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The Laws of Murder: A Charles Lenox Mystery (Charles Lenox Mysteries) Hardcover – November 11, 2014

by Charles Finch (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,030 ratings
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It's 1876, and Charles Lenox, once London's leading private investigator, has just given up his seat in Parliament after six years, primed to return to his first love, detection. With high hopes he and three colleagues start a new detective agency, the first of its kind. But as the months pass, and he is the only detective who cannot find work, Lenox begins to question whether he can still play the game as he once did.

Then comes a chance to redeem himself, though at a terrible price: a friend, a member of Scotland Yard, is shot near Regent's Park. As Lenox begins to parse the peculiar details of the death – an unlaced boot, a days-old wound, an untraceable luggage ticket – he realizes that the incident may lead him into grave personal danger, beyond which lies a terrible truth.

With all the humanity, glamor, and mystery that readers have come to love, the latest Lenox novel is a shining new confirmation of the enduring popularity of Charles Finch's Victorian series.

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Previous page
  1. Book 8 of 15
    Charles Lenox Mysteries
  2. Print length
    304 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Minotaur Books
  5. Publication date
    November 11, 2014
  6. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1250051304
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1250051301
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A thick, leisurely, British detective novel, studded with memorable characters.” ―Boston Globe

“Finch is as skillful at evoking Victorian London as he is at spinning a crackerjack plot, this one with tentacles into the underworld of the upper class. Lenox's eighth outing, after An Old Betrayal (2013), is a solid addition to this much-lauded series.” ―Booklist

“The upper-class amateur sleuth, an endangered species even in historical mysteries, is very much alive in Charles Finch's charming Victorian whodunits.” ―The New York Times Book Review

“Superb . . . Boasting one of Finch's tightest and trickiest plots, this installment further establishes Lenox as a worthy heir to the aristocratic mantle of Lord Peter Wimsey.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred) on A Death in the Small Hours

“The sixth in Finch's steadily improving series develops the congenial continuing characters further while providing quite a decent mystery.” ―Kirkus Reviews on A Death in the Small Hours

About the Author

Charles Finch is a graduate of Yale and Oxford. He is the author of the Charles Lenox mysteries. His first novel, A Beautiful Blue Death, was nominated for an Agatha Award and was named one of Library Journal's Best Books of 2007, one of only five mystery novels on the list. He lives in Chicago.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books; First Edition (November 11, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250051304
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250051301
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.08 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,030 ratings

About the author

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Charles Finch

Charles Finch

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Charles Finch is the author of the bestelling Charles Lenox mystery novels, including the forthcoming "The Inheritance." His first standalone novel, "The Last Enchantments," about a group of students at Oxford University, was published in 2014. He's a regular book critic for the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and USA Today, and was a finalist for the 2014 National Book Critics' Circle award for criticism.

Come find out more at facebook.com/charlesfinchauthor or twitter.com/charlesfinch!

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
2,030 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

James B. Casey
5.0 out of 5 stars The latest and among the best of the Lenox series.
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2014
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Set in London during 1876, Gentleman Detective Charles Lenox is no longer a Member of Parliament, but one of the founding partners of a detective firm hoping to combine the brains and ability of several resourceful detectives introduced in prior novels. The firm struggles and Lenox has to establish himself not just as a gentleman dabbling in detective work, but a valuable, earning partner bringing in business to the firm. Lenox leads his team in unraveling a diabolical scheme involving huge sums of money and involvement by both higher nobility and some Scotland Yard insiders. --- The book is extremely well written and engaging. The short chapters make it convenient for folks with busy schedules to read and move along. (The writers who insist upon chapters of 20 or 30 pages of self-consciously complex digressions frustrate those wanting to read a bit before bed end up on my "don't buy" list.) This is among Finch's best mysteries and shows promise of future adventures. As a numismatist and student of economic history, I appreciate that the author is especially accurate and precise about monetary values of the late Victorian Era and identifying what pounds (gold sovereigns) and other denominations were actually worth at the time. Since the motives for crime often involve money, it helps to know that 20 pounds was considered to be an extremely substantial sum in 1876 while today it might buy dinner for two.
4 people found this helpful
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D.W.
4.0 out of 5 stars Comfortable Mystery
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2022
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Easy and enjoyable to read. A comfort mystery, with intrigue but not all the sex and violence that seems to be more a norm. Very much enjoyed, and now off to the next one. DW
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kkb46
5.0 out of 5 stars Tour de Force
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2014
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Charles Finch is a master craftsman of the mystery genre. His characters are always sharply drawn, and his protagonist, Charles Lenox, is an astute detective and a grand humanitarian of his age.

