⇒ Libro The Woman in the Water A Prequel to the Charles Lenox Series Charles Lenox Mysteries Charles Finch Books

The Woman in the Water A Prequel to the Charles Lenox Series Charles Lenox Mysteries Charles Finch Books

Download As PDF : The Woman in the Water A Prequel to the Charles Lenox Series Charles Lenox Mysteries Charles Finch Books

The Woman in the Water A Prequel to the Charles Lenox Series Charles Lenox Mysteries Charles Finch Books

Author Charles Finch has written 11 or so novels in his "Charles Lenox" mystery series, set in London in the 1850's and 60's. (He's also written a standalone, which I've read). I've read maybe seven or so of his "Lenox" series; I try to catch them when I see them for sale but I think I've missed a few. ("So many books, so little time..."). Anyway, they're a well written series of books, concentrating on Charles Lenox, who has build up a private investigating firm in London after having "come down" from Oxford. Charles is the son and brother of lowish level aristocrats and he wears his wealth and family quite easily as "the younger brother", who must find a way in society. As with any series, the reader revisits books and characters they feel comfortable with. With his book, "The Woman in the Water", Charles Finch has written a "prequeal", where the reader can discover the backgrounds of the characters they may have grown familiar with in preceding books.

In "The Woman in the Water", Charles Lenox is just beginning his post-graduate life in London. His scout at Oxford, Graham, has come down with him and both are determined to begin a private investigating firm. (Actually, Lenox is the lead and Graham just begins as his aide. He soon becomes proficient in the job as he and Lenox go along.) The case - that of two women's bodies being found floating in the Thames - is not the most interesting case - being full of coincidences and professional sword-crossing with those professional fellas at Scotland Yard - but author Finch does his best to keep the readers' interest. But the real importance of the book is the outlining, and then fleshing out, of the various relationships between characters. "Back stories", which are often needed in series books. Charles Finch does a good job at looking at the London of 1850, which is beginning to use the burgeoning railway system to get about, get from City to country and back again.

I can definitely recommend this book to long-time readers of the Lenox series, but also to first time readers. It's a good introduction to Charles Lenox and his world.


Tags : Amazon.com: The Woman in the Water: A Prequel to the Charles Lenox Series (Charles Lenox Mysteries) (9781250139467): Charles Finch: Books,Charles Finch,The Woman in the Water: A Prequel to the Charles Lenox Series (Charles Lenox Mysteries),Minotaur Books,1250139465,Mystery & Detective - Historical,Mystery & Detective - Traditional,Detective and mystery fiction,Historical fiction,Lenox, Charles (Fictitious character),Lenox, Charles (Fictitious character);Fiction.,Private investigators - England - London,Private investigators;England;London;Fiction.,Serial murder investigation,Serial murder investigation;Fiction.,060301 Minotaur Books-Minotaur Books CR Yr,AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION,AMERICAN MYSTERY & SUSPENSE FICTION,England,FICTION Mystery & Detective Historical,FICTION Mystery & Detective Traditional,Fiction,Fiction-Mystery & Detective,FictionMystery & Detective - Historical,GENERAL,General Adult,Monograph Series, any,Mystery & Detective Traditional,MysterySuspense,United States,Charles lenox prequel; charles lenox series prequel; historical mysteries; historical mystery novels; historical mystery books; historical mystery; historical mystery series; historical fiction mysteries; traditional mystery; traditional mystery series; traditional mysteries; victorian mysteries; victorian mystery; victorian london fiction; victorian london novels; victorian england fiction; victorian England mysteries; gentleman detectives; amateur detectives; amateur sleuths; Charles lennox; victorian mystery series,Charles lenox prequel; charles lenox series prequel; historical mysteries; historical mystery novels; historical mystery books; historical mystery; historical mystery series; historical fiction mysteries; traditional mystery; traditional mystery series; traditional mysteries; victorian mysteries; victorian mystery; victorian mystery series; victorian london fiction; victorian london novels; victorian england fiction; victorian England mysteries; gentleman detectives; amateur detectives; amateur sleuths; Charles lennox

The Woman in the Water A Prequel to the Charles Lenox Series Charles Lenox Mysteries Charles Finch Books Reviews

