Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
For more reviews, check out my blog Reading Rad Books
...It had been a perfect nap -- the sort a man runs into now and again by chance...
Snapshot:
A Beautiful Blue Death is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes novels. Some may argue that Charles Finch’s novel is not up to the caliber of these, but I tend to disagree. While the book does move slowly from time to time and does have some awkwardly placed information, I still believe this is a wonderful mystery. Clearly, other people agree because the author went on to write multiple sequels and prequels for our new favorite detective.
Writing: 3.5
Characters: 3.0
Plot: 4.0
Originality: 3.5
All reviews are measured on a scale of 0 to 5
Deep dive:
A Beautiful Blue Death was a rare, wonderful find. I had actually first spotted the book at a local discount book store with my mother who thought that I might like the book. Turns out, my mother still knows me better than most people. I loved the slow, easy pace; it’s the ideal book for curling up in front of a fire or in a cozy chair.
This book is stuffed to the binding with memorable—and lovable—characters. The story centers around 1800’s British gentleman Charles Lenox, who discovers through time that he loves to help others and enjoys the satisfaction of solving a tricky mystery. Lenox is a novelty for the time period for many reasons, including his kind treatment of people at all levels of London society, his strong friendship with his butler Graham, and his close relationship with his childhood friend and neighbor, Lady Jane Grey.
Graham has been with Lenox since their school days when they formed a strong bond of trust and loyalty. In this context, I would say that Graham fills a sort of “Watson” role in the story. Although, there are several people who help Lenox throughout the mystery like his doctor-friend McConnell, Scotland Yard inspectors, and even Lady Jane.
The interwoven complex relationships and delicate tangling of the mystery leave you dying to know more. As far as a debut mystery goes, I think Charles Finch (author) really made this one a difficult plot to guess. The murderer is difficult to pin down, until a surprise twist is revealed. In the end, when everything is revealed and all the pieces fall into place, you’re left wondering how you could have possibly missed it.
The relationship between Lady Jane and Charles Lenox is very unusual for the time period, but is also a huge tenet of the story. They often meet at the end of the long day, to enjoy each other’s company and a cup of tea. It’s plain to see throughout the story that these two characters are in love, but only time will tell if they realize it for themselves. It seems that the danger of Lenox’s profession and his habits as a bachelor may stand in their way a bit.
I really can’t wait to continue reading this series since I’m sure the author will only get better with time!
...It had been a perfect nap -- the sort a man runs into now and again by chance...
Snapshot:
A Beautiful Blue Death is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes novels. Some may argue that Charles Finch’s novel is not up to the caliber of these, but I tend to disagree. While the book does move slowly from time to time and does have some awkwardly placed information, I still believe this is a wonderful mystery. Clearly, other people agree because the author went on to write multiple sequels and prequels for our new favorite detective.
Writing: 3.5
Characters: 3.0
Plot: 4.0
Originality: 3.5
All reviews are measured on a scale of 0 to 5
Deep dive:
A Beautiful Blue Death was a rare, wonderful find. I had actually first spotted the book at a local discount book store with my mother who thought that I might like the book. Turns out, my mother still knows me better than most people. I loved the slow, easy pace; it’s the ideal book for curling up in front of a fire or in a cozy chair.
This book is stuffed to the binding with memorable—and lovable—characters. The story centers around 1800’s British gentleman Charles Lenox, who discovers through time that he loves to help others and enjoys the satisfaction of solving a tricky mystery. Lenox is a novelty for the time period for many reasons, including his kind treatment of people at all levels of London society, his strong friendship with his butler Graham, and his close relationship with his childhood friend and neighbor, Lady Jane Grey.
Graham has been with Lenox since their school days when they formed a strong bond of trust and loyalty. In this context, I would say that Graham fills a sort of “Watson” role in the story. Although, there are several people who help Lenox throughout the mystery like his doctor-friend McConnell, Scotland Yard inspectors, and even Lady Jane.
The interwoven complex relationships and delicate tangling of the mystery leave you dying to know more. As far as a debut mystery goes, I think Charles Finch (author) really made this one a difficult plot to guess. The murderer is difficult to pin down, until a surprise twist is revealed. In the end, when everything is revealed and all the pieces fall into place, you’re left wondering how you could have possibly missed it.