In this newest foray into the underworld of Victorian London, Lenox is faced with several challenges: first of all, he and his erstwhile protégé, John Dallington, have opened their own detection agency along with Polly Buchanan, aka Mrs. Strickland, and Monsieur Lemaire, a noted French detective; and secondly, Lenox, while successfully rounding up a half dozen criminals who had escaped the law while he was in Parliament, is unfortunately having a difficult time finding clients, mainly as the result of bad publicity from Scotland Yard.

The mystery begins with the shocking news that Thomas Jenkins, an Inspector of the Yard and a former colleague and friend to Lenox, is found murdered in front of the home of the Marquess of Wakefield, a man Lenox believes to be one of the most evil in all of England. While Lenox is convinced that this man is the guilty party, he must tread carefully because of Wakefield's position in society, a theme that the author has explored in other novels. When Wakefield himself is found murdered, Lenox must begin again looking for an elusive killer.

Finch scatters clues throughout the story and strings them together masterfully toward his conclusion. In the midst of this crafting of the mystery, he intrigues the reader with many little historical asides, such as the reference to the Field of the Cloth of Gold and the Tractarians of Oxford University. An intriguing tidbit outlining a means of murder using litharge of gold tantalizes the mystery buff.

The author continues to delight the reader with the relationship between Lenox and his wife, Lady Jane. In an experimental mood, Charles asks her how she would kill him if she wanted to, and she replied "I'd have elephants stomp you." We also again meet Dr. Thomas McConnell and his wife, Toto, as well as Graham, Lenox's one-time butler and valet who now serves in Parliament.

Charles Finch's voice, his writing style, continues to flourish with the perfection of multiple phrases moving passages along in a fluidity that just sits on the edges of the reader's mind. When we finally come to the end of the book, we are grateful for the time spent in his company.

This mystery is yet another tour de force. Bravo!
4 people found this helpful
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Long time fan
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, if frustrating
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2014
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As always, Charles Finch has delivered another excellent, involving novel of the further adventures of gentleman detective Charles Lenox, who has finally returned to his first love, detecting. Unfortunately as the story begins, Lenox is facing a crisis of faith. In himself and his abilities as a detective and the sudden murder of an old friend and colleague.

The usual assortment of old friends are back, his wife, Lady Jane, his young partner, Dallington, the ever-faithful, former valet, Graham, who is now an M.P., and his physician friend, McConnell. The founding of a detective firm brings new partners and with it an unwelcome doubt that Lenox may have lost his ability to solve crimes as quickly as he once did. But the murder of a well respected friend pushes Lenox to put aside his fears and work harder than every to solve the murder, even when his family is threatened.

As usual, this story moves along at a brisk pace. It's good to see Lenox back in his first love, and his doubts are certainly not my own, since I have great faith in his abilities to bring all the problems to a satisfactory conclusion. My only disappointment was in a few loose ends, but I'm certain, knowing Lenox that those loose ends will be summarily dealt with in the future. I can't wait to see how he does it.
13 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Laird Russell Yearwood
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed this book immensely!
Reviewed in Canada on September 23, 2016
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I really enjoy this series of historical mystery novels; this book in the series did not disappoint!
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Huw Rees
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 12, 2015
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Received. Thank You
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LBM
4.0 out of 5 stars Charles Lennox transforms from a Parliamentarian back to a full-time ...
Reviewed in Canada on January 1, 2015
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Charles Lennox transforms from a Parliamentarian back to a full-time detective - with unforeseen consequences. This is a character who could be stuck in a rut, but is still evolving, in interesting ways.
One person found this helpful
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