On any given day in London, all Charles Lenox, Victorian gentleman and armchair explorer, wants to do is relax in his private study with a cup of tea, a roaring fire, and a good book. But when his lifelong friend Lady Jane asks for his help, Lenox cannot resist another chance to unravel a mystery, even if it means trudging through the snow to her townhouse next door.
One of Jane’s former … former servants, Prudence Smith, is dead — an apparent suicide. But Lenox suspects something far more sinister: murder, by a rare and deadly poison. The house where the girl worked is full of suspects, and though Prudence dabbled with the hearts of more than a few men, Lenox is baffled by an elusive lack of motive in the girl’s death.
When another body turns up during the London season’s most fashionable ball, Lenox must untangle a web of loyalties and animosities. Was it jealousy that killed Prudence? Or was it something else entirely, something that Lenox alone can uncover before the killer strikes again — disturbingly close to home?
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A young servant is poisoned with a terribly expensive and unusual poison: bella indigo, the beautiful blue. Charles Lenox, a minor gentleman and amateur sleuth is on the case- a case that will bring him to some of the worst neighborhoods and the most opulent social events in London. Lenox’s relationship with the police is not always the best, but …
Charles Finch has created some fun characters woven into an interesting time in history. In this first book of the series, he makes the time period clearer as he gives well-placed historical context clues from the perspective of the main character. He makes his characters realistically bad without going into too much unnecessary detail about the …
Listened to the audio book. A charming setting with interesting people. I listened to several more in the series and enjoyed them all.
I enjoyed this book very much. Great world building!
not very engeging
While I’m not usually a mystery reader, I was totally sucked into Charles Finch’s mystery series that takes place in Victorian England. I couldn’t stop reading them and had to have every book in the series.
I usually don’t read mysteries, but author Charles Finch has made a mystery lover out of me with his historical Charles Lennox series set in Victorian England. The characters are wonderful and I love watching them grow and change as the series progresses.
Charles Finch has a series of early to mid-Victorian mysteries about Charles Lenox, a gentleman detective. I loved this first book, and the 15 books that followed it! I have read through the series TWICE now, and still love them. The settings are realistic and historically accurate, the mysteries are very clever (can never figure them out, but …
If you like a classic whodunit, reminiscent of Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Beautiful Blue Death is for you. The author, Charles Finch, states that he was heavily influenced by Doyles famous Sherlock Holmes tales and it shows in his writing. Instead of it being a bad immatation like so many others who try to copy Doyles success, …
This is the first in series and my first by this author. I loved the cover and the blurb, so I was excited to receive this book on my request from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was the perfect read for chilly, rainy afternoon–a steady pace, twisty plot, great characters, and a setting of 1860’s London. When a servant girl is …
This is the third book in the Charles Lenox series I have read and I have to say I’m thoroughly enjoying these mysteries. I like the character, an upper-crust young man who turns his back on snobbery and follows his dream to become a private detective. It’s easy to fall in love with the characters the author creates; they are sympathetically drawn …
Recently I read “An Extravagant death” which is the 14th book in the series so I was excited to read the first one. Even if these books are great stories as a standalone I had wanted to know a bit more background on Charles Lenox and how the relationship started with his wife. After reading “A Beautiful Blue Death” it all fell into place. I got …
I love all the Charles Finch books. Lenox is of Society in Victorian England with all the comforts that wealth and society can provide. He chooses to be a detective, a trade …Heaven forbid, and a dectective on top of that? Utterly damning. But his charm, his gentle manner and powers of perception carry the day, book after book. As the …
A Beautiful Blue Death
Charles Finch
I loved reading this book!
The setting is in the mid 1860’s England and following an amateur detective named Charles Lenox. Feeling the Sherlock Holmes vibe and certainly this hooked me so good! This is a part of the series but I did enjoy this very much as a stand alone. I will definitely be enjoying the …
I am a huge fan of Charles Finch and have read all his books, including this one. A great mystery series for anyone liking this genre. I would highly recommend A Beautiful Blue Death.
This is part of a great series that I recommend if you like mysteries.
I really enjoyed this book.
It wasn’t terrible. It just wasn’t terribly interesting or engaging.
I enjoy this well-written series, based in historical London. Good mystery series.
These characters are real people, not at all fake. they are smart and logical, people I would enjoy knowing. Great plot.