The relationship between Lady Jane and Charles Lenox is very unusual for the time period, but is also a huge tenet of the story. They often meet at the end of the long day, to enjoy each other’s company and a cup of tea. It’s plain to see throughout the story that these two characters are in love, but only time will tell if they realize it for themselves. It seems that the danger of Lenox’s profession and his habits as a bachelor may stand in their way a bit.
I really can’t wait to continue reading this series since I’m sure the author will only get better with time!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In the sell copy, it states: “Equal parts Sherlock Holmes and P.G. Wodehouse.” It was the reference to Holmes that drew me to this series. To be honest, I’m not familiar with the writings of P.G. Wodehouse, but Jeeves has become synonymous with the proper English butler.
I should have read book twelve, the first book in a prequel trilogy. (I’m currently working my way through the second book in the trilogy.) I am loathe to read books out of order. That usually means in publication date order The Charles Finch mysteries benefit from reading the out-of-publication order first.
A Beautiful Blue Death features a mature Charles Lenox as the amateur gentleman detective. His partner in solving crime is his ever-faithful butler, Graham. It’s a more gentrified relationship than that enjoyed by their Victorian contemporaries, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Despite the gentleman-and-butler dynamic, there’s a long-standing friendship between Lenox and Graham.
Most mystery fans have come across the infamous poison belladonna—more commonly known as deadly nightshade. Common edibles in the deadly nightshade family include tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant. Belladonna has long been used in murder mysteries because it can mimic illness or accident, making the cause of death harder to ascertain. Charles Finch adds his own clever touch by introducing the relatively rare poison bella indigo. (A Google search of the term returns the same Atropa belladonna results.) For a historical mystery to 'work,' there must be some kernel of truth—artistic liberties aside.
Lady Jane Grey, Lenox’s friend since childhood and his next-door neighbor on Hampden Lane, tells him of the death of her former maid, Prudence Smith. Prue, as she was called, left Lady Jane’s employ to work for George Barnard, who is also her fiancé’s employer. The police believe it to be a case of suicide; Lady Jane is not so sure. Lenox’s affection for Lady Jane prompts him to look into the situation.
Barnard, who had grown up in impoverished middle-class gentility, is now the subject of much speculation in London society as to how he made his fortune. Whether one believes he earned his money as a merchant or by playing the Exchange, he arrived in London as a Conservative MP who quickly left elective office for unelected posts. At the time of Prue’s death, he is the director of the Royal Mint. Death and money—a potent, if common, combination.
Society, class, money, and murder provide a cornucopia of possibilities for Lenox and Graham to pursue in A Beautiful Blue Death, aided by Lenox’s friend Thomas McConnell—a Harley Street surgeon who married up and forsook his practice in favor of drink. In a case where poisoning is suspected, it’s good to have a medical man at hand.
Like a Holmesian mystery, there are suspects and clues examined—and discarded. Each observation adds to or confuses the investigation. It’s clearly a case of upstairs and downstairs in conflict. Was it a downstairs crime of passion? Or did someone upstairs kill the lowly maid? Or will the two investigative paths converge? As Scotland Yard—and Inspector Exeter—remain stubbornly steadfast in their conclusion of suicide, Lenox refutes this possibility at every turn.
As I mentioned in my review of The Woman in the Water, I discovered there’s not just a prequel but a prequel trilogy, so I’ll be reading book thirteen next—The Vanishing Man.
Maybe the series gets better but I just couldn’t get into this one. The lengthy (and I mean LENGTHY) descriptive passages (5 sentences on taking a piece of paper out of a drawer??) were too much. I’m moving on to Poirot.
I read only 5 pages. I didn't like how the POV shifted from close third person to distant third on the same page. Page 2: "What bliss was there to compare to a warm fire, fresh socks, and buttered toast on a cold day!" Just 2 paragraphs later: "Lenox was a man of perhaps forty..." How can the writer know the character loves buttered toast but not know how old he is??
