Sunday, March 24, 2013

Book Review: The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the third book in the Charles Lenox series and was a thoroughly enjoyable read.  A good part of this book focused on Charles’ run for Parliament.   I wasn’t sure whether I wanted him to win his seat or not and am not sure I’m happy with the results, but we’ll see.

The mystery was almost overshadowed by the campaign for Parliament, but it was blended well into the overall story.  This I’m sure was helped by likable townsfolk and Lenox’s true passion for being a member of Parliament.  I liked that Charles did not let his unexpected sudden run for Parliament overshadow everything.  His protege (of sorts), Dallington, seeks his help when an acquaintance is accused of murder, and while Lenox seems torn, in the end his need to investigate comes to the front and he does lend his help and direction to Dallington.  Up until the resolution, which was well done, Charles solution almost had overtones of obsession with a particular criminal, however, the ending took it out of the obsession realm and tied up everything nicely.

The main characters are back - his brother, Sir Edmund, McConnell and his wife, Toto, and of course, his manservant, Graham, who is invaluable with his campaign.  This book also introduced some great characters in the town he was campaigning to represent in Parliament.  A side story involved Lenox engagement to Lady Jane Grey, which added a bit of tension on that end, but blended well with the overall story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it and the series.  


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