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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Starring our favorite British redcoat, Lord John Grey. Lord John discovers something terrible about the man betrothed to his cousin. He finds himself searching not only to verify the matter of the man in question, but is also tasked with investigating and solving a crime which may or may not be related. Interesting story with a lot of twists and turns.
Lord John still bugs me, but he's better when he's not obsessing over Jamie. Also, he and von Namtzen would be aaaamazing.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reminds me of reading Sherlock Holmes, with the who-done-it format and the hunt to solve a murder. This is not the same romance as Outlander and shouldn't be read as a spin-off other than for slight mentions of known characters.
I enjoyed this, an interesting mystery and a good look at the life of Lord John.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I quite enjoyed Lord John and these books - they're basically historical whodunnits with nice period detail and political intrigue. What's not to like? I ripped through almost all the books in the series quick succession.
What I *don't* like is the relationship between John and Jamie Fraser, where Jamie is set up like this stoic, amazing hero who has complete contempt for Lord John; while John, who seems like a pretty interesting, capable dude otherwise, turns into a gibbering mess every time they meet and always comes off second best. Bleurgh. So I feel like I wouldn't enjoy the main series. Can anyone tell me if I've gotten it all wrong?
What I *don't* like is the relationship between John and Jamie Fraser, where Jamie is set up like this stoic, amazing hero who has complete contempt for Lord John; while John, who seems like a pretty interesting, capable dude otherwise, turns into a gibbering mess every time they meet and always comes off second best. Bleurgh. So I feel like I wouldn't enjoy the main series. Can anyone tell me if I've gotten it all wrong?
This was a good mystery…I just don’t think it’s the mystery for me. It was a bit slow towards the middle, and with several mysteries unfolding at once, I almost forgot partway through that there had been a murder discovered in the first few pages, haha. But eventually the pace picked up, and the ending was pretty good mystery-solving adventure stuff, even if it did basically end with an “and that’s how I got away with it!!” monologue by the guilty party.
I was never able to get very far into the door stopper that is Outlander, and I appreciated the taste of Gabaldon’s meticulous work in a shorter, more focused novel. Lord John is an interesting character, and I liked his manservant Tom and his German (Prussian? I’m already forgetting) friend with the super tall hat, so I wish I had enjoyed this more. I’m on the fence about reading more in this series…maybe only if the mystery sounds really intriguing.
It’s very accurate historical fiction—painfully accurate sometimes. For example, I really wanted Lord John to refer to Nessie as the “girl” in his narration rather than as the presumably more historically accurate [for an upper class English man in the 18th c] “whore,” so cringey; and I wish there had been more acknowledgement in the narration of her young age, as a victim of child prostitution and slavery… I think there’s a place for modern sensibilities even in a “historically accurate” novel. And there’s definitely no happily ever after possible for any queer character in the novel, just a lot of repression and hiding and fear of discovery and death. (I’m not criticizing this representation in the novel—I’m just saying that this can be tough/unpleasant to read, especially as a queer reader. I’m personally more interested in stories that explore queer happiness and freedom.)
If anyone is still worried about reading a book about a gay man, don’t worry, the whodunnit/howdunnit of the mystery centers several heterosexual romances.
I was never able to get very far into the door stopper that is Outlander, and I appreciated the taste of Gabaldon’s meticulous work in a shorter, more focused novel. Lord John is an interesting character, and I liked his manservant Tom and his German (Prussian? I’m already forgetting) friend with the super tall hat, so I wish I had enjoyed this more. I’m on the fence about reading more in this series…maybe only if the mystery sounds really intriguing.
It’s very accurate historical fiction—painfully accurate sometimes. For example, I really wanted Lord John to refer to Nessie as the “girl” in his narration rather than as the presumably more historically accurate [for an upper class English man in the 18th c] “whore,” so cringey; and I wish there had been more acknowledgement in the narration of her young age, as a victim of child prostitution and slavery… I think there’s a place for modern sensibilities even in a “historically accurate” novel. And there’s definitely no happily ever after possible for any queer character in the novel, just a lot of repression and hiding and fear of discovery and death. (I’m not criticizing this representation in the novel—I’m just saying that this can be tough/unpleasant to read, especially as a queer reader. I’m personally more interested in stories that explore queer happiness and freedom.)
If anyone is still worried about reading a book about a gay man, don’t worry, the whodunnit/howdunnit of the mystery centers several heterosexual romances.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I'd never heard of this side series to Gabaldon's Outlander novels before, but someone at work told me about them. I picked it up for two reasons: 1. gay protagonist, and 2. Victorian British mystery. It delivers on both counts. The protagonist is a gay man of manners – he’s a cultured, educated man with a soldier’s practicality who just happens to have this hidden side life. The mystery starts with him trying to discretely investigate the man his cousin is to marry, but he’s quickly embroiled in another mystery (the murder of a soldier that may have been a traitor to the Crown) that may actually be related. Victorian London is realized in all its glory, from its seedier side to high society, and Gabaldon certainly knows how to write this particular historical period. Even the smells of the various places Lord John traverses came through. Throughout, occasional references to whatever the hell is going on in the Outlander series threw me, because I haven’t read any of them and don’t really want to, but they were far between enough that I could ignore them.