A Stranger in Mayfair
110. Charles Finch, A Stranger in Mayfair
Warning: minor spoilers for previous Charles Lenox books.
Charles Lenox, Victorian gentleman and amateur detective, has just returned to London from his honeymoon. He has recently been elected to the House of Commons and is eager to assume his new position in Parliament. However, he is soon distracted by a potential case: a longtime acquaintance, Ludovic Starling, reveals that his footman has just been bludgeoned to death. Although Charles wants to focus on his new career as an M.P., he can’t help being drawn to his old work as well. Along with his apprentice, the idle young aristocrat John Dallington, Charles begins to investigate the case, and he soon fears that Ludo himself might be the murderer. Meanwhile, Charles must attempt to balance his two careers while he also adjusts to married life.
I am still enjoying the Charles Lenox series for some light, Victorian-flavored mysteries. In this particular book, the mystery itself is wildly predictable; I was able to guess virtually every twist in the plot, including the murderer’s identity, at an absurdly early point in the book. It’s not that the mystery is poorly done, but to anyone who reads a lot of mystery novels, the plot conventions will be extremely obvious. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book for the period flavor and for the development in Charles’ character. He has just achieved two of his long-term life goals - marrying Jane and being elected to Parliament - and now he’s starting to realize that both events aren’t quite what he envisioned. I look forward to seeing how these new potential conflicts will develop in subsequent books. Also, I have a definite soft spot for John Dallington and would like to see him take on a more central role in future novels! All in all, I liked this book and look forward to continuing with the series.