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
"Details Matter"
The book opens in 1874, and yet by the third chapter the characters have referred to Jack the Ripper who didn't do his deeds for another fourteen years. When the author makes a mistake as glaring as that early on, I'm distracted with listening for other anachronisms and errors throughout. Which is all the odder as the book staggers along beneath a burden of English legal and trade trivia, with all the entertainment value of a 6th grade text book. I love books with gobs of historical trivia (I'm a great lover of the Aubrey-Maturin series for example) but Mr. Finch seems incapable of delivering his load of information in any manner that could pass as story telling. I wish Mr. Finch had stuck to telling his story, as derivative of other and better detective fiction though it is.
"Sort of Pleasant"
This is a pleasant, light read of no consequence. I am not sure what the point was. I like it as a quiet diversion, but do not expect to listen again (as I do with stories that are well told and read).
"A Really Disappointed Charles Finch Fan"
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.
Not sure.
The narrator was fine. No cmplants there.
Not sure. They ALL needed more dimensions.