I have been a long time fan of the Charles Lenox mystery series. His keen-eyed account is vivid and witty. About the AuthorCharles Finch is the USA Today bestselling author of the Charles Lenox mysteries, including The Vanishing Ma n. His first contemporary novel, The Last Enchantments, is also available from St. Martin's Press. Bonus: my friend Jessica had read and liked it. I found plenty to entertain myself with in this book and I especially loved seeing the early relationships with many of his friends and colleagues as well as his family. When I saw that a prequel was in the works I was ecstatic and eager to read about a young Charles Lenox! As the Dorset family closes ranks to protect its reputation, Lenox uncovers a dark secret that could expose them to unimaginable scandal—and reveals the existence of an artifact, priceless beyond measure, for which the family is willing to risk anything to keep hidden. Lenox was in his classic role of smart and quick witted detective with a sharp eye and there were enough red herrings to keep me guessing until the reveal. As a result, it is easy to bounce around in the series and not feel like you have missed a ton and this book is no exception. I adore Lenox and have from the very beginning. In the tradition of Sherlock Holmes, this newest mystery in the Charles Lenox series pits the young detective against a maniacal murderer who would give Professor Moriarty a run for his money. It will make you laugh despite the horrors. Lenox eventually takes on an apprentice, Lord John Dallington, a young dandy with a taste for alcohol but also a nose for mysteries, and the two get on well together.
You know I love a good mystery, especially when the detective's personal life unfolds alongside the solving of his or her cases. This temporarily disoriented, well-read literary man — Finch is the author of the Charles Lenox mystery series, and a noted book critic — misses his friends and the way the world used to be. They are thoughtful, well-plotted, enjoyable tales, with a winning main character and plots intricate enough to keep me guessing. And the third book, The Fleet Street Murders, provides a fascinating glimpse into local elections of the era, as Lenox campaigns frantically for a parliamentary seat in a remote northern town. One of the trilogy's highlights is how it shows Lenox's professional and emotional growth into urbane, self-confident maturity. Remember when groceries were rationed, sports were canceled, and President Trump said the virus would be gone by Easter?
The Last Passenger: A Charles Lenox Mystery. Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review"Lenox has officially reached the big leagues--the conclusion waiting for him is nothing short of chilling. This last of the three prequels to Finch's Charles Lenox mysteries finds our aristocratic detective in his late twenties, in 1855, feeling the strains for his unorthodox career choice (many of his social equals and members of Scotland Yard consider him a dilettante) and for his persistent unmarried state. While not it's not a 'gritty' series at all, I find it comfortable and reliable with interesting mysteries that allow me to gather clues along with the detective and try to sort the puzzle out for myself. His investigation draws readers into the inner workings of Parliament and the international shipping industry while Lenox slowly comes to grips with the truth that he's lonely, meaning he should start listening to the women in his life. Along these lines, The Last Passenger has the heaviest weight to pull and does so impressively. He has a great sense of humor and in this book that quality about him really shines. And then everyone started fighting again. As Finch chronicles his routines honestly and without benefit of hindsight, we recall our own.
His brother Edmund has inherited their father's title and seat in Parliament, but Charles is generally content in his comfortable house off Grosvenor Square, with his books, maps, and beautiful, kind neighbor, Lady Jane Grey, close at hand. I spotted Lenox's fourth adventure at Brattle Book Shop a few months back, but since I like to start at the beginning of a series, I waited until I found the first book, A Beautiful Blue Death, at the Booksmith. His first contemporary novel, The Last Enchantments, is also available from St. Martin's Press. Charles Finch is the USA Today bestselling author of the Charles Lenox mysteries, including The Vanishing Man. London, 1853: Having earned some renown by solving a case that baffled Scotland Yard, young Charles Lenox is called upon by the Duke of Dorset, one of England's most revered noblemen, for help. I adored him and found my self chuckling many times. And were it possible, I'd like to time-travel to meet Lenox and Lady Jane on Hampden Lane for a cup of tea. Although most of the servants in the series are background characters, Lenox's relationship with his butler, Graham, is unusual: it dates to the days when Lenox was a student and Graham a scout at Oxford University.
