Charles Lennox mysteries
Oct. 18th, 2011 10:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
osprey_archerI read Charles Finch’s A Beautiful Blue Death a few months ago and liked it so much that I hied myself forthwith to the sequel.
Unfortunately, The September Society has pacing issues, and is moreover…well, it’s about a murderously conspiratorial society, and I hate murderously conspiratorial societies. They’re just fine in something that’s meant to be ridiculous, an episode of Psych or The Avengers, but in serious works they quickly make everything ludicrous.
But I love Finch’s portrayal of mid-Victorian London so much – people, this is how historical fiction ought to be written! – that I came back for The Fleet Street Murders and A Stranger in Mayfair, the third and fourth books about Charles Lenox, gentleman detective.
BEST DECISION EVER. The conspiracies are gone, the pacing issues have been solved, the period detail is as deftly handled as ever, and the characters –
I love Finch’s characters. Lenox’s circle of friends and relations is a delight, not just because it is well-drawn and memorable – which is always a plus, but is not uncommon – but because they are excellent people. There’s a thoughtfulness about the way that they treat others – everyone, even people they dislike – the desire to bolster others and put them at their ease, insofar as it is possible without sacrificing truth or justice.
It’s a pleasure to spend time with such kind characters.
And! The fifth book in the series, A Burial at Sea, is coming out in November. I’m so excited!
Unfortunately, The September Society has pacing issues, and is moreover…well, it’s about a murderously conspiratorial society, and I hate murderously conspiratorial societies. They’re just fine in something that’s meant to be ridiculous, an episode of Psych or The Avengers, but in serious works they quickly make everything ludicrous.
But I love Finch’s portrayal of mid-Victorian London so much – people, this is how historical fiction ought to be written! – that I came back for The Fleet Street Murders and A Stranger in Mayfair, the third and fourth books about Charles Lenox, gentleman detective.
BEST DECISION EVER. The conspiracies are gone, the pacing issues have been solved, the period detail is as deftly handled as ever, and the characters –
I love Finch’s characters. Lenox’s circle of friends and relations is a delight, not just because it is well-drawn and memorable – which is always a plus, but is not uncommon – but because they are excellent people. There’s a thoughtfulness about the way that they treat others – everyone, even people they dislike – the desire to bolster others and put them at their ease, insofar as it is possible without sacrificing truth or justice.
It’s a pleasure to spend time with such kind characters.
And! The fifth book in the series, A Burial at Sea, is coming out in November. I’m so excited!
