I have enjoyed and loved Charles Finchs’ Lenox series since the day I picked up the first one. His creation, Charles Lennox, is a Victorian detective from the upper class who investigates and solves cases, eventually creating a detective agency. It would be hard to beat #14, Extravagant Death. I thought that to be his very best yet because Lenox was feeling his age, was alone in a different country, and was coming to grips with how his life had changed and how little of it he might have left. It was a tour de force. The inner dialogue was amazing, as if Finch himself were inside Lenox’s life looking out. And so, it would be hard to beat that book.
I enjoyed The Hidden City, but not as much as the previous book. It seemed slow at times, and while he carefully built subplots around a cousin he must care for and a wife who didn’t agree with him about women’s suffrage, I felt the actual mystery was a bit flat. It concerned a cold case he took on at the behest of his former housekeeper. Mysterious symbols were carved into the doorways of buildings, signs that might have something to do with the killer. I loved the cast of characters he brought back, including some of the younger detectives at his agency, and his good friend Thomas McConnell, about whom Lennox worries. It was a twisty story about Charles Lenox, but I’m afraid it wasn’t Finch’s best. I recommend it, however, and readers will find it an entertaining standalone book. Finch does a sensational job of researching and creating Victorian London, and he is a master of finding intriguing details about that period of time.
Several years ago when I was living in Phoenix, Arizona during the winter, I interviewed Mr. Finch after a book signing he did in Peoria, Arizona. He was so gracious, answered all my questions, and was very funny. What a charming man! He told a great story about when he lived in Chicago and used a library there for research. He went to check out a book but had forgotten his card, and the librarian couldn’t believe he was “the” Charles Finch whose books they carried. He asked her to get a copy of the book, and when she returned with it, including his photograph on the back, she couldn’t believe her eyes. As I recall, he definitely left with the book he was trying to check out. Of course, it was much funnier when he told the story!
Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for allowing me to read the latest Lenox mystery before its publication.