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A good historical mystery requires two things: history and mystery. While that may seem obvious, not all authors are adept at providing both. Charles Finch is, so it's no wonder his Victorian detective novels have been well received. THE LAWS OF MURDER, the latest in the Charles Lenox series, stays true to form, evoking the era with subtle, well-placed references to issues of the times (the plight of cab horses and the development of motorized vehicles, for instance) and mentions of Queen Victoria, Prime Minister Gladstone, Dickens, and other notables, while presenting a nicely complex murder mystery.
Charles Lenox has just left Parliament to open Victorian London's first detective agency. Lenox and his three colleagues (including Polly Strickland Buchanan, John Dallington, and LeMaire) have high hopes for success based on Lenox's connections and all four detective's expertise. Hope quickly turns to discouragement, however, as bad press and few clients cause friction among the detectives and flat-out disappointment on Lenox's part since he, of the four, brings in the fewest clients. When Lenox finally is called in to assist Scotland Yard, his first real test as a private detective comes at a high cost: his friend, Inspector Jenkins, is murdered, and Lenox must unravel the convoluted twists and turns of high-society debauchery, mysterious cargo shipping practices, and the questionable actions of all around him, all while avoiding threats to his own safety and that of his family and trying to hold his faltering detective agency together.
Finch sets the scene well, not overburdening the reader with history lessons but providing enough information and sensory detail to make Victorian London palpable. At the same time, the mystery is intriguing, well-paced, and complex enough to keep the reader puzzled and the pages turning. Plus, the characters are complicated enough to be both believable and interesting. While none is drawn too deeply, all are satisfyingly well sketched, and each provides multiple subplots that add to the overall enjoyment, including asides about the changing roles of women (the women portrayed in the novel tend to be strong women, and that is reflected in the comments about women's issues that, like the historical references, aren't overplayed but add nice food for thought). Also making this novel particularly enjoyable is the fact that it's perfectly understandable as a stand-alone novel, an introduction to Charles Lenox and his world, or as the latest installment in an ongoing relationship. In other words, in addition to giving the reader a glimpse of Victorian London and plenty of puzzles to ponder, it also does a nice job of both satisfying an appetite for Lenox mysteries and enticing the reader to want more.
§ Meredith Frazier, a writer with a background in English literature, lives in Dallas, Texas
Reviewed by Meredith Frazier, November 2014
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