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

  

 

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Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026

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

Guest Post: Finding My Funny Bone by Catherine Dilts

Please welcome author Catherine Dilts to the blog today. She and her daughter, Melinda Bass, co-authored Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation. Published by Top Hat Cat Publishing LLC, the read released last December, with  the second book in the series, Grandma's Valentine Abduction, releasing last February.

 

 

Finding My Funny Bone by Catherine Dilts

 

In the animated movie Finding Nemo, the father and son main characters are clownfish. When Marlin meets the other fathers in Nemo’s school, the guys have high expectations for humor.

PHIL: Hey! You're a clownfish. You're funny, right? Hey, tell us a joke.

MARLIN: Well, actually that's a common misconception. Clownfish are no funnier than any other fish.

PHIL: Aw, c'mon, clowny.

TED: Yeah, do somethin' funny.

Marlin butchers a joke, totally deflating expectations.

I empathize with Marlin. Finding the humorous angle in a life situation is way different than popping off a wisecrack spontaneously. But I found that I continuously injected humor into my short stories and novels.

The downside to discovering my skill at writing humorous tales was my fear that readers would expect me to be that witty in real life. I’m actually pretty drab and socially awkward.

How am I supposed to sell my laugh-out-loud books when my presentation is so boring?

My family has endured the usual tragedies over the generations, and then some. One thread that ran through the decades is that my ancestors had a sense of humor. As far back as I’m aware, they had the ability to laugh at their dire situations.

My philosophy has been, if you can laugh or cry, why not laugh? It’s not always possible or appropriate, but when I’m able, I choose laughter.

This is a trait I’m proud to have passed on to my daughter, Merida Bass. When we decided to co-author a young adult science fiction novel, we had the most fun creating Ellis. The absurd, lovelorn scammer had the funniest moments. We were both discovering a knack for comedy.

Then one fateful night, while standing in a Texas hotel parking lot in the dark, my sister warned us about the dangers of human traffickers. She made sure we were listening as she informed us that ruthless people would snatch anyone off the streets. Anyone! The sharp look she gave us both indicated that even we, despite our obvious status as mature women, a mom and grandma, were still potential victims.

Of course we thought the scenario was ridiculous. But we didn’t tell her that! The humor gene didn’t pass down to everyone in my family equally.

Stressed from our trip – a memorial service for my father – my daughter and I did the only thing we could. On the flight home, we erupted in giggles as we crafted a humorous angle out of my sister’s dire warning. What if followed what if, and the Ninja Grandparent Placement Mysteries was born. 

Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation won the Colorado Authors League award in the humor/satire category. We proved we could write humor.

But would our attempts to sell the book in person result in a scene like Marlin, trying to be funny on demand and failing?

I’ve had the privilege of speaking at events recently. To my surprise, when I chat about real-life inspirations for my fiction, people find them humorous. Mishaps during my factory worker life? Taking out my frustrations by killing an office co-worker in a murder mystery? Even the fear of being kidnapped as a senior citizen could elicit laughs.

Like Marlin, my deliberate attempts to make people laugh often fall flat. Letting scenarios build, creating recurring jokes and callbacks, and placing characters in absurd situations, seems to work best.

Sometimes, hitting your funny bone can be excruciatingly painful. In Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation, my co-author and I found our funny bones. The result has been laugh-out-loud fun.

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Catherine Dilts ©2026

After being tormented by a co-worker, Catherine Dilts took out her homicidal frustration in fiction, resulting in her first short story sale to Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. She has since had a dozen stories published in AHMM. After a career in environmental compliance for a global corporation, Catherine now writes fiction full-time. Author of the Rose Creek Mystery series, she also co-authors The Tapestry Tales YA science fiction series and the Ninja Grandparent Placement Mysteries with her daughter, Merida Bass. Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation won the 2026 Colorado Authors League award in the humor/satire category.

You can find Catherine’s website at https://www.catherinedilts.com/ 

Her free newsletter is on Substack at https://catherinedilts.substack.com/

Review: Wildwood: A Novel by Amy Pease

Wildwood: A Novel by Amy Pease is the second book in the series that began with the very good Northwoods. As the book begins, it is October in North Wisconsin and Eli North is in a far better place mentally. He’s quit drinking, is in therapy for PTSD and other issues, and is coping with everything better than he has been in  some time. He’s still working for his mom, the sheriff, who ordered him to take the day off. So, he started the day chopping wood. Not only is it therapeutic for him, it is being proactive as winter is coming.

 

His day off is soon out the window when his mom calls him in. With only three members of the Sherman County Sherrif’s Department, one of whom is the dispatcher, she did not really have a choice. Sheriff Marge North might have dealt with the missing woman case on her own.

 

But, she got into the home, and judging from the blood sprayed on the bedroom walls, probably Trinity Campanella is dead. If so, they are looking for a body and a killer. There are other troubling signs in the home as well.

 

So, she needs her son and fellow officer, Eli North, and other outside resources. She had not reached out to the FBI and yet they have shown up in form of FBI Agent Alyssa Mason. They dealt with her last summer and now she is suddenly back in Shaky Lake, Wisconsin, and has arrived, unannounced, at her crime scene. She has also brought an undercover DEA agent with her. For good reasons too in an increasingly complicated case and a mighty good read.

 

While this could be read first, if one so desired, I recommend reading the series in order to see how things are evolving for the characters involved. Both books are very good and strongly recommended.

 

As I was with the first book, I am indebted to a comment on Lesa Holstine’s What Are You Reading blog posts. I had no idea this was even out until I saw the news there and requested the book via my library. The read is also available by way of Kindle Unlimited (as is the first) so I read it that way in a larger font than the hardback library book.

 

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Kevin R. Tipple ©2026