An Old Betrayal by Charles Finch

Overview:

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. 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.

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. Where will he strike next? The answer, Lenox learns with slowly dawning horror, may be at the very heart of England's monarchy.

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.

My Review:

This is the 7th book in the Charles Lenox series and if you read my review on the 6th book, you'll know that I was quite unhappy with the direction the series was going.  I also said that because I had already purchased the rest of the series, I would continue to read them, but they weren't a priority.  Well, I already finished the June pick of the Novel Adventures Book Club (review at the end of the month) so I figured I would give this series another try and I am glad I did.

This book finally gets back (almost) to why I enjoyed this series so much in the first place.  It was a good mystery and Charles spent way more time on it than he did his parliamentary duties.  There was also a significant drop off in his and Jane's ridiculous infatuation with their daughter.  She was more of a very-in-the-background character and I liked that.  She's there but not intrusive which is how it should be at this point.  

Anyway, as far as the story goes, I enjoyed that Dallington played a much bigger role and another character was added that I like very much and hope to see more of in future books.  The plot was interesting but could have been just a bit tighter and the pacing was just a tad too slow, with too much unnecessary detail in some places but overall, it was intriguing.  

The ending happened way sooner than it should have, as there were several chapters afterwards that just went through explaining things.  It would have been much better to have them as part of the action instead.  I understand why it had to be done the way it was, because it was Dallington who had to take care of that particular part but the series isn't written in first person so I don't see why we couldn't have followed him along during that journey but that is really a minor gripe.

Overall, I enjoyed this book much better and if the ending of this one is any indication, I think I will enjoy diving back into this series but I will keep you updated.

A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch

Overview:

Charles Lenox is at the pinnacle of his political career and is a delighted new father. His days of regularly investigating the crimes of Victorian London now some years behind him, he plans a trip to his uncle's estate, Somerset, in the expectation of a few calm weeks to write an important speech. When he arrives in the quiet village of Plumbley, however, what greets him is a series of strange vandalisms upon the local shops: broken windows, minor thefts, threatening scrawls.

Only when a far more serious crime is committed does he begin to understand the great stakes of those events, and the complex and sinister mind that is wreaking fear and suspicion in Plumbley. Now, with his protege, John Dallington, at his side, the race is on for Lenox to find the culprit before he strikes again. And this time his victim may be someone that Lenox loves. 

My Review:

It has been quite some time since I last read a book in the Charles Lenox Mystery series by Charles Finch.  I was so disappointed in the last one that I put down the series for several years before finally picking it up again to see if distance would improve my thoughts.  Unfortunately, it didn't.  

In this book, Charles has been chosen to give a key speech in front of Parliament but with all the interruptions from people telling him what to include, he decides to escape with Jane and their daughter Sophia to the country estate of his uncle where he can write and think in peace and solitude.  When he arrives, however, he learns there has been a series of incidents that he initially brushes off as just local boys playing pranks but when a police constable is murdered, Charles realizes there is more going on and decides to help solve the murder.

It sounded like an exciting plot but it was clumsily done and very easy to figure out early on what was happening.  That in itself wouldn't normally be enough to turn me off because I enjoy the escape that reading provides but I just can't get past the character issues.  Charles obviously misses being a detective and it's absolutely Jane's fault that he can't pursue his passion because she thinks it is beneath their station.  That makes her a very ugly person because she has known him from a very young age and knew that he loved detecting just to help those who are considered inferior and have no legal recourse of their own.  She married him anyway and then proceeded to take away the very thing that made him who he was.  He is plainly miserable and that really comes through the pages.  

I also don't like the way Charles acts so stupid over his daughter Sophia.  It's very unrealistic for that time period and while I could forgive that, he just goes way overboard with it.  

I also wish that Dallington was more involved.  I like him and want to see more of him.  Since Charles is no longer allowed to be a detective, perhaps Mr. Finch would continue the series with Dallington.  I want to read about murder mysteries in Victorian England - not about a main character who is clearly miserable with his Parliamentary career and over-the-top enthused about his child.  

I never like my reviews to be so totally negative.  There's usually something I like about every book I review and if not, I generally don't post about it.  That being said, I am seeing a trend that I don't like in the mystery genre and am having a really hard time finding books that are engaging, suspenseful, historically accurate, and worth my time.  

Have you read this series?  What did you think?  Am I being too harsh or not critical enough?  Let me know in the comments below.  Also, I am totally open to suggestions for other books to read.  

A Room with a Brew by Joyce Tremel

Overview:

Disaster is on tap in this all-new mystery from the author of Tangled Up in Brew.

It's Oktoberfest in Pittsburgh, and brewpub owner Maxine "Max" O'Hara is prepping for a busy month at the Allegheny Brew House. To create the perfect atmosphere for the boozy celebration, Max hires an oompah band. But when one of the members from the band turns up dead, it's up to Max to solve the murder before the festivities are ruined. 

