Publisher's Weekly Review
Set in 1850, Finch's uneven 11th novel starring aristocratic London sleuth Charles Lenox (after 2016's The Inheritance) recounts Lenox's first serious inquiry, undertaken when he was just 23. Lenox and Graham, his Bunter-like valet ("who every fifteen days or so let slip a small joke at his employer's expense"), routinely peruse the papers for crime stories. An anonymous letter-writer to one newspaper boasts of having committed the perfect murder and of his intention to kill a second woman around the first crime's one-month anniversary. The pair deduce that the writer refers to the unsolved strangulation of an unidentified woman found on an island in the Thames, and Lenox uses his family connections to get access to Sir Richard Mayne, the head of Scotland Yard, and a role in the investigation. Finch supplies an extremely clever solution to the murder mystery, but the dynamic between Lenox and his servants can feel more farcical than realistic, and describing the 19th century as the one "in which murder became a real notion" is ill-phrased, at best. Still, this entry will please series fans. Agents: Kari Stuart and Jennifer Joel, ICM. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
In this prequel to Finch's long-standing historical series, a very young Charles Lenox is eager to prove his worth as a detective. In 1850 London, his problem is getting Scotland Yard and his friends to believe in his abilities. Lenox and his valet Graham come across an intriguing letter in one of the city's less illustrious daily papers-a letter that brags about the commission of a perfect murder. Lenox and Graham begin to dig into the affair and soon make connections that the police did not. While Lenox has the support of the commissioner, he has become something of a joke among the Yard's investigators. Nevertheless, he perseveres. As he works to unravel clues to prevent another murder, Lenox has to deal with unrequited love and the shocking news of his father's failing health. Can he find the strength to pursue his dreams? Can he beat a fiendish killer at his own game? Verdict Finch (The Inheritance) does a wonderful job of re-creating the atmosphere of mid-19th-century England; his characters are crisply drawn and believable. It's wonderful to see the neophyte Lenox develop the skills for which he becomes renowned in later books. An excellent addition to an already terrific series. [See Prepub Alert, 8/7/17.]-Julie Ciccarelli, Tacoma P.L. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.