Charles Lenox agrees to a meeting with a client for his former detective partner who is sick. All he knows is that the client will be carrying a black and white striped umbrella. He goes to the café and waits and just when he thinks the client didn’t show, a man comes into the café and a woman jumps up and runs out carrying a black and white umbrella. Lenox is upset with himself for thinking the client was a man. He begins a search for her and/or the man threatening her. The case begins and there’s blackmail, an assassination attempt on the Queen, lies before it’s all sorted and Lenox makes a life changing decision. Listened to the audiobook and the reader was excellent. ( )

For some reason, this book didn't hold my attention as much as the other Lennox books. ( )

Although I haven't read earlier books in this series, I quite enjoyed this audiobook. It's a leisurely-paced cozy mystery set in Victorian England, and I found it very engaging. The time period is perfect and the mystery interesting; the characters even more so. I'll be on the lookout for others in this series. ( )

This seventh installment of this superlative series is deliciously devious, masterfully murderous and cleverly crafted. In London, 1875, our former detective now parliamentarian, Charles Lenox, is asked to step in for his ailing former detection protégé, Lord Dallington, for a meetup with a potential client. The meetup gets messed up when that client is startled by the arrival of a gentlemen and she flees from the premises. Lenox is at a loss, tracks down the gentleman, who then gives his name as that of someone else. A dead body surfaces, presumably of that someone else. Then the impostor is found dead. The woman is the key to this puzzle and Lenox is committed to springing open the lock.

As previously mentioned, if you enjoy smartly written historical mysteries, then the Charles Lenox Mystery series may be just the one for you. Finch writes prose exquisitely with an eye to every detail. It is a pleasure reading his scenic descriptions as much as delving into the details of the mysteries themselves. The banter among characters is absolutely delightful and it eases the tension of the grizzly parts of the stories.

There are so many twists and turns in this story that just when you think you got all the facts in order another twist is introduced. I do so enjoy the author's cleverness, depth of research and delightful writing style. As much as this book can stand stand on its own in spite of being part of series, you won't want to miss out on all the work leading up to this moment - the groundwork which is laid out in the previous six books. ( )

Ive read the entire series to this date and they are excellent. Finch is one of my top favorite authors. If you havent read the series, start today! ( )