The series is one of my favorite historical mystery/detective series, and I enjoyed the latest book as well. Young Charles Lenox is encouraged by his mother to marry, and Charles is a desirable husband--except for the fact that he continues to pursue a career as a detective, which is not highly thought of in his social class.
Inspector Hemstock seeks Charles' help when the unidentified body of a young man is discovered at Paddington Station, and Charles is eager to be involved with the Scotland Yard investigation.
As usual, there are many historical details that add to the plot, the characters are well-developed, the writing is excellent, and the mystery intriguing.
Read in Oct.
NetGalley/St. Martin's Press
Historical Mystery. Feb. 18, 2020. Print length: 304 pages.
The threat is ominous, and Tinsley needs Vaughn's help, but as important as the terrorist threat is--can Tinsley be trusted in a truce to prevent the disaster?
Dan, Jenn, and George join Gibson in the hunt for the details that would help them prevent the deaths of millions.
The first book (The Short Drop) is my favorite, but I've enjoyed all of the books and the team of characters involved.
Read in Oct.
NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer
Thriller. Feb. 18, 2020. Print length: 316 pages.
Temperance is recovering from neurosurgery for an aneurysm, her new boss holds a grudge, someone may be stalking her, and in general, life had been difficult for Tempe.
She gets mysterious pictures of a body with most of his face and his hands missing and no identification. Who sent it?
Her new boss is determined to push her out, but Tempe gets into the morgue and views the body. She disagrees with the new coroner about several things and begins investigating on her own. (The savaging of the body is the result of feral hogs, and just recently a woman in Texas was killed by hogs. They truly are fearsome creatures.)
Teaming up with the cantankerous and acerbic Slidell, Tempe sets out to identify the body, and then to look into the Dark Web at conspiracy theories spouted by the repulsive Nick Body, and into a possible connection to missing children.
There is an interesting afterword about how Reichs came up with elements of her plot, but I had no trouble believing in the feral hogs detail as they are prevalent everywhere in the South and have been moving north as well.
NetGalley/Scribner
Mystery. March 17, 2020. Print length: 352 pages.
The Sand Prince was nothing to write home about, but...in spite of being unsatisfied with much of it, I continued with the second book, The Heron Prince, and I liked it much better. So--moving on to books 3 and 4, The Glass Girl and The River King was easy. After making my way through the first half or so of The Sand Prince, I enjoyed the rest of entire series.
I've been busy with so many things lately--Christmas stuff (such a long list of Christmas stuff--from gifts and wrapping, to recipes and grocery shopping), stitching, reading, everyday chores, feeding the birds, making tentative friendship with a raccoon who has been visiting at night.
Even in our subdivision, we have occasional night visits from raccoons and possums. I think our visitor is young, more curious than frightened, he approaches me with such a quizzical look on his face. Much better than the wild creatures like bears and mountain lions that visit other areas! And at least we have had no feral hogs in our neighborhood, although there are plenty down at the camp in the country. They make a mess of fields and crops, which is bad, but they are dangerous as well. And ugly!
You've been busy, Jenclair, but at least you'd read some good books there based from your reviews. :)
ReplyDeleteI think raccoons and possums are kinda cute, but definitely not feral hogs!
I've named the young raccoon Rocky, and I look forward to his visits. :)
DeleteOn the night that Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968, I was walking guard duty in the woods of Fort Sill during a night-training exercise as part of the Army's artillery school there. As I recall it, it was about one in the morning and I was walking the perimeter of the group when I started hearing some very strange grunting noises. At first I thought someone was playing a joke on me or it was one of the non-coms trying to make sure that I was still awake. Well, then I saw some beady little eyes shining in the moonlight - and suddenly realized that three or four wild pigs were coming right at me. Luckily I could climb a tree pretty quickly those days, and I spent the next two hours up in a tree waiting for my relief guard to show up.
ReplyDeleteThe really weird thing was that I had snuck a tiny transistor radio and earbuds into my gear that night, and while I was up in the tree I somehow tuned in to the news about Kennedy's assassination...news I couldn't share with anyone the next morning for fear that I would get in big trouble for smuggling the radio into the field exercise.
Just thought of another encounter I had with a group of wild pigs, this time in the hills around Algiers in the early nineties. We used to jog uphill to the zoo there and I had a dog that would run with us. He foolishly went into the brush after a group of pigs, only to come out thirty seconds later running for his life.
Those were the days.
Wow! That's fascinating, Sam. The "Where were when..." question would makes your experience one of the most memorable I've ever heard!
DeleteEach time I've seen Charles Finch at The Poisoned Pen, I've told myself to start reading his Lenox series. So far I haven't listened. Must. Do. Something. About. That.
ReplyDeleteDenis and I were staying in a cabin by a small pond up in the White Mountains of Arizona, and several times a female raccoon would bring her kits up on the deck for a look-see. If we made any movement, they'd scatter fast, so we learned just to stay put and watch. My mother had two pet raccoons named Ricky and Mike when she was a teenager.
It took me a while to adjust to the prequels because I was so used to the series with the older Lenox, but it grew on me as I got acquainted with the younger version. Well-written, interesting plots and characters--I don't miss a book by Finch if I can help it. :)
DeleteOh, I'd love to see a female raccoon with her kits!
The Lenox series sounds good. I like the concept of the prequel as well...showing the reader how the protagonist came to be.
ReplyDeleteI've read a couple of Reich's Tempe Brennan series, but out of order. I like them but I never attached to Brennan as a detective the way I did with other series leads like V.I. Warshawski or Barbara Havers/Thomas Lynley.
Barbara Havers is one of my favorites! She is so full of human strengths and frailties. I've never read the V.I.Washawski books, but I guess I should. :)
DeleteI like the sound of the Gibson Vaughn series...like I need another series in my life! ;D
ReplyDeleteOf course, you do, Lark! :)
DeleteWhat order do you recommend reading the Lenox series? Prequels first or originals first? They sound right up my alley 🙂
ReplyDeleteI wasn't all that fond of the first prequel, maybe because I already had the older Lenox books in mind, but I did end up enjoying them. I still like the original books better, but that might be the familiarity with an old friend. :) Yeah, I prefer the original books--and still appreciate the young Lenox trying to establish himself. In other words, I dunno!
DeleteI need to look into the Lenox series, I think,e specially if it's your favourite historical mystery. I am going to try and expand my reading next year, and historical fiction is one that I still need to be better at reading.
ReplyDeleteI love historical mysteries and the Lenox series is one of my favorites. I should probably try to figure out a top ten of historical mysteries. :)
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