Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Midnight in the House of Commons: A Charles Lenox Mystery by Charles Finch

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of the newest book in one of my favorite series via NetGalley. Charles Finch writes a wonderful historical series set in Victorian London, nicely balancing credible characters with a clear portrayal of a transitional time in English history. Midnight in the House of Commons, the 16^th case of Charles Lenox, a member of the aristocracy turned amateur sleuth who now owns a detective agency, is set for release by Minotaur in a couple of weeks on 3 November 2026. I am happy to report it is up to the standard of its predecessors, maybe even a little better.

Charles juggles multiple cases, including a shocking murder in the House of Commons, where a womanizing conservative MP is found poisoned. The death has far-reaching political consequences, as a hard-fought bill for relief of the poor is tied in the House. With the loss of the dead member’s vote, the bill will pass. One of the members known to favor the bill could not confirm an alibi and is charged with the murder, even though a number of people had cause to object to the victim’s personal life.

In addition, Sari, one of the new members of the Lenox household introduced in the last book, has incurred a romantic disappointment. The man she hoped to marry has older relatives who object to her dark skin and she is devastated. Angela, on the other hand, Lenox’s cousin and ward, is blooming happily with an appropriate engagement and her study of government economics. The visitor to the Lenox menage in this book is a cousin on Jane’s side of the family, an odd young man whom the Lenox daughters tease unmercifully. And Lenox is approached by another young lady whose fiancé has disappeared with no explanation, and Lenox searches for him while he tries to sort out Sari’s romance.

The English social structure is examined closely here, how various placements on the invisible ladder affect life in particular for women, most clearly demonstrated by the two young ladies who were not considered good enough for their prospective husbands. The hotly contested bill for poor relief is a window into the wide gap between the wealthy and the destitute, highlighted by the novels of Charles Dickens. Then there is Laura Runcible, a newly wed matron with great social ambitions, anxious to capture the Lenox couple as guests in her home, as their status would enhance her own.

All in all, this is a lively story with multiple plot threads and a considerable number of characters. Followers of the series will enjoy it immensely. Readers new to the Lenox saga will find enough back story to understand the narrative but will miss the finer detail that has built up over the course of 16 books. An excellent addition to a reliably good mystery series.

·         Publisher: ‎Minotaur Books

·         Publication date: ‎November 3, 2026

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎272 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1250433940

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1250433947

  

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link:  https://link.amazon/B0b6DFvyu

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Foreign Correspondent's Wife: A Novel by Jenna Helwig

 

Cookbook author and Real Simple magazine food editor Jenna Helwig has combined her love of food and her love of mysteries in this fiction debut set in post-war Paris of 1949. Life is slowly coming back to something approaching normal in the City of Lights. Rationing has finally come to an end but an influx of U.S. expatriates has contributed to the changes in the city’s culture. And the war is not so long ago that French citizens have forgotten who collaborated with the Germans and who was part of the Resistance Movement. The tension between the two groups is still strong if covert. Being outed as a collaborator has real consequences in every way.

Committed journalist Kat Kelley lost her job when the men began coming back from the front and claimed their pre-war careers. Pushed out of her chosen field, she’s looking around for something to do while her husband continues as a hotshot news reporter. She decides to take a French cooking class in order to teach cooking to the American wives in Paris. About a month into the course, she finds the bloody body of her classmate in the pantry of the school building.

The French police do not strike her as capable or dedicated so Kat exercises her investigative journalistic skills to look into Toby’s death. Then a second death occurs, seemingly related to the first but maybe not, and the French police are convinced someone close to her is the killer. Kat’s journalist husband thinks the two deaths are somehow linked to an unsolved crime ten years old. He’s being pressured to drop his investigation which only encourages him and his editor to move forward with the story.

Well researched and written, this book captures the sense of the time. The post-war rebuilding of Europe was an intriguing period full of plot potential. The actual mystery is convoluted and takes awhile to unravel. It would move faster if the text were tightened. As usual with amateur sleuths, a certain amount of happenstance plays a part. Fans of culinary mysteries will want to take a look at this one, as the characters are forever dining out in sidewalk bistros and elegant restaurants.

 

·         Publisher: ‎Crooked Lane Books

·         Publication date: ‎October 20, 2026

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎336 pages

·         ISBN-13: ‎979-8892427050

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4jrXL82 

 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Lesa's Book Critiques: Murder on 34th Street by Mariah Fredericks

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Murder on 34th Street by Mariah Fredericks

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Murder on 34th Street: A Novel by Mariah Fredericks

The newest historical mystery from Mariah Fredericks will be released in early October by Minotaur. Murder on 34^th Street is a holiday story that is set in the flagship Macy’s Department Store on 34^th Street in New York City and narrated by the personable Grace Verlander, assistant to the Human Resources Manager who hides in his office all day while Grace does his job for him. it is a fine period piece, not overloaded with obvious historical research but nonetheless true to its time, which is November 1932, the depths of the Great Depression.

