The Glass House

This is one of a series of historical mysteries featuring Captain Gabriel Lacey, cashiered from the cavalry during the Peninsular campaign. It's 1817 and the captain is struggling to make ends meet. He's off to his friend's evening party when a Bow Street runner, his old sergeant, asks him to view a drowned young woman, who might be his neighbour. The story takes off from there in a series of twists and starts leading to the Glass House and some even nastier goings on.

The story is well written, the characters are larger than life, and the Captain tells the story in the 1st POV. There is nothing really wrong with the novel, it's just I am picky about historicals, and I like the research and facts to be accurate. Americans, when writing show more about British history, do tend to Americanise everything, from speech to ideas about class and position. So we have a Beau Brummel figure, although of ancient and respectable lineage, who is familiar with his footmen! We have expressions of speech which never would have been used by a member of the upper crust and other such Americanisms. Most readers will be American and not notice the problems, but it is annoying to those readers who know their history and the culture. show less

Great story! Captain Lacey gets involved in another mystery. This is the third book in the series and I'm hooked. I like his honor and tenacity. I enjoy the supporting characters and continue to enjoy their development and the way all the relationships intertwine and interact. Mrs. Danbury and Lady Breckenridge are both interesting and I expect to see more of at least Lady Breckenridge in coming books. In the end, the mystery is solved and Lacey departs for the Sudbury School to take on his new role as a secretary... foreshadowing of the next story, The Sudbry School Murders!

Not Lacey's best; he does a lot of stomping around shouting and threatening without much success. This series is, fortunately, a cut above this entry.

The tales of Captain Lacey continue when he is asked to identify a body pulled from the Thames, thankfully for Lacey not who is expected. But an ex-actress and lover of a Lord, but Lacey takes up the challenge to find her murderer, leading to a house of ill-repute - the Glass House - and other killings.
Continuing to enjoy this series.

Substance: A somewhat far-fetched premise, but a fair mystery. Set in England just after the Peninsular Campaign. High and low society; some anachronistic attitudes; alludes to sexual perversions but does not describe them.
Style: Reasonably straightforward, but refers too often to past events without really clarifying the situation up-front.

This mystery held my attention, and I'm becoming more attached to the characters.

Another great read. I love the characters that the author has created and want to read more about them. I'm heading right into the next book of the series.