An Extravagant Death: A Charles Lenox Mystery (Charles Lenox Mysteries, #14)

by Charles Finch

In what promises to be a breakout in Charles Finch's bestselling series, Charles Lenox travels to the New York and Newport of the dawning Gilded Age to investigate the death of a beautiful socialite.

London, 1878. With faith in Scotland Yard shattered after a damning corruption investigation, Charles Lenox's detective agency is rapidly expanding. The gentleman sleuth has all the work he can handle, two children, and an intriguing new murder case.

But when Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli offers him the opportunity to undertake a diplomatic mission for the Queen, Lenox welcomes the chance to satisfy an unfulfilled yearning: to travel to America. Arriving in New York, he begins to receive introductions into both its old Knickerbocker society and its new robber baron splendor. Then, a shock: the death of the season's most beautiful debutante, who appears to have thrown herself from a cliff. Or was it a suicide? Lenox's reputation has preceded him to the States, and he is summoned to a magnificent Newport mansion to investigate the mysterious death. What ensues is a fiendish game of cat and mouse.

Witty, complex, and tender, An Extravagant Death is Charles Finch's triumphant return to the main storyline of his beloved Charles Lenox series-a devilish mystery, a social drama, and an unforgettable first trip for an Englishman coming to America.

• ISBN10: 125076713X
• ISBN13: 9781250767134
• Publish Date: 16 February 2021
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted to my blog: Nonstop Reader.

An Extravagant Death is the 14th Charles Lenox historical mystery by Charles Finch. Due out 16th Feb 2021 from Macmillan on their St. Martin's imprint, it's 288 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats.

Part of the reason I like series is that I get to see the development of the recurring characters. Especially with mystery (which is my favorite genre), the continuity and the characters' development over time are very satisfying to me. This is a very well written, civilized, erudite, and intelligent series with a refined and practical protagonist. This installment sees Charles traveling to America to avoid some political fallout from his last successful (some would say *too* successful) case.

The characters are beautifully rendered, the dialogue is never clunky or distracting, and the clues and mystery progression follow the accepted rules of engagement. The resolution and denouement were satisfying and very well done. I'm enjoying the development of Lenox very much after his marriage and fatherhood - it adds an agreeable and believable fullness and depth to his character. Although it's the 14th book in the series, it works well as a standalone (with the codicil that some of the background and development spoil the earlier books somewhat).

I recommend the series highly to fans of the genre. Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes