The September Society [Hardcover]

I was a big fan of A Beautiful Blue Death (Finch's first Victorian mystery) so I read this as soon as I could get my hands on a copy. It definitely didn't disappoint. There are echoes of Dorothy Sayers, Elizabeth George, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie in the clean writing, finely wrought characters, and sense of humor, but the writer has a style of his own.

The book begins with a prologue about a murder in India, then flashes twenty years forward. A young man, George Payson, is missing from his rooms at Oxford University, and his mother comes to detective Charles Lenox for help. Lenox uncovers a conspiracy and a strange group of army veterans called The September Society, and quickly finds the link between them and George Payson's disappearance.

The mystery is great but what I love about Finch's work is the characters - the quiet, reliable Lenox, his gentle and intelligent friend Lady Jane, and even a new character - a protege to the detective in the shape of Lord John Dallington, a young and dissipated aristocrat.

A definite winner. Highly recommended.

"The September Society" is the second installment in the Charles Lenox Mysteries, this time involving crimes that occur in two different eras: the first, when two men are murdered in Punjab shortly after the Anglo-Sikh War; and the second, nineteen years later in 1866, when a young Oxonian, George Payson, vanishes. Lenox is approached by George's worried mother, Lady Annabelle, who prevails upon Lenox to find him. Lenox travels to Oxford where he discovers a collection of bizarre clues in George's room--a dead cat, a red string, a fountain pen, a cryptic note and a card bearing the words `September Society'. Compounding the mystery is the disappearance of George's friend and confidante, Bill Dabney.

Soon after, a corpse is discovered in the fields, assumed to be that of George's. As Lenox investigates, it becomes apparent that this murder is connected to those in Punjab, but how? What happened to Dabney? What is behind the covert September Society and what is its connection to the crimes? It will take Lenox's considerable skills to solve what he regards `a strange and laborious case', and do so before someone else is killed.

Lenox's pack is back--his associate, the skilled Dr. McConnell; his always-circumspect and resourceful valet Graham; and his best friend, the compassionate Lady Jane--with a new kid on the block, the inveterate drinker and layabout Dallington, now his apprentice.

The development of the Lenox character is gaining speed. At forty and still a bachelor, he's now mustering the courage to take his friendship with Lady Jane a step further. There's more introspection, too, as he weighs his continuing desire to pursue his detection against his dream of serving in parliament.

Oxford and its many colleges are depicted with much affection and detail (perhaps a holdover from the author's days there) that one can easily visualize their enduring medieval splendor. Of special interest was the interior of Bodleian Library (which I'd long ago only seen from the outside), considered in Lenox's time as the world's greatest library. Oxford, through his eyes, is a wondrous trip back in time. Of interest, too, is the emergence of forensic ballistics as a major breakthrough in criminology, one of the many informative nuggets interspersed within the story. (For example, do you know the origin of the term `swan song'?) There's always something new to learn in a Lenox mystery.

A confounding and challenging puzzle, vivid descriptions of place and time, lots of interesting information to absorb (though may seem pedantic at times), and entertaining characters all make for a genuinely good read, especially for Golden Age devotees. It's developing into a quite agreeable mystery series and I look forward to future installments.

THE SEPTEMBER SOCIETY (Ama Sleuth/Trad Mys-Charles Lenox-England-Victorian) - G+
Finch, Charles - 2nd in series
St. Martin's Minotaur, 2008, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9780312359782

First sentence: The first murders were committed nineteen years before the second, on a dry and unremarkable day along the Sutlej Frontier in Punjab.

Charles Lenox returns to his alma mater when the wealthy mother of an Oxford student appeals to Lenox to find her missing son, George Payson is missing. Lenox finds one of George's best friends is also missing. The common clue is a card on which is the name "The September Society."

The biggest issue I had this with book was due to the apparent lack of a good editor. There was a lot of repetition. For me, it was distracting.

On the plus side is a cast of wonderful, realistic characters; Lenox, his manservant and friend Goodman in particular. I like that Lenox is taking on Dallington, the third, somewhat wastrel, son of a nobleman, as an apprentice and wonder whether this portends a shift in the series.

I learned a lot reading this book. There is a wonderful blend of creating a sense of the story's time and place-- the book also made me hungry as Finch would describe the menu of most of the meals--with providing historical information as well. I didn't know John Wesley and his followers were named "Methodists," originally a pejorative term, at Lincoln College, Oxford because of their dull, methodical ways as viewed by others. The author also includes information on the beginning of ballistic analysis.

I enjoy Finch's style for interjecting brief parenthetical information or explanations on things the reader may have noted or wondered about; i.e., "On the train once more that evening (the trips were becoming tedious)..."

The climax was a bit abrupt, but the ending had a very good twist. Overall, I certainly enjoyed the book and shall certainly read more by Finch.

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