A lovely tour of Victorian England with an engaging tour guide and amateur detective. The ending was a little to easily wrapped up with a nice bow but the descriptions of life in London in the mid-1800s fed my historian heart.
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An enjoyable cozy mystery set in the Victorian Era. I would probably would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't just finished the Kestrel series by Kate Ross. Still, the detective in this series is engaging and the murders are interesting.
A pleasant read - narrative included meaningful descriptions regarding society practises. Such as menus, dress and social events - without being too boring. Mild murder mystery story.
Oh my gosh it’s done! A friend once told me that I shouldn’t spend life on books that didn’t really do it for me and though I followed through on this advice for the Shepherd’s Daughter I felt like I had to finish this one. I said it was because it was a mystery and I wanted to figure out who did it, but really it was because it was recommended by a friend. She says she loves these low drama mysteries and though I can see the happy appeal they just don’t do it for me. I kept comparing it to other English mysteries I’ve read (Masie Dobbs to be exact) and though Masie is slow in the normal sense I still can feel like I care about her exsistence if not her case. Each one had felt like a further step in her ability to heal from her trauma of the war and losing the man she loved. That’s why I was so incredibly angry when she had finally found healing and hope and reason to go on when it was all destroyed for her again. I’ve muddled through the next to books, because I love them and her, but I was still furious at the author for doing this to her.
Then I had a thought. There is more than one trauma that will happen in your life. What do you do when you are healed and then are destroyed again?
My adult like has been a series of being destroyed by depression and ptsd to then have spaces where I’ve been healed - just to be tortured again. I wanted Masie to be a roadmap for me, a path I could walk with her to believe that I could have an ending and then happiness. To believe in something that my own life wasn’t giving me but I hoped one day would.
But maybe that isn’t what I need. Maybe what I need is to keep walking with her as she moves through her new pain.
She isn’t a real person, but that’s the magic of books isn’t it? The Masie that I read may not even be the one that the author wrote, but that doesn’t matter because it is the one I need.
And that is just another truth of book magic.
And it wasn’t what I got out of this book at all. He was too lazy and spent a great deal of time doing nothing and blabbing and Lady Jane had almost nothing that made me identify with her. She was meant to be this strong independent character among women, but didn’t show any of the things that would other than not getting married and having him as a friend, which I know was a big deal back then - but still. Even their relationship that was meant to be something big that will develop into them being in love didn’t have that interest and spark other than the few moments when he realized that she was beautiful and was special to him.
I won’t be reading more of these books and don’t judge at all those that enjoy them, but like I said it just didn’t do it for me.
I’ve messed up my promise to myself not to look at my phone after 8:30, but I was so close to the end and the mystery being solved and just having it DONE that is pushed through it.
I just hope that my doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning isn’t impacted.
Then I had a thought. There is more than one trauma that will happen in your life. What do you do when you are healed and then are destroyed again?
My adult like has been a series of being destroyed by depression and ptsd to then have spaces where I’ve been healed - just to be tortured again. I wanted Masie to be a roadmap for me, a path I could walk with her to believe that I could have an ending and then happiness. To believe in something that my own life wasn’t giving me but I hoped one day would.
But maybe that isn’t what I need. Maybe what I need is to keep walking with her as she moves through her new pain.
She isn’t a real person, but that’s the magic of books isn’t it? The Masie that I read may not even be the one that the author wrote, but that doesn’t matter because it is the one I need.
And that is just another truth of book magic.
And it wasn’t what I got out of this book at all. He was too lazy and spent a great deal of time doing nothing and blabbing and Lady Jane had almost nothing that made me identify with her. She was meant to be this strong independent character among women, but didn’t show any of the things that would other than not getting married and having him as a friend, which I know was a big deal back then - but still. Even their relationship that was meant to be something big that will develop into them being in love didn’t have that interest and spark other than the few moments when he realized that she was beautiful and was special to him.
I won’t be reading more of these books and don’t judge at all those that enjoy them, but like I said it just didn’t do it for me.
I’ve messed up my promise to myself not to look at my phone after 8:30, but I was so close to the end and the mystery being solved and just having it DONE that is pushed through it.
I just hope that my doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning isn’t impacted.