Review: A Beautiful Blue Death by Chares Finch‏

 

Title: A Beautiful Blue Death

Author: Charles Finch

Stars: 4 out of 5

Review:

A delightful murder mystery set in London in 1865. The amateur detective (Charles Lenox) is a gentleman and man of leisure as he is the second son and his brother has already inherited the title. This is a character who gently enfolds you in a warm cozy feeling. Think of him as a laid back Sherlock Holmes who manages to solve the two murders while still maintaining his social calendar and standing within his circle. But he is also not afraid to get his hands dirty doing the nitty gritty basic investigative steps.

I enjoyed this book immensely and gave it a four star rating and look forward to reading other offerings by this author.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review

Synopsis:

On any given day in London, all Charles Lenox, Victorian gentleman and armchair explorer, wants to do is relax in his private study with a cup of tea, a roaring fire and a good book. But when his lifelong friend Lady Jane asks for his help, Lenox cannot resist another chance to unravel a mystery, even if it means trudging through the snow to her townhouse next door.

One of Jane's former servants, Prudence Smith, is dead -- an apparent suicide. But Lenox suspects something far more sinister: murder, by a rare and deadly poison. The house where the girl worked is full of suspects, and though Prudence dabbled with the hearts of more than a few men, Lenox is baffled by an elusive lack of motive in the girl's death.

When another body turns up during the London season's most fashionable ball, Lenox must untangle a web of loyalties and animosities. Was it jealousy that killed Prudence? Or was it something else entirely, something that Lenox alone can uncover before the killer strikes again -- disturbingly close to home?

 

Hardcover, 309 pages

Published June 26th 2007 by Minotaur Books

 

 

About the Author:

 

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. I also write book reviews for the New York Times, USA Today, and the Chicago Tribune and essays in many different places.

Like most people on this website, I'm a huge reader. My taste is all over the place, though I tend to really like literary and mystery fiction. 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...

A 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. I spend most of my time here writing, reading, walking my dog, and trying not to let my ears freeze off.

You can find me on Facebook (facebook.com/charlesfinchauthor) where my reader are always giving fantastic book reviews, or Twitter (twitter.com/charlesfinch) which I don't like quite as much, though it's okay. I'll also try to blog here. Please let me know what I'm doing wrong, since I have remedial goodreads skills.