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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
An enjoyable Victorian cozy mystery. Charles Lenox, a Victorian gentleman and amateur detective, is asked by his friend Lady Jane, to find out who murdered her former maid.
The story is set in London in 1865...although truth be told, it felt more like New York in the 1920s. As others have said, the strict protocols and restrictions usually found in Victorian England are thrown out the window. The close relationship between Charles and Lady Jane seemed inappropriate for 1865 and the closeness between the lady/gentleman of the house and their servants (butler, housemaids, etc) threw me off. Can't see Lady Crowley and Mrs. Hughes chit chatting about this and that.
But anyway...the storyline was fun and the wit of the characters were strong enough that I gladly overlooked this slight (?). Investigating the death of Pru Smith had several twists and turns. The ending was quite clever. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
"For Lenox's money, Parliament was one of the two or three most beautiful building in London, in that yellowish stone unique to England, with its high towers and intricately carved walls...Nobody, on the other hand, would ever care about Big Ben" (p. 53)
"Now Soames was of a specific type among the English gentry, not altogether a good type or a bad one, but rather one who lived on the periphery of these categories, half in and half out" (p.148)
The story is set in London in 1865...although truth be told, it felt more like New York in the 1920s. As others have said, the strict protocols and restrictions usually found in Victorian England are thrown out the window. The close relationship between Charles and Lady Jane seemed inappropriate for 1865 and the closeness between the lady/gentleman of the house and their servants (butler, housemaids, etc) threw me off. Can't see Lady Crowley and Mrs. Hughes chit chatting about this and that.
But anyway...the storyline was fun and the wit of the characters were strong enough that I gladly overlooked this slight (?). Investigating the death of Pru Smith had several twists and turns. The ending was quite clever. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
"For Lenox's money, Parliament was one of the two or three most beautiful building in London, in that yellowish stone unique to England, with its high towers and intricately carved walls...Nobody, on the other hand, would ever care about Big Ben" (p. 53)
"Now Soames was of a specific type among the English gentry, not altogether a good type or a bad one, but rather one who lived on the periphery of these categories, half in and half out" (p.148)
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Was this supposed to be satire? The characters were such dithering idiots and the explanations were so condescending.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In Victorian London, Charles Lenox is a gentleman of the leisurely class, a man with no worries about income or career. His daily activities lean toward scholarly pursuits of exotic locales and spending time in the various social clubs of upper-class English society. But when his lifelong friend and neighbor, Lady Jane comes to him with news of a former maid apparently having committed suicide, Lenox is compelled to investigate. Shortly, he discovers the suicide note could not have been written by the maid and thus, it’s murder.
This is the first of the Charles Lenox mysteries by Charles Finch and serves as a fairly good introduction to the series. It is, however, the author’s first novel and even he confesses to some areas he would write differently if he were to write it today. For me, while I enjoyed the character of Lenox himself, we spend a bit too much time with his day-to-day life, his taking tea with Lady Jane, his discussions with various friends and acquaintances, and so forth. It provides nice color and broadens the character but at times, it seems padded. The ending especially suffers from this, with a lengthy denouement that is drawn out far too long. The case is solved with more than fifty pages to go so we wallow in discussion of motives, and excessively detailed explanations of how it was done. A final chapter is tacked on that has nothing at all to do with the case.
But still, despite these shortcomings, I thought the case itself was well thought out. The author’s influences of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy Sayers are clearly evident in the nature of the plot. The result is a golden-age style mystery complete with murder by poison, a single murder location, and a handful of suspects. The writing itself is charming and the settings are spot-on Victorian London. it’s hard to believe the author is American and not British.
Overall, this is probably a three-and-a-half star read for me but I am rounding up for the sheer charm of it all. It kept me turning the pages and I am interested to read more books in the series.
This is the first of the Charles Lenox mysteries by Charles Finch and serves as a fairly good introduction to the series. It is, however, the author’s first novel and even he confesses to some areas he would write differently if he were to write it today. For me, while I enjoyed the character of Lenox himself, we spend a bit too much time with his day-to-day life, his taking tea with Lady Jane, his discussions with various friends and acquaintances, and so forth. It provides nice color and broadens the character but at times, it seems padded. The ending especially suffers from this, with a lengthy denouement that is drawn out far too long. The case is solved with more than fifty pages to go so we wallow in discussion of motives, and excessively detailed explanations of how it was done. A final chapter is tacked on that has nothing at all to do with the case.
But still, despite these shortcomings, I thought the case itself was well thought out. The author’s influences of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy Sayers are clearly evident in the nature of the plot. The result is a golden-age style mystery complete with murder by poison, a single murder location, and a handful of suspects. The writing itself is charming and the settings are spot-on Victorian London. it’s hard to believe the author is American and not British.
Overall, this is probably a three-and-a-half star read for me but I am rounding up for the sheer charm of it all. It kept me turning the pages and I am interested to read more books in the series.
This is the first book in the set of Charles Lenox mysteries. A friend of mine recommended & lent me their paperback, and I loved it! It is such a cozy British murder mystery that had me intrigued and guessing the whole way through. It’s not necessarily an edge of your seat thriller, but rather just a good solid read that’ll have you charmed and wondering “who murdered the maid?”
I read this for a book club and I didn't end up being able to attend the meeting but maybe it's just as well because I really didn't like this book. I'm a big fan of mystery, but everything about this book was dull and flat. There was nothing compelling about the mystery itself or any of the characters. I know this is the first in a series but I can't see myself wanting to read any further. The only thing I liked about it was that I listened to it on audio and the narration by James Langton was excellent.
The first book in a new mystery series by Charles Finch. It's a fun period piece, an armchair mystery that begs you to read it in a large comfy armchair with a pot of hot tea and snow falling outside. As the blurbs on the back say, it really is a blending of both the deductive powers of Sherlock Holmes and Poirot and the period details of 1800s London. There is a set cast of characters, a small number of clues, and a process of elimination to reveal the murderer.... Not as engrossing as a Doyle or Christie mystery, but a strong start for a new mystery writer. I highly recommend reading this when the first snow falls in the season!