Adding to the brewing trouble, Candy, Max's friend, is acting suspicious... Secrets from her past are fermenting under the surface, and Max must uncover the truth to prove her friend's innocence. To make matters worse, Jake's snooty ex-fiancée shows up in town for an art gallery opening, and she'll be nothing but a barrel of trouble for Max.

My Review:

A Room with a Brew is the third installment of the Brewing Trouble Mystery series.  In this episode, Max is preparing her pub, The Allegheny Brew House, for an Oktoberfest celebration and has hired an oompah band.  Unfortunately, one of the members ends up dead and it's up to Max and her friends to figure out what happened before Candy, who is acting very suspicious, gets accused of murder. In addition, Max learns that her parents' new neighbors have opened up an art gallery and guess who happens to show up at the grand opening?  None other than Jake's ex-fiancee Victoria and she is every bit as mean as Jake described her.  We are also introduced to another character named Tommy whom I liked very much and hope he makes a return in other books in this series.

The main plot centers around art and a Vermeer painting so it was extremely easy to figure out what was going on really early in the book, even though it took forever to get to the actual murder.  That seems to be the trend these days in all mystery books and it is starting to annoy.  That aside, I enjoy the setting of this series, but maybe that's because I grew up not far from Pittsburgh and am a huge Steelers fan.  Though I don't carry it to extremes like Candy, I do own a Terrible Towel, slippers, and a blanket so I can totally relate to Candy.  I also like that it centers around a brew pub which is unique in the cozy world.  Another thing I really like about this series is that there was never a "love triangle".  I don't mind if the characters take a book or three to finally become an item but too many cozies have the love triangle and it is beyond cliche at this point.

Speaking of characters, I think the characters are in this series are a little flat, even though we are now three books in.  I don't expect to know everything about all of them right away but I want more details to make them seem more real.  If you read my post about characterization, you'll know that in order for me to really get lost in a book, I need the characters to feel like my actual friends and while I think Kristie, Daisy, Nicole, and Elmer are interesting, they come across as two-dimensional and fake.  I also thought that Victoria was very over-done with her snootiness and condescension.  It would have been better and much more effective to have her be a little more subtle in her jabs towards Max and Jake. 

Continuing on with characters, Max is just a smidge too arrogant for my tastes.  I'm not sure why that is - maybe because she thinks she knows better than anyone else in matters of detective work and doesn't want to listen to anyone else.  And because I always feel like I'm being lectured when it comes to the brewing aspect of things, almost as if her tastes in brewing are the only right ones.  Maybe I'm being too nit-picky, though, and I don't mean to be.  

None of the things mentioned above are egregious enough to cause me to stop reading the series because I think each book gets just a bit better and I am interested in the characters enough to hope that the author keeps fleshing them out.  

⭐⭐⭐ out of 5.

Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson

 

Overview:

As a midwife in turn-of-the-century New York, Sarah Brandt has seen pain and joy. Now she will work for something more--a search for justice--in a case of murder involving one of New York's richest families.

My Review:

This is the first book in the Gaslight Mystery series and though it was published in 1999 and I have had it on my shelf for years, I am just now getting around to reading it.  Not because I didn't think it would be good but because I prefer my historical mysteries set in Georgian or Victorian England.  Now I could kick myself for wasting so much time in getting started with this series.

Set in turn-of-the-century New York, we are introduced to Sarah Brandt who is a midwife.  While visiting a patient following the delivery, Sarah learns that a young boarder has been murdered.  Sarah had seen her the night before while delivering her patient's baby and thought the girl looked familiar.  It turns out to be the younger sister of one of her old friends.

Sarah had been raised in high society but chose to defy the conventions of the day by not only marrying a doctor, but also by becoming a midwife.  He died (murdered as we find out later) and Sarah is left to make her own way in the world.  When she is approached by the Detective in charge Frank Malloy to examine the body, Sarah discovers she indeed knows the girl and is determined to help find her killer.  

I loved the juxtaposition of Sarah and Frank.  He is immediately prejudiced against her when he learns she is high-born but also has a grudging respect for her when he learns how she defied society to follow her heart.  He also knows that she will be invaluable in helping him gain access to places he would otherwise be banned from.  He resents this but his sense of justice prevails and he cautiously accepts her help.

The characters are realistic and I found myself drawn to all of them and that doesn't happen very often.  I enjoyed the bitterness of Frank, especially as I learned more about him throughout the book, as well as the determination of Sarah.   

The setting was rich in detail and I was easily caught up in that world.  As a historian by trade and education, I know that though mostly accurate, there were some discrepancies but it didn't distract me from the book.  A lot of times, authors will add in modern elements such as a turn of phrase just so the reader can get a better understanding of what a character is thinking and while some readers don't like that, I really don't mind.  It wasn't so egregious that I felt it took me out of the setting and I'm willing to overlook some of that if it helps progress the story.

The plot is well thought out and though it isn't difficult to figure out the murderer, there is an unexpected twist that you really don't see coming - something that is lacking in a lot of mysteries these days.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am on the hunt for the next one in the series.