Some of my favorite writers: George Orwell, Henry Green, Dick Francis, Anthony Trollope, David Lodge, PG Wodehouse, Bill Bryson, Roberto Bolano, Jonathan Franzen, Shirley Hazzard, Leo Tolstoy, AR Ammons, Philip Larkin, Edgar Bowers, Laurent Binet, Laurie Colwin, Jane Austen, Arthur Conan Doyle, Philip Roth, Henrik Ibsen, Geoff Dyer, the list could go forever…Ī bit about myself: I was born in New York City, and since then I’ve lived all over the place, in America, England, France…at the moment I’m in Chicago, where I just recently moved. My taste is all over the place, though I tend to really like literary and mystery fiction. Like most people on this website, I’m a huge reader. I also write book reviews for the New York Times, USA Today, and the Chicago Tribune and essays in many different places.
#CHARLES FINCH SERIES#
My name is Charles Finch – welcome! I’m the author of the Charles Lenox series of historical mysteries, as well as a recent novel about expatriate life in Oxford, THE LAST ENCHANTMENTS. Those who enjoy historical mysteries must put this series on their list. In summary, An Old Betrayal went from slow and steady to suspenseful with a wonderful cast of characters, historical backdrop, and complex plot.
And, was Lord John struck by cupid’s dart finally? I do love the characters of this series and am just as eager to see what goes on with them as much as the mystery. I enjoyed the end when Charles took it to the person slandering Graham and considers a new, fresh interest for his life and Grahams. The Victorian world is painted well and the characters are very much part of the world. Like, learning the origin of ‘hogwash’ or exploring the history of the Hanovers arrival on England’s throne. I was pleasantly surprised to get the villain right and even the how, but was left baffled until the end over the why.Īn amusing aspect of these books are the ‘fun fact’ style details. I enjoyed tracking along with him, Lord John, and the police as it grew into something more. In fact, most would think there was no case to work at all, but Charles’ curiosity and nose for trouble has him investigating small curiosities at first. This is an interesting situation because unlike many in the series, the murder doesn’t open the story. There is much going on, but the book goes along at a steady pace and develops well. It is fun to see this sparkling middle-aged couple right back in the middle of things when Charles lands a mystery when Lord John, his detecting protégé falls ill and can’t work his most recent case, when someone is trying to slur Charles’ secretary Graham’s reputation, and when their friends, Thomas and Toto, seem to be in marital difficulties with a mysterious woman in the middle of it. But, it’s never long before their quiet life gets interrupted… He’s a family man now with a toddling little girl and he tries to support his wife’s social life as an organizer and leader. He won his spot in the House of Commons and takes his role as MP seriously. His wife is a star in London society because of her genuine interest and kindness. Charles is a gentle, thinking man who is affable and tends to be well-liked. Set in the 1870s of the Victorian Period and mostly in London, the Charles Lenox mysteries have been engaging from the very first book. Yet, sometimes he misses the old detection game and is happy to help out a sick friend with a new intriguing case that twists its way to a rather stunning end.Īn Old Betrayal is the seventh in the Charles Lenox Mysteries that each provide a standalone murder mystery, though they work best in order to follow the progression of the characters’ lives.
Ranging from the slums of London to the city’s corridors of power, the newest Charles Lenox novel bears all of this series’ customary wit, charm, and trickery-a compulsive escape to a different time.Įstablishing himself as a gentleman detective, starting a family, and now delivering speeches from the front seats in Parliament, Charles Lenox has come a long way. Where will he strike next? The answer, Lenox learns with slowly dawning horror, may be at the very heart of England’s monarchy. Soon he realizes that, far from concluding the murderer’s business, this body is only the first step in a cruel plan, many years in the plotting. But when their cryptic encounter seems to lead, days later, to the murder of an innocuous country squire, this fast favor draws Lenox inexorably back into his old profession. On a spring morning in London, 1875, Charles Lenox agrees to take time away from his busy schedule as a Member of Parliament to meet an old protégé’s client at Charing Cross. Published by Minotaur Books on November 12, 2013Īmazon, Audible, Audiobook, Barnes & Noble, Apple