Death of a Colonial

Another good entry in an excellent series, Sir John soldiers on as the blind justice of London tackling cold cases and current murders with a colonial twist for some foreign savor. His prodigy and amanuensis, Jeffrey grows older and more capable but still has uncertainties about his place in the Fielding household. Delightful vignettes about books, bookstores and learning delightfully flavor this look into Old England,

#6 in the Sir John Fielding historical mystery series set around the Bow Street Court in late 1700’s London. Sir John is commissioned to investigate a claimant to the estate of a very wealthy nobleman—an estate that was left without heir because the previous owner was sent to the gallows by Sir John himself. It’s suspected that the claimant is a false one—a long lost brother who has not been seen nor heard from, having disappeared to the American Colonies eight years previous. Sir John and his sixteen-year-old assistant, Jeremy (from whose POV the stories are told) and the rest of the family are off to Bath to interview the mother of the supposed claimant and then things start to get interesting. This was a typically show more interesting, enjoyable visit back in time and with well-loved and well-fleshed characters. show less

I'm coming to realize that I don't read these books for the plots, which are OK but not great. It's the voice of the young narrator, the setting in 1770s London, and the insights into the beginnings of modern English criminal justice that keep me coming back. In this book, an inquiry into a claimant to a title and fortune links up with both a previous Fielding story and a case from 1763, and both deal with "The Colonies" as they then were. A good but not great entry in this series.

Bruce Alexander's series of mysteries are set in 18th century England and have as protagonists blind magistrate John Fielding and his teenage assistant. "Death of a Colonial", like the five volumes before it, is a quick, fun read and no more. If you're heading to the beach, this is the right choice. If you want a complex mystery, subtly-shaded characters, or true historical detail, you'll have to look elsewhere.

We've come to the sixth installment of the series, which picks up directly after number five. So, it may be wise that if you're going to read this series, you do not start with this one. If you haven't read book number five yet, do not read here any further.

It seems that now that the last Lord Laningham is no longer, someone claiming to be his younger brother has come forward to claim the title and all lands & money connected with it. A commission to investigate this man's claims is formed, with Sir John serving as a member. The first act that Fielding is commissioned with is to go to Bath, the home of the claimant's mother, and find out if she indeed recognized the young claimant as her son. However, during that visit, Mrs. Paltrow show more (the mother) dies mysteriously, setting off a chain of events that will put the life of young Jeremy in danger.

Once again, Alexander has delivered a fine story to his readers. I liked it, but (and I know this is wrong) I'm still waiting for one of his books to reach the quality level of Murder in Grub Street, which I thought was excellent.

Who will like this book? Definitely those readers who are following this series; but as I noted above, do not use this one as your introduction to Sir John Fielding and Jeremy Proctor. You'll be a bit lost. show less

Another installment and another satisfying bedside read. Aliases and cross-Atlantic adventures (of other people, of course, since Sir John and Jeremy are rooted deeply in London and a trip to someplace like Bath is literally days away and rarely attempted). I like that the characters grow and change - Jeremy is maturing and progressing in life and education.