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nothingforpomegranted 's review for:
A Beautiful Blue Death
by Charles Finch
mysterious
relaxing
slow-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
A charming, cozy mystery, this book features Charles Lenox, a gentleman and amateur detective with lots of free time and theoretical political ambitions. When his best friend and neighbor, Lady Jane Grey enlists his help in uncovering the details of the death of one of her former servants, now employed by the director of the mint, he readily agrees, despite tensions with the official London police detective department and a less than warm welcome from the household. Insistent that Prue died by suicide, George Barnard is entirely uninterested in Lenox's presence in his home, preferring to maintain his privacy and that of his several guests, including members of parliament and his two nephews.
The story unfolds incredibly slowly, with disappointingly little "detective work." Indeed, much of the page count seemed to be filled with descriptive paragraphs about Lenox's wandering the city or, even less interestingly, sitting in his parlor pondering the case. Author Charles Finch was certainly inspired by the tomes of Sherlock Holmes he read as a child--as acknowledged in his sweetly written Author's Note--and the echoes of Arthur Conan Doyle's hero are palpable; however, Charles Lenox is not nearly as interesting or insightful as Mr. Holmes, and most of his "big reveal" moments lacked drama and suspense.
I enjoyed this book enough but wasn't particularly impressed by the writing, the plot, or the characters. A good free library find for a rainy day, but not a series I'll be coming back to.
The story unfolds incredibly slowly, with disappointingly little "detective work." Indeed, much of the page count seemed to be filled with descriptive paragraphs about Lenox's wandering the city or, even less interestingly, sitting in his parlor pondering the case. Author Charles Finch was certainly inspired by the tomes of Sherlock Holmes he read as a child--as acknowledged in his sweetly written Author's Note--and the echoes of Arthur Conan Doyle's hero are palpable; however, Charles Lenox is not nearly as interesting or insightful as Mr. Holmes, and most of his "big reveal" moments lacked drama and suspense.
I enjoyed this book enough but wasn't particularly impressed by the writing, the plot, or the characters. A good free library find for a rainy day, but not a series I'll be coming back to.