Macy’s is gearing up for the holiday shopping season, which the store owners have every reason to believe will not be especially successful, while preparing the floats for the annual Thanksgiving Parade. One of the floats will carry the Macy’s Santa Claus in a bid to bring children and their parents (with money) into the store. Grace is alarmed to learn that Santa Claus, actually Harry Gardner of children’s shoes, has received a threatening letter promising that he will not live to see Christmas. Grace cannot imagine who would find the quiet older gentleman offensive but she alerts store security in the person of former police officer Frank Halsey. Halsey agrees that Santa is likely safe within the store but vulnerable in his perch on the Macy’s float in full view of thousands and he decides to ride on the float with Santa.

While Gardner survives the parade, others do not, and Grace has a mystery to solve while dealing with dozens of personnel crises that become more urgent daily as Christmas draws near. She is also devoting more attention than perhaps absolutely necessary to the window display section where the new creative manager has captured her imagination.

Absorbing story with believable characters from the major to the folks with a single throw-away scene. The operational details of the enormous store that occupied an entire block are fascinating and worth the read alone. And the mystery is not forgotten. It steadily unfolds bit by bit, ending with an entirely unexpected revelation.

Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review & Editor's Pick):

“Fredericks’ dialogue is sharp as a box cutter and her cast of characters as lively and colorful as Christmas itself. Grace is a marvel: witty, perceptive, and kind, yet not so perfect that there’s no room for moments of self-reflection . . . Fredericks’ latest adventure should be in everyone’s Christmas stocking this year, tied with a big red bow.”

Expect to see this one on the short list for major 2026 awards. I will be nominating it for a Lefty. Highly recommended.

 

·         Publisher: ‎Minotaur Books

·         Publication date:  October 6, 2026

·         Language:  English

·         Print length: ‎288 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1250367549

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1250367549

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link:  https://amzn.to/4xZDSc3

  

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Ninth Circle: A Billy Boyle WWII Mystery by James R. Benn

The 21^st appearance of Billy Boyle is scheduled for 1 September 2026. How is it possible this series has trundled along for 21 books? A book a year consistently since the introduction of Billy and his colleagues in 2006. With publishers dropping outstanding authors and wonderful series right, left, and center, James Benn continues to turn out solidly researched, strongly plotted, and beautifully written historical crime fiction and wonder of wonders, Soho Press stands back and lets him do it! Readers everywhere owe Soho their gratitude.

The Ninth Circle (Soho, September 2026) is the latest outing of Billy, part of a large Boston cop family and cousin by marriage to General Eisenhower. Only months before Germany surrenders, Billy and his sidekick Lieutenant Piotr Kazimierz go to Havana where ostensibly Billy is to liaison with the Cuban Army and Piotr is a business man seeking to establish himself in the busy capital city. Really they are to investigate the death of Lieutenant Commander Hugh Sinclair of the Royal Navy, who was shot while outside drinking his morning coffee. Someone is suspicious of them even with the plausible cover stories, as within days of their arrival a bomb is set off in a bar where they are waiting for an informant. While they escape, their informant is not so lucky, turning their job into a double homicide investigation.

Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming, crime boss Meyer Lansky, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor all appear in the story, as do increasingly desperate German spies. Fleming is anxious to capture one of the new German U-boats before the Russians can, conscious of the respect he would earn by doing so. Lansky has established a popular and profitable casino in Havana and has targeted Bermuda as a potential extension of operations, even though gambling is illegal there. The Duke was appointed governor of Bermuda during the war, where he and the Duchess were relatively safe.

Billy ends up working with the local thugs and Lansky himself before the homicides are resolved. Lansky assures him that he is as committed to the Allies as anyone and demonstrates that loyalty, even as he maneuvers to expand his gambling empire. Billy isn’t sure if Fleming is help or hindrance at first; he turns out to be a bit of both.

The Havana setting and its people are vividly described with historical details worked invisibly into the narrative. Faultless research, I always appreciate the author’s notes at the end. Another very good entry in the series. Historical crime fiction fans will want to add this title to their reading lists. Recommended.

 

 

·         Publisher: ‎Soho Crime

·         Publication date: ‎September 1, 2026

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎400 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1641297484

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1641297486

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4gFcZDA 

 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Murder on the Yellow Brick Road: Stuart M. Kaminsky

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Murder on the Yellow Brick Road: Stuart M. Kaminsky: The Toby Peters mystery series is set primarily in Hollywood, California. Each book in the series is centered around a celebrity. Toby is a ...