This is a Charles Lenox mystery and Goodreads listed it as #11. Now that I have read it, I realize it's actually #16. I like to read series in order, so I guess I jumped ahead - which explains why it was such a surprise that Lenox had two children in this book! Ha! (The Inheritance is actually #11, so I will read that next and get back on track.)
It's been awhile since I read this series and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed reading about Lenox. It's set in London in the late 1800s, so a very different world than 2026 in America. I had forgotten that it can be quite humorous too. I found myself chuckling out loud a few times. We learn in the beginning of this book that Lenox's detective agency has done really well and there are a lot of cases and requests for cases, which is causing some stress for Lenox, Polly, and Dallington. In the midst of this, England's Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, asks Lenox to travel to America on a diplomatic mission. Lenox feels compelled to stay in London for his agency, his wife, and his two little girls. Of course you know this won't happen! He really needs Lady Jane's blessing, which in the end she lovingly gives. So, Lenox is off to America!
This is Lenox' first visit to America and I loved seeing it through his eyes. He ends up spending most of his time in New York, specifically Newport, which is the home for the very wealthy, like the Vanderbilts and the Astors. Since Lenox is wealthy himself, you would think he would have more in common with these families. He does not. He is stunned by the way they live; by how the families operate; how the servants respond to their employers; by the children who don't have the same "manners" as British children. Also, they all know who he is and that he's in town: "the famous detective from London."
Lenox gets caught up trying to solve the murder of Lily Allingham, the most beautiful young woman to come out that season. She had dozens of men vying for her hand in marriage. Lenox works this case the way he always does: interviewing people and writing it all down so he can process it all in the privacy of his room. In London he has a sidekick to help him. In America, he gains help unexpectedly. The younger son of another wealthy family wants to become a detective and ingratiates himself into the case. His name is Teddy Blaine. Being a detective in America is similar to being a detective in London. It's frowned upon.
I will absolutely admit that there is an event in this book that absolutely stunned me. I don't want to ruin it for the next reader, so I won't say more here, but it was a turn of events I was not expecting! This is a quick read and I very much enjoyed it.
Wendy's Rating: ****
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