His essays and criticism have appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Washington Post, and elsewhere. Charles Lenox has been a wonderfully entertaining detective and I adore so many of the mysteries in this series! Charles Lenox is the second son of a wealthy Sussex family. When the killer's sights are turned toward those whom Lenox holds most dear, the stakes are raised and Lenox is trapped in a desperate game of cat and mouse. Sadly I got sidetracked by other books and missed a couple in the middle, but I always came back to the series and found something to love in many of the books! It is still a city of golden stone and walled gardens and long walks, and I loved every moment I spent there with Lenox and his associates. A case with enough momentum to recharge this series and grab new readers with its pull. " But when an anonymous writer sends a letter to the paper claiming to have committed the perfect crime--and promising to kill again--Lenox is convinced that this is his chance to prove himself. Late one October evening at Paddington Station, a young man on the 449 train from Manchester is found stabbed to death in the third-class carriage, with no luggage or identifying papers. When I read a Lenox mystery, I always feel like I have read a quality mystery—a true detective novel. Sometimes historical mysteries boarder on cozy, but this series has its feet firmly in detective novel with the focus always being on the mystery and gathering clues. "Prequels are is a mere whippersnapper in The Woman in the Water... a cunning mystery. " Scotland Yard refuses to take him seriously and his friends deride him for attempting a profession at all.
In the early days of sheltering in place, a "new communitarian yearning" appears online, Charles Finch notes in his journal account of the COVID year. But the Duke's concern is not for his ancestor's portrait; hiding in plain sight nearby is another painting of infinitely more value, one that holds the key to one of the country's most famous and best-kept secrets. "There's such rawness in everyone — the mix is so different than usual, the same amount of anger, but more fear, less certainty, and I think more love. " Turf Tavern, Lincoln College, Christ Church Meadows, the Bodleian Library – in some ways the Oxford of today is not all that different from the one Lenox knew.
I have had a lot of luck jumping around in this series and I figured the prequels would be no different. His newest case is puzzling for several reasons. This is a series that I know I can turn to for solid quality and this installment met all of my expectations. Events of the past year and a half were stupefying and horrific — but we suffered them together. The supporting characters burst with personality, and the short historical digressions are delightful enhancements. With few clues to go on, Lenox endeavors to solve the crime before another innocent life is lost. "But what a lovely week, " he writes. He writes trenchantly about societal inequities laid bare by the pandemic. Finch talks online with friends, soothes himself with music, smokes a little pot, takes long walks in Los Angeles, admiring its weird beauty. The Hidden City (Charles Lenox Mysteries #15) (Hardcover).
I haven't read The Woman in the Water yet, which is the first prequel, but I was thrilled when The Vanishing Man came up. So far, the series has run to six books, with a recurring circle of characters: Graham, Edmund, Lady Jane, Lenox's doctor friend Thomas McConnell and his wife Victoria, amusingly known as "Toto. " Both Lenox and Finch (the author) are Oxford alumni, and I loved following Lenox through the streets, parks and pubs of my favorite city. Thankfully, Finch did. While he and his loyal valet, Graham, study criminal patterns in newspapers to establish his bona fides with the former, Lenox's mother and his good friend, Lady Jane Grey, attempt to remedy the latter. Finch conveys it all here with all the humor and pathos the era deserves. Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 268 pages, $28. Finch received the 2017 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing from the National Book Critics Circle.
Remember when a projected death toll of 20, 000 seemed outrageous? Remember when right-wingers railed against looting as if that were the story? "If the Trump era ends, " Finch writes on May 11, 2020, "I think what will be hardest to convey is how things happened every day, sometimes every hour, that you would throw your body in front of a car to stop. Dorset believes the thieves took the wrong painting and may return when they realize their error—and when his fears result in murder, Lenox must act quickly to unravel the mystery behind both paintings before tragedy can strike again.
I will say though, the character Lancelot was a hoot! Asked to help investigate by a bumbling Yard inspector who's come to rely on his perspicacity, Lenox quickly deduces some facts about the murderer and the dead man's origins, which make the case assume a much greater significance than the gang-related murder it was originally figured as. He rails against politicians and billionaire CEOs. Missing his friends and mourning the world as he knew it, Finch's account has a unifying effect in the same way that good literature affirms humanity by capturing a moment in time. He is also quick, smart, and cleaver which makes him a fun lead in this story. Christine Brunkhorst is a Twin Cities writer and reviewer. Lenox is a kind, thoughtful man, who tackles deep philosophical and moral questions but appreciates life's small comforts, such as a clandestine cup of cocoa at midnight, a stack of hot buttered toast or a pair of well-made boots. Overall I found this mystery solid and what I would expect from a seasoned writer like Finch. The second book, The September Society, is set largely in Oxford, as Lenox tries to unravel the murder of a young man there. One of the things I like about this series is, although there are back stories and personal plots for many of the characters in the series, Lenox included, it never becomes the focus of the story but rather stays focused on the mystery. A painting of the Duke's great-grandfather has been stolen from his private study. Remember when there was talk of a vaccine by spring and when, as early as the first presidential debate "the alibi for a Trump loss [was] being laid down like covering smoke in Vietnam? The writer's first victim is a young woman whose body is found in a naval trunk, caught up in the rushes of a small islet in the middle of the Thames.