An Old Betrayal by Charles Finch (A Charles Lenox mystery)

One of the best things about a mystery series -- or any genre series, I suppose -- is watching character plotlines progress throughout several books. Although many series' authors deliberately set up each book so it can be read as an independent installment, there is still something particularly satisfying about reading a snippet of dialogue and knowing it refers to some wider plot arc. It's a bit like finding an Easter egg in a video game or movie.

And so although there are many things to love about An Old Betrayal, the seventh Charles Lenox mystery series written by Charles Finch, the development of several supporting characters is what makes this particular installment in the series stand out for me. In fact, it may be my favorite in the series thus far, though it may be more accurate to say it ties with A Burial at Sea.

The main mystery is compelling. It begins when Charles meets -- or rather, fails to meet -- an anonymous client of his protege Jonathan Dallington, who is ill and can not meet the client himself. It turns out the client has a rather important job in Buckingham Palace and has become an extortion victim. The reason for that extortion, however, that is the crux of the matter and leads to a wonderfully suspenseful ending. Unfortunately, I can't say anything more without breaking my personal cardinal rule of reviews of not re-writing the plot or giving any spoilers.

Additionally, the book has several delicious sub-mysteries as well, all involving people in Charles' life. Finch's skill as a writer quietly shines here -- none of the subplots feel forced or shoehorned in, and one never gets the sense that characters appear simply because they are "fan favorites", which can sometimes happen when a series becomes more popular. The most interesting of these is a mystery of sorts that threatens Charles' career in Parliament. 

All the wonderful hallmarks of the series are present in this installment, especially the elegant juxtaposition of the genteel world of Victorian London's upper classes with the feral brutality of desperate criminals. Although Charles doesn't venture into any slums in this installment, the plight of the poor is still present in the background of the book, such as when  Charles spends part of the book fighting for better housing for the poor in Parliament. The narrative sparkles with gems of historical research; my favorite was the explanation of how the word "hogwash" originated. And throughout it all are Finch's gentle humor and razor-sharp insight into human nature at both its best and worst. 

I have always believed the characters are the heart and soul of a good story. A story with a meticulous and clever plot and perhaps even a decently crafted setting, but characters without distinct personalities, is like a perfect cake in which one forgets the baking soda; it inevitably falls flat. This installment fleshes out Toto and McConnel, introduces some very refreshing and new characters (spinoff series? dare I hope?) and allows all of the established characters to grow.

A successful series installment makes the reader eager to read the next installment. When it comes to mystery series, for me, it also makes the characters seem like old friends you visit periodically. By that measure, this series is a resounding success.

A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch (A Charles Lenox mystery)

Though some might say the book should end once the mystery is solved, I for one was happily relieved to witness several key events that serve as subplots in A Death in the Small Hours, Charles Finch’s sixth installment of his wonderful Charles Lenox mysteries.

The deft and artful way in which Finch drops the reader into a pleasant or interesting situation makes one feel a bit like they are strolling in an impressionist painting. The setting is slightly idealized (though still well-researched), with an emphasis on beauty and mood. He writes with a painter’s sense of hue, including just enough to detail to throw the entire image into sharp relief. (I suspect this is especially true for readers such as myself who have not had the fortune to actually travel to England, despite spending thousands of literary hours there, both in the past and present.)

For example, much of this book takes place at Everley, where Lenox’s uncle (technically cousin, but that’s not really the relationship the two have) tends beautiful surrounding gardens and sits as magistrate and de facto squire to the village of Plumbley. As the Lenox family rides up to the estate, a place of many happy memories for Charles, we are told that Everley is “had none of the grandeur of a palace, or of the great medieval castles—it was only two stories—yet it had a beauty all its own” (p. 35, 2012 Minotaur Books U.S. paperback).

The subsequent description has just enough detail to make it a firm setting in the reader’s mind– we are told of an old wing built in 1220 and a “more recent” Queen Anne-period hall, of a pond and “small gardens with gravel paths, not grand but perfect in their beauty” (Ibid.). 

Yet the description simultaneously lacks just enough detail to allow Everley to become a place of the reader’s imagination – in my opinion, best balance a writer can strike.

But that is nothing new from Finch. He has remained remarkable in his ability to create atmosphere and strike a consistent tone without getting stagnant. Indeed, this book installment contains quite a few plot twists, one of which was totally unexpected. And, for those who enjoy just a bit more action and derring-do, you’ll find this installment has plenty of both.

Still, it is still almost what I would call a cozy, though there is some physical action and, of course, a tragic and senseless murder. The murder comes on the heels of vandalism that has recently been occurring in Pemberley. At first, Lenox believes them to be the antics of restless schoolboys but the cryptic, sinister messages that accompany the destruction preclude school boy antics. Naturally, the murder draws both Lenox and the reader into the main plot, even though poor Lenox initially goes to the country to complete a career-making Parliamentary task.

If there can be said to be a major flaw with this installment, it is that perhaps Finch is too enamored with his own characters. But, who can blame him? They’re wonderful. But then again, that’s a bit of the rub, too. One wants to gets to know them more but Finch, and by extension Lenox, who are nothing if not gentlemen, retain a respectful distance that keeps some of the more minor characters at bit at arm’s length. But perhaps I’m just a pushy, nosy American.

All in all, while I wouldn’t call this the best installment of the series, I would say it’s a solid entry into what continues to be a great series. This is a relief given certain major character developments that had me worried the series would inevitably devolve into something else. But existing fans will enjoy it, I’m sure, and those who are new to the series will find it a perfectly good introduction to most of the main characters. 

