Person or Persons Unknown

A well-written mystery set in 1770 featuring Sir John Fielding a real-life magistrate who founded the Bow Street Runners, an early police force. Known as "the blind beak" he used his hearing to identify individuals, even in crowds. In this tale, he places his hand on the shoulder of his young assistant, Jeremy Proctor, to be guided through the streets. Both the story and writing style portrays the atmosphere of the time. Oliver Goldsmith plays a cameo role. Very enjoyable.

I've been reading very slowly and sporadically of late because of a non-book project I've been spending time at, so it took me a while to get through this book. It's the fourth in Alexander's series about Sir John Fielding, who began the Bow Street Runners, the forerunners of the British bobby. The tales are told by Jeremy Proctor, a young orphan who's taken under Sir John's wing. In this book they deal with a series of murders of prostitutes a la Jack the Ripper, but of course with even fewer resources for investigation than in Victorian times. Occasional appearances by well-known literary figures are a feature of the series, and in this one it's Oliver Goldsmith. A fine example of the series; I'm not sure whether it was really a show more little slow-moving or whether it was just me! show less

One of the better historical detective character series. Alexander not only has done extensive research he has mastered a kind of prose style that only enhances the period flavor. There is none of the intrusive wise acre dialogue that I feel so often mars this subgenre. Although there is the use of a copycat killer motif in the book (something extremely contemporary in crime) there is no anachronistic modern pop psychology to explain the behavior of killers – ideologies that would never dawn upon people living in the 18th century. I have to admit that this has an amazingly similar idea to a movie called Murder by Decree about the Ripper slayings in Victorian era London and therefore I was not at all surprised by the "twist" at the end show more when one of the bloodthirsty murderers is captured. Alexander's characters make the book well worth reading for fans of historical mysteries who enjoy true period flavor extending to the writing itself. I intend to seek out the other titles in this brief series. Sadly, Alexander died in 2003 and his final book was completed by another writer and posthumously published in 2005. show less

#4 in the Sir John Fielding series, Person or Persons Unknown left me feeling kind of flat and unsatisfied. Up to now, I've been very happy with this series but this one just seemed kind of blah. I know, I know...a LOT of people have given this one a big huzzah but I calls 'em as I sees 'em. This does not mean I won't finish the other books I have in this series, au contraire. It just means that this one wasn't (imho) as good as the others.

Very brief synopsis, no spoilers:
Several prostitutes have been found murdered in Covent Garden. No one has seen anything, nor are there any real clues. Jeremy Proctor, Fielding's teenaged assistant, takes more of an active role in helping to find the killer, putting himself in jeopardy more than once show more to help catch the murderer.

This one was truly less mystery and I must say, I was not at all pleased with the conclusion. A) I had figured out part of it (which isn't so bad, but it was soooo obvious) and B) The other part was so out of left field that it really threw me. You'll understand when you read it -- I can't really divulge any secrets.

Overall, this one had more of a personal feel, meaning that personalities really came out in this one more so than in any of the previous books. While that's not always a bad thing, normally this author really rides the mystery pretty hard and I just didn't feel that to be the case this time.

Oh well. I have several more in this series and will definitely not let this one stop me from proceeding.

Who would like this book? Well, I'd say that people who are following the series should definitely read it; if you're into historical mystery then you will also probably enjoy it. I'm tough to please as far as mysteries go, and I'm probably being a bit overcritical, considering how many reviewers here and elsewhere gave it higher marks than I. show less

Amazon.com

The place: London; the time: 1770, when the wealthy denizens of the city walked through London's streets with scented handkerchiefs over their noses to disguise the stench of the poor. As if filthy streets, impoverished beggars, pickpockets, thieves, and prostitutes everywhere weren't enough of an eyesore, the mutilated bodies of young women start turning up around Covent Garden.To Sir John Fielding, a blind magistrate, the crimes are an abomination; he sets out to trap the killer with the help of his assistant, young Jeremy Proctor.

In addition to a fine mystery, author Bruce Alexander offers up a fascinating guided tour of 18th-century London, from the precincts of the Bow Street Runners to the shadowy haunts of criminals. In show more the characters of Sir John and Jeremy, we are gifted with the voices of experience and innocence--a potent combination in so murky a venue. show less

Synopsis from Kirkus: The place: London; the time: 1770. From a distance of 27 years, barrister Jeremy Proctor recalls the fourth case in which, as a boy, he assisted Sir John Fielding, the blind Magistrate of the Bow Street Court (Watery Grave, 1996, etc.). The case this time is a ghastly one: the murders of five Covent Garden prostitutes. The more fortunate victims have been dispatched by surgically precise stab wounds to the chest; the others have been violated after death in ways that show how little the 18th century yields to the 20th in the matter of disgusting spectacles. (One enterprising widower is caught in the act of charging admission to the scene of his wife's recent demise and selling off her organs as souvenirs.) The show more usual broad palette of local color is guaranteed when suspicion falls successively on a Grenadier Guard, a Jewish outcast—whom Oliver Goldsmith is called upon to vindicate—and a butcher who would've thought twice about reporting his gruesome discovery if he'd known the price he'd pay. Through it all, Sir John shines as a dealer of summary justice, and Jeremy as a plucky and adventurous lad who dreams of using the enormous reward of ten pounds to buy a streetwalker's freedom from her brutish pimp. Jeremy's adventures, especially, are many and exciting, and every dingy corner of London reeks of squalor and danger. The only thing that's missing is detection; even after the perps are caught in the act, there's precious little evidence against them. It's lucky for Sir John that he's a magistrate and not a barrister himself. show less

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