Book three of the Charles Lenox detective series begins with the murders of two journalists. One journalist is corrupt; the other is squeaky clean. Charles can't help but be intrigued, even though he also has other things on his mind in this book. First of all, he is engaged to be married to the love of his life, Lady Jane Grey, and he was asked to run for Parliament for the Liberal Party in a by-election in Stirrington. So, his interests are split three ways for the entire book, which certainly caused some stress in his life.
Charles feels a family responsibility to be in Parliament, and he really wants to fulfill this dream of his. At the same time, he acknowledges that he can't seem to stop playing amateur detective, which is a profession looked down upon in his level of society. He just can't help himself though. So, even though he travels to Stirrington to campaign (he only has two weeks to sway all the local voters away from his opponent who was born and raised in Stirrington), he manages to sneak back to London for some detective work on the side, much to everyone's dismay on the campaign trail.
In addition to all of this, Charles & Jane's best friends, Toto & Thomas, suffer a miscarriage months into Toto's pregnancy. One thing about this time period - or maybe it's the British way - but couples do not communicate very effectively!! Toto & Thomas have always had their share of marriage troubles, and this is no exception. Toto always relies on Jane for comfort, rather than Thomas, who always turns to drink. It's very frustrating. With the miscarriage, comes a bump in the road for Charles & Jane's pending marriage. Jane wants to slow things down, which sends Charles' into an emotional tailspin. Eventually, they do talk. Thankfully.
I love how Charles' life moves forward in this series. He doesn't just "solve murder mysteries". He lives his life and manages to solve murders in the in-between time of personal events in his life. He is nearly 40 years old, but he is still "finding himself". I guess when you are born wealthy, you are allowed to take your time with that! Ha! One of my favorite characters is Graham, Charles' butler. Graham is so incredibly helpful and smart and loyal. Nothing fazes him in the slightest. Charles is very "eccentric" for his level of society and Graham just goes with the flow, offering his advice in the most respectful way.
I enjoy this series. It's such an incredibly different way of living (wealthy London in the 1800's vs middle-class America in 2021), but I guess that's what I find fascinating. Plus, I love the characters.
Wendy's Rating: ****
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