A Death in the Small Hours

By: Charles Finch

Narrated by: James Langton

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Charles Lenox is at the pinnacle of his political career and is a delighted new father. His days of regularly investigating the crimes of Victorian London now some years behind him, he plans a trip to his uncle's estate in the expectation of a few calm weeks. When he arrives in the quiet village of Plumley, however, what greets him is a series of strange vandalisms upon the local shops. Only when a far more serious crime is committed does he begin to understand the great stakes of those events, and the complex and sinister mind that is wreaking fear and suspicion in Plumley. Now, with his protege at his side, the race is on for Lenox to find the culprit before he strikes again.

©2012 Charles Finch (P)2012 Dreamscape Media, LLC

A charming installment

This book continues the story of Charles Lennox. He and his wife go to the country estate of his uncle so Charles can work on an important speech. Suspicious activities in the area draw his attention away. Sorting through it all, the story provides another glimpse of late 1800s England.

Charles Finch rocks it!

I savor this series by Charles Finch. I'm always disappointed when one ends~~I want the story to go on forever, and cannot wait to download the next. The historical factoids and tidbits of daily English life Charles Finch cleverly incorporates in his books give me a greater understanding of the period.

A splendid take

This is listening pleasure at its best! An exquisitely fine narrator reading a beautifully crafted story of detection, social history, custom, love and politics set in Victorian England. The writing is superb in this series; the reading amplifies it. This tale takes us out of London to the country. Crime happens everywhere. Charles Lenox is the most marvelous sleuth wherever he is, aided, too, by Lady Jane's presence and assisted by his devoted entourage. I do hope Mr. Finch keeps writing for a very long time!

Good story but the ending was too long

I love Charles and Jane and even Graham! And the story was full of lovely new characters and a great plot. But after the mystery was solved, the story went on about an obscure subplot; and it went on and on. I'll keep reading, but I hope the next one doesn't end like this.

Great

Another great addition to this series. From London to the country and back. Murder and mayhem bring everyone together.

loved it

this is so goo that i am going read the series. it has a sherlock Holmes feeling, smart witty and engrossing

Awesome as always! I love these books!

These books never disappoint. It's like traveling in time to one of my favorite periods! Every single book is masterly told and I must admit being one my favorite series.

I enjoy these, but…

It seems like in each book, there is at least one factual or historical error. In this one, it happens early on, when (the book is set in the 1870’s) Charles refers to Jack the Ripper, whose series of murders took place in 1888.

If I let myself enjoy the books for the charming lead characters and the puzzling murders, I’ve found that I’m a much happier reader. I recall that I didn’t read the first of the series for years because there were several errors in the customs of the day, according to many reviewers. When I finally listened to A Beautiful Blue Death, it didn’t bother me at all. The narrator does a great job with the multitude of English accents and Charles’ “posh” accent.

An effort to track all the characters.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The books killed some time while doing chores, but it had a few too many characters to keep track of in an audio format.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Less Characters

Which scene was your favorite?

None stood out

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

A Really Disappointed Charles Finch Fan

Would you try another book from Charles Finch and/or James Langton?

I thoroughly enjoyed all of Finch's previous books in this series (HUGE fan). I anxiously awaited this recent release (waited for months). What a let down! The plot is soooo dull that I didn't want to finish it. In the past, I usually relished each chapter of his works. But in this last work, the plot and the characters (who I grew to appreciate in his previous books) all seem one dimensional. I can't help but wonder if the author rushed this book by submitting an outlined manuscript and then the publishers drew it out with painstaking, boring details that never gained momentum. The result: A looooong, boring tale that made me lose my fondness for Charles Lenox and Lady Grey. I also really missed the wonderful supporting characters that were included in previous books. What a shame and waste of time. Sadly, I'm tempted to get a refund.

Would you ever listen to anything by Charles Finch again?

Not sure.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The narrator was fine. No cmplants there.

What character would you cut from A Death in the Small Hours?

Not sure. They ALL needed more dimensions.