and environs. Charles Dickens is clever, loyal, dogged, and practical and his friendship and cooperative investigation with superintendent Sam Jones makes for engaging and entertaining reading. The plots are always convoluted and well engineered, full of twists and surprises. The story itself is written around a framework of real historical events and people and so well entwined that it's not always apparent where reality shades over into fiction. Each of the mysteries works well as a standalone and this one is no exception.
Whilst an entertaining read, I did find myself struggling sometimes with the plethora of secondary characters and keeping all the lawyers, clergy, hostlers, drudges, shopkeepers, and servants straight was taxing. I found myself having to check back in the story to remember which family was which. It's a relatively minor problem though, and considering the high quality of the writing, worth the occasional confusion. Having read the book as an ebook, it was not a problem to check who was who with the search function.
The dramatic arc, climax, and denouement are well written and immersive.
Overall, it's a good read and a quality example of the historical-person-as-amateur-sleuth sub-genre. Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘This is a mystery of a particularly sensitive nature—a Chinese puzzle, you might say.’
London, 1 May 1851. At the opening of the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations a Chinese junk captain, posing as a mandarin envoy from the Celestial Court, manages to penetrate the security surrounding the Queen. Another Chinese man, initially thought to be associated with the ersatz mandarin, gets close to Queen Victoria and then disappears. Given the anarchist unrest and previous attempts on the Queen’s life, these incursions are taken very seriously. The Prime Minister orders an urgent, discreet, investigation. The investigation is allocated to Superintendent Sam Jones from Bow Street.
On the same day, Cornelius Mornay, a wealthy retired businessman from Canton goes missing. Could there be a connection?
Fortunately for Superintendent Jones, his good friend Charles Dickens is available to assist with his enquiries. Charles Dickens has several connections which may prove helpful. A few days later, Mr Mornay’s body is found in the river near Wapping. Foul play is suspected.
What follows is a convoluted journey through the mean streets of London: from the opium dens to the homes of the rich. Mr Mornay was once connected to the opium trade and seems to have had many secrets.
This is the eighth book in Ms Briggs’s ‘Charles Dickens Investigations Series’, and while it can be read as a standalone, the series is worth reading in order because of the development of the main characters. For me, these characters have become old friends. Readers of Charles Dicken’s novels will recognise the connections to some of the characters in his novels.
‘What a city for contrasts London was: the Queen in her palace of many rooms and the poor Chinese man in his opium den, and nothing to link them but two beating hearts.’
A thoroughly enjoyable addition to the series!
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this
book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
London, 1 May 1851. At the opening of the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations a Chinese junk captain, posing as a mandarin envoy from the Celestial Court, manages to penetrate the security surrounding the Queen. Another Chinese man, initially thought to be associated with the ersatz mandarin, gets close to Queen Victoria and then disappears. Given the anarchist unrest and previous attempts on the Queen’s life, these incursions are taken very seriously. The Prime Minister orders an urgent, discreet, investigation. The investigation is allocated to Superintendent Sam Jones from Bow Street.
On the same day, Cornelius Mornay, a wealthy retired businessman from Canton goes missing. Could there be a connection?
Fortunately for Superintendent Jones, his good friend Charles Dickens is available to assist with his enquiries. Charles Dickens has several connections which may prove helpful. A few days later, Mr Mornay’s body is found in the river near Wapping. Foul play is suspected.
What follows is a convoluted journey through the mean streets of London: from the opium dens to the homes of the rich. Mr Mornay was once connected to the opium trade and seems to have had many secrets.
This is the eighth book in Ms Briggs’s ‘Charles Dickens Investigations Series’, and while it can be read as a standalone, the series is worth reading in order because of the development of the main characters. For me, these characters have become old friends. Readers of Charles Dicken’s novels will recognise the connections to some of the characters in his novels.
‘What a city for contrasts London was: the Queen in her palace of many rooms and the poor Chinese man in his opium den, and nothing to link them but two beating hearts.’
A thoroughly enjoyable addition to the series!
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this
book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
jgwc54e5's review
3.0
An enjoyable mystery with Charles Dickens helping out in the investigation and a smattering of characters reminiscent of characters from Dickens’ books. I didn’t realise this was book 8! until after I’d started reading but it can be read as a stand-alone although there are references to previous mysteries and I assume characters that have appeared in the earlier books. A bit of a fun read!
letterfromafifah's review
4.0
First of all, I want to say thank you to NetGalley and Sapere Books for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book is the eighth installment in the series. For me, sincerely, this story is really heavy. I finished it but it is really heavy. I have to stop many times before continuing reading it again. I do not know what is the exact reason, but it is really heavy for me. Because this is the eighth book, there are some references to characters and cases from previous books, but it does not interrupt the main flow of the story. There are a quite number of characters in this story, but thankfully managed to catch up with many of them. The characterization is good enough in my view. In my opinion, the chapters on average are not too long, but intense because the reader needs to discern many information in mostly every chapter. The descriptions used by the author are quite detailed, and because many places are stated in the book, I do not really remember all of them. In conclusion, even though the story is really heavy for me, the case is compelling enough for me to keep reading it until the end because for me, the story is worth reading. Plus, I pity some of the characters in this story. Anyways, I give this story ⅘ stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book is the eighth installment in the series. For me, sincerely, this story is really heavy. I finished it but it is really heavy. I have to stop many times before continuing reading it again. I do not know what is the exact reason, but it is really heavy for me. Because this is the eighth book, there are some references to characters and cases from previous books, but it does not interrupt the main flow of the story. There are a quite number of characters in this story, but thankfully managed to catch up with many of them. The characterization is good enough in my view. In my opinion, the chapters on average are not too long, but intense because the reader needs to discern many information in mostly every chapter. The descriptions used by the author are quite detailed, and because many places are stated in the book, I do not really remember all of them. In conclusion, even though the story is really heavy for me, the case is compelling enough for me to keep reading it until the end because for me, the story is worth reading. Plus, I pity some of the characters in this story. Anyways, I give this story ⅘ stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
vesper1931's review
4.0
What can link a missing Chinese man at the Crystal Palace, a dead banker and secret marriages, to the opium trade, if there is one. Superintendent Sam Jones and Charles Dickens investigate.
An entertaining, well-written and well plotted historical mystery with its cast of likeable characters. Another good addition to this series which can easily be read as a standalone story
An entertaining, well-written and well plotted historical mystery with its cast of likeable characters. Another good addition to this series which can easily be read as a standalone story
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