I loved this book! For Lenox fans, it brings a rich new dimension to the characters and their universe -- but also stands alone as a satisfying mystery for those new to the series. Beautifully written, like all of Finch's books.
This is the book that Charles Finch was meant to write. I've read the whole series and this one is the jewel that makes all the other books in series sing. The tenderness of Finch's Charles Lenox in this "coming of age" prequel is written with such grace that I could believe it to be autobiographical. Each character has a defining moment, but we come to see the aristocratic detective close up and personal. I feel as if I know this man - Lenox - and why he does what he does. Don't miss this book. Don't know where Finch will go now with the series. Hope he continues as I have enjoyed the author's writing since he introduced Lenox in 2007.
The Woman in the Water is a masterpiece of writing by a master of the writing craft.
In this prequel to the Charles Lenox novels, a series of Victorian-era mysteries, we meet the young Lenox, just a few months down from Oxford, on his twenty-third birthday. He is at loose ends, trying to determine whether or not he should pursue the new career of private detection.
For those readers who have faithfully followed this character, the introduction is a joy. The essence of Charles Lenox is limned out in the author’s impeccable prose. Young Charles is but a shadow of the man he will become. He is insightful, as most youth are, in his belief in “very pure things.” He has a wonderfully funny and dry sense of humor (the scenes with his housekeeper are laugh-out-loud). We also meet the young Graham, who bears a striking resemblance to the older version in that he is deferential to his employer, yet he retains a certain equality in his ability to study and retain information “…his mind as sharp as the head of a newly fledged arrow.”
It is in his clever plotting that the author most shines. A woman’s body is recovered from a trunk that washes up from the Thames onto Walnut Island. Lenox, through his habit of clipping articles on crime from the various London newspapers, discovers a letter purporting to be from a person who boasts of committing the “perfect crime” and who warns of a second woman who will be his next victim. Very shortly thereafter a body, covered in garlands of flowers, is found next to the river on a board. There are many twists in the plot and stunning surprises as well. The astute reader must follow a diverse set of clues, including the title of the novel, to discover what Lenox realizes, almost too late.
Charles’s personal relationships with his friend Elizabeth, the detectives at Scotland Yard, his brother Edmund (there’s a comical scene where he and Charles sit on the floor striking safety matches over and over again), and especially his father are all major storylines in the novel that help the reader to understand more completely the man that we see in his forties in the other books of the series.
There is so much to love about this portrait of a young man trying to find his way in the world. It’s a first-rate mystery and a bittersweet look at relationships. Once read, never forgotten. It may just be Charles Finch’s Magnum Opus.
I wasn't sold on the idea of a prequel and even wondered how well the author could go from writing about a middle aged man to writing about that same character as a 23 year old and still make the main character ring true. Let's just say that he did it and it works so well that this is now my favorite in the series.

I love the way the author evokes settings that are almost tangible and which enhance the story line. He can turn a phrase that is memorable, deliver wry humor in a line or two, and draw the reader not only into the riveting hunt for the murderer (in this case a serial killer) but also into the main character's personal life. Finch deftly paints a picture of a young man coming of age in the mid 1800's, learning about life and loss while he works against time to prevent a third murder.

I downloaded this book but am sorely tempted to get it in hardback. Definitely a keeper which I will be rereading.
Author Charles Finch has written 11 or so novels in his "Charles Lenox" mystery series, set in London in the 1850's and 60's. (He's also written a standalone, which I've read). I've read maybe seven or so of his "Lenox" series; I try to catch them when I see them for sale but I think I've missed a few. ("So many books, so little time..."). Anyway, they're a well written series of books, concentrating on Charles Lenox, who has build up a private investigating firm in London after having "come down" from Oxford. Charles is the son and brother of lowish level aristocrats and he wears his wealth and family quite easily as "the younger brother", who must find a way in society. As with any series, the reader revisits books and characters they feel comfortable with. With his book, "The Woman in the Water", Charles Finch has written a "prequeal", where the reader can discover the backgrounds of the characters they may have grown familiar with in preceding books.

In "The Woman in the Water", Charles Lenox is just beginning his post-graduate life in London. His scout at Oxford, Graham, has come down with him and both are determined to begin a private investigating firm. (Actually, Lenox is the lead and Graham just begins as his aide. He soon becomes proficient in the job as he and Lenox go along.) The case - that of two women's bodies being found floating in the Thames - is not the most interesting case - being full of coincidences and professional sword-crossing with those professional fellas at Scotland Yard - but author Finch does his best to keep the readers' interest. But the real importance of the book is the outlining, and then fleshing out, of the various relationships between characters. "Back stories", which are often needed in series books. Charles Finch does a good job at looking at the London of 1850, which is beginning to use the burgeoning railway system to get about, get from City to country and back again.

I can definitely recommend this book to long-time readers of the Lenox series, but also to first time readers. It's a good introduction to Charles Lenox and his world.