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eososray's review against another edition
4.0
I find this series constantly surprises me with its subject matter. I am very familiar with race issues within North America but never particularly think about how the Victorians thought about the matter. I thought this book did a great job of laying out some of the prejudices and reactions of the period.
amphipodgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
After a London mansion is robbed by a group of Black men, racial slurs (or so I take it -- it's not a modern term -- they're calledweaselweader's review against another edition
4.0
Modern police would call it "home invasion"
THE COLOR OF DEATH, Bruce Alexander's seventh novel in the highly acclaimed Sir John Fielding series, is neither the cozy, lightweight mystery (à la Agatha Christie or Susan Wittig-Albert) nor the historical thriller that many readers might expect. It might more accurately be categorized as an atmospheric and compelling investigation set within a graphic description of 18th century Georgian England.
When London's well-to-do neighbourhoods are faced with a wave of what modern readers may well call violent home invasions, thefts and murders by a gang of apparently black thugs, Alexander's traditional story-telling style shifts from ye olde English police procedural to a sociological examination of prejudice against blacks. The investigation comes very close to home for Bow Street magistrate, Sir John Fielding, and his maturing protégé and amanuensis, young Jeremy Proctor, when one of the criminals shoots Sir John himself and the trail of clues seems to indicate that a friend of the family, Robert Burnham, a black man in the employ of Fielding's long-time friend, Black Jack Bilbo, may be implicated in the crime spree.
THE COLOR OF DEATH, as its predecessors in the acclaimed series did before it, will treat its readers to extraordinary characterization and atmospheric embellishment that brings people, time and place to life with a sparkling vitality and a sense of realism that can hardly be rivaled - the sights, the smells, the sounds, the slums, the prisons, the docks, pubs, outdoor markets, dark alleys, upstairs, downstairs, courts, gaming houses, bordellos, street walkers, poor houses, pickpockets, scamps, cut purses, thieves, and murderers. In short, Bruce Alexander brings a gaslit Georgian London to life with an unrivalled clarity.
It's also quite exciting to witness the early growth of modern jurisprudence; some glimpses of Regency law as it pertains to witness and suspect interrogation; the rather looser use of deadly force in the apprehension of the perpetrators of violent crimes; and, of course, the exciting story of the birth of modern police procedure through the fictionalized account of Sir John Fielding's experiences as the magistrate of Bow Street Court and his leadership of England's first police force, the "Bow Street Runners". Even though slavery had, by this time, been outlawed in Britain, Alexander's narrative showed very clearly that prejudice against the black man was still common place to the extent that unruly, violent lynch mob action against a black man suspected of a crime was still a real possibility.
I've said it before in other reviews of the series but it bears repeating. While each novel in the series can be read as a stand-alone mystery, maximum enjoyment will be the reward for the reader who takes the time to go back to the beginning and read the entire series in order. There is definitely a background story line to all of the characters, their development, their personal growth and their outlook on the world around them. In this novel in particular, for example, Jeremy begins the process of maturing from a boy to a man and is becoming aware of his own sexuality, the growing attractiveness of his housemate, Clarissa Rowntree, and the powerful allure of a woman's body and its possible use as a persuasive tool in flirtation.
A highly recommended novel in a terrific ongoing series.
Paul Weiss
THE COLOR OF DEATH, Bruce Alexander's seventh novel in the highly acclaimed Sir John Fielding series, is neither the cozy, lightweight mystery (à la Agatha Christie or Susan Wittig-Albert) nor the historical thriller that many readers might expect. It might more accurately be categorized as an atmospheric and compelling investigation set within a graphic description of 18th century Georgian England.
When London's well-to-do neighbourhoods are faced with a wave of what modern readers may well call violent home invasions, thefts and murders by a gang of apparently black thugs, Alexander's traditional story-telling style shifts from ye olde English police procedural to a sociological examination of prejudice against blacks. The investigation comes very close to home for Bow Street magistrate, Sir John Fielding, and his maturing protégé and amanuensis, young Jeremy Proctor, when one of the criminals shoots Sir John himself and the trail of clues seems to indicate that a friend of the family, Robert Burnham, a black man in the employ of Fielding's long-time friend, Black Jack Bilbo, may be implicated in the crime spree.
THE COLOR OF DEATH, as its predecessors in the acclaimed series did before it, will treat its readers to extraordinary characterization and atmospheric embellishment that brings people, time and place to life with a sparkling vitality and a sense of realism that can hardly be rivaled - the sights, the smells, the sounds, the slums, the prisons, the docks, pubs, outdoor markets, dark alleys, upstairs, downstairs, courts, gaming houses, bordellos, street walkers, poor houses, pickpockets, scamps, cut purses, thieves, and murderers. In short, Bruce Alexander brings a gaslit Georgian London to life with an unrivalled clarity.
It's also quite exciting to witness the early growth of modern jurisprudence; some glimpses of Regency law as it pertains to witness and suspect interrogation; the rather looser use of deadly force in the apprehension of the perpetrators of violent crimes; and, of course, the exciting story of the birth of modern police procedure through the fictionalized account of Sir John Fielding's experiences as the magistrate of Bow Street Court and his leadership of England's first police force, the "Bow Street Runners". Even though slavery had, by this time, been outlawed in Britain, Alexander's narrative showed very clearly that prejudice against the black man was still common place to the extent that unruly, violent lynch mob action against a black man suspected of a crime was still a real possibility.
I've said it before in other reviews of the series but it bears repeating. While each novel in the series can be read as a stand-alone mystery, maximum enjoyment will be the reward for the reader who takes the time to go back to the beginning and read the entire series in order. There is definitely a background story line to all of the characters, their development, their personal growth and their outlook on the world around them. In this novel in particular, for example, Jeremy begins the process of maturing from a boy to a man and is becoming aware of his own sexuality, the growing attractiveness of his housemate, Clarissa Rowntree, and the powerful allure of a woman's body and its possible use as a persuasive tool in flirtation.
A highly recommended novel in a terrific ongoing series.
Paul Weiss
plantbirdwoman's review against another edition
3.0
Sir John Fielding and his assistant Jeremy continue their fight for truth, justice, and the English way of being in this the seventh of the series. It is just as well-written and engaging as all the others.
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