A Burial at Sea by Charles Finch (A Charles Lenox mystery)

One of the few things better than a mystery set during the cold, foggy nights of Victorian London is a mystery that takes place on a ship of the Royal Navy during the same era.

Something about the creaking wood and restless canting of an old ship, or the glory of a full sail clip into a rising sun and saltwater spray, simply begs for intrigue, murder and (one can only hope) mutiny. After all, there's nowhere for suspects to escape to except Davy Jones' locker, adding a wonderful tension to even mundane interactions.

Charles Finch, like other British mystery authors before him*, answers a call to the water in A Burial At Sea, the fifth installment of the Charles Lenox mysteries. It does not disappoint. 

The confinement of a ship at sea gives nautical mysteries a classic, drawing-room whodunnit feel but that framework is only as good as the writer working within it. Without believable, unique characters even the most well-established ship and setting will sink into flat, two-dimensional stereotypes of men at sea. 

Fortunately, Charles Finch does not run into this problem at all. The characters, of which there are quite a few, are easy to keep track of because they each have a unique voice. And, there's the subplot of Lenox's diplomatic mission as well, which finishes the book nicely. 

Briefly, Charles Lenox is sent on a diplomatic mission to France, one that puts him aboard the H.M.S. Lucy. It is nearly impossible to say more and still uphold my promise to never re-write a plot or give spoilers, but suffice it say that all the key ingredients -- secrets, jealousies, rivalries, friendships sealed with saltwater, etc. -- are all present and accounted for, but twisted just enough to keep from being predictable.

I've written before about Finch's ability to use the theme of class disparity deftly as both a plot device and for character development, but Lenox at sea is in an especially fascinating position. On the one hand, Lenox still a gentleman and passenger. Yet, at least while at sea, whatever his standing on land the captain, out of pure necessity, outranks Lenox at sea. There is a convincing scene during which ballast has to be explained to Lenox and the sailor is so shocked that one might not know this he forgets to call Lenox "sir." Lenox, naturally, does not note or point this out (honestly, where have impeccable manners like Lenox's gone? Sigh.). The new hierarchy dynamic is intriguing and adds a new dimension to the social stratification prevalent in the previous novels.

The main strength in this installment, however, is the characters aboard the ship, one of whom happens to be Lenox's nephew (Finch writes young men very well, incidentally). 

And, as ever, Finch weaves historical fact into his fictitious story with the deft skill of a sailmaker. The long-term plot arc proceeds apace (sorry, no spoilers here!) and Lenox eventually returns to land...and duties that may take him farther away from his sleuthing.

Whether Lenox can survive swallowing a few red herrings while attempting to keep alive  is more than enough intrigue to keep the pages turning.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

See: Bruce Alexander's Watery Grave, an installment in the Sir John Fielding mystery series, for another wonderful mystery aboard a Royal Navy ship, set during the Georgian period. 

A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch (Charles Lenox)

What a wonderful book this was to cozy up with on a cold, blustery day! 

Charles Lennox uses his deductive reasoning skills (slightly reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes) and social graces to get to the heart of a mystery that has a nice surprise ending. The sincere desire of Lenox to get to the truth without overstepping any of the dictates set by social decorum add a nice tension to an already absorbing plot. 

Charles Finch has a particularly enjoyable way of folding London's history into a great mystery with lively characters and great twists without "showing off" his research, as some historical fiction are wont to do. 

The fact that Big Ben has only recently been built and the current political climate of the day are simply observations made by the emminently likeable and affable Lenox make both London and Lenox eminently likable. 

It is also through Lenox that Finch gracefully displays the disparity of London's social pecking order, contrasting Lenox's titled, independantly wealthy status with his servants' (and the servant who is killed in the book) lifestyles. 

The September Society by Charles Finch (Charles Lenox)

This second installment in the Charles Lennox series is as delightful as the first. 


Charles Finch once again masterfully weaves impeccable historical research, full, rich characters and an intriguing mystery into an enveloping story. The setting in this installment is a special treat: Lenox's alma mater, Oxford. 

Even better, it is Oxford in the fall, so Lenox doesn't mind too much when a student's mother frantically knocks on his door early one morning to report that her son is missing. 


At first Lenox is confident the student will be found. But then he finds, among other strange things, a white cat stabbed with a letter opener in the student's room. The poor cat hides a cryptic note beneath it and a card simply stating "The Septemeber Society." It isn't long before it is clear that something old and dangerous has been stirring among the ghosts of Oxford's past. 


With his faithful manservant's help, Lenox manages to investigate a mystery that takes him to the depths and heights of English society, and just about everywhere in between. 

Sharp, unafraid to take risks, but never hurried, Lenox solves mysteries in a calm, gentlemanly manner that nonetheless keeps the wire of suspense taut. 

The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch (Charles Lenox)

Another successful installment in a series in which every book is a pleasant, congenial read, with a tantalizing mystery to keep you turning pages.


Yet again, Charles Finch uses his light touch to throw the reader into the boisterous, amusing, and yet not-to-be-taken-lightly world of an MP election in a small, northern English town. As always, he masterfully folded what must have been fairly painstaking research into a delightful and engaging narrative in such a way it doesn't occur to the reader how much they've learned until after they've finished the book. 


Fans of Graham will be a bit disappointed that he doesn't play quite as large a role in this part, but there are several other new characters that are just as engaging who, hopefully, will make appearances in future books. Of particular note is the local pub owner who is also Lenox's northern campaign manager. 


Meanwhie, Lenox is torn between working to realize his dreams of being an MP and solving the murder that keeps tugging him back to London. Making his absences from the City even more unbearable is some unexpected tension between him and Lady Jane when she asks to delay the wedding.