Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Hidden City: A Charles Lenox Mystery by Charles Finch

  

I was delighted to receive an advance review copy of the fifteenth historical mystery about Charles Lenox. To be published by Minotaur in early November, The Hidden City by Charles Finch is as complex as its predecessors, combining changes in the Lenox family circle with a perplexing problem.

Lenox is still recovering from serious injuries incurred during his last investigation and has yet to feel completely up to par. On the orders of his new doctor, he is visiting a gym twice a week where he undergoes a lengthy regimen of stretching and strengthening exercises in what is a forerunner of what we know today as physical therapy.

Despite not feeling his best, two letters demand his immediate attention. One is about the will of Lenox’s favorite cousin Jasper. He died in India, where he lived for years, leaving a daughter of about 20 years. Angela’s only remaining family is in England, and Charles Lenox and Lady Jane arrange for her to live with them. He and Jane know nothing about their new cousin, Jasper had become a recluse and poor correspondent, but they are eager to do what they can to smooth her way. Jane in particular is looking forward to introducing her to society. Her own daughters are many years away from making their debut and she is excited about having someone now to accompany through the social whirl of London’s upper classes.

The other letter is from his former housekeeper. When he first moved into rooms in London, Lenox’s mother hired Mrs. Elizabeth Huggins to keep his house and him in order. Mrs. Huggins has returned from the country to London and is living alone in an old house where a murder took place some years previously. Someone has begun sleeping on her front porch and Mrs. Huggins is afraid that whoever it is will try to break in. Lenox can’t have the old lady who has been so good to him worried or threatened, so he sets staff from his detective agency to watch the building. The neighbors are convinced that the intruder is the man suspected of the unsolved killing, returned from years abroad.

In a particularly fascinating thread, Lenox notices some sort of mark carved into the foundation of the house. He finds the same symbol on another long-standing building and launches into a tour of one of the oldest sections in London, looking for more structures with the emblem and allowing Finch to describe the glorious architecture of many old buildings.

Surprises at home and on the job keep Lenox fully occupied in another very good entry in a fine historical mystery series. Finch faithfully adheres to the social conventions and scientific knowledge of the time and creates a compelling world of credible, likeable characters. I can count on this series for an engaging read, no matter which Lenox book I open.

Readers familiar with Lenox, Lady Jane, and their circle will be delighted with this new adventure. New readers should begin with one of the earlier titles. Recommended.

Booklist starred review.

·         Publisher: ‎Minotaur Books

·         Publication date: ‎November 4, 2025

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎288 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1250767164

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1250767165

  

Amazon Associate Purchase Link:  https://amzn.to/49fodNh

 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025

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

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Chain Reaction by James Byrne

Chain Reaction (Minotaur, 2025) is the third book in the Gatekeeper series by James Byrne. Desmond Aloysius Limerick is a retired British mercenary with specialized training who is now roaming the U.S. seeing the sights and playing the occasional musical gig. Mostly he is using his specialized skills to rescue someone a la Jack Reacher. He is a Gatekeeper, he can open any door any time any place and keep it open as long as necessary. In his debut there’s an aura of mysticism surrounding his abilities but in the sequel he drops a comment about his two engineering degrees, which explains a lot.

The story starts with a scenario familiar to anyone who has seen Die Hard. Terrorists take over a glitzy convention center in New Jersey. Fortunately for the hostages, Dez happens to be on hand to deal with the insurgents. He’s only momentarily distracted by meeting his guitar idol Calvin Willow who is one of the hostages and extracting a promise of a private jam session. After the stand-off is resolved, Dez is curious enough about the backers of the attack to assist the FBI in their investigation, which leads to more questions than answers.

Dez is an original and welcome addition to the already impressive line-up of thriller heroes on the bookshelves. At first I thought he was a mash-up of Reacher and MacGyver but he is more of a people person than Reacher. Reacher is the consummate loner. Dez is far too gregarious to be a loner. His ability to form long-term friendships reminds me of Rush Mackenzie. He and Reacher do have a compulsive tendency to help people in common though. The MacGyver comparison is still apt; Dez can create weapons and tools out of almost anything. His tendency to crack wise reminds me of Spenser, although Dez is funnier and his timing is better.

These books can be read as stand-alones, so no need to start at the beginning of the series, yet at least, although I expect anyone who enjoys one of them will want to read all of them. For anyone in need of an absorbing, quick-moving adventure with a charismatic lead character. Recommended!

·         Publisher: ‎Minotaur Books (January 28, 2025)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Hardcover: ‎400 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1250319781

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1250319784

 

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

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025 

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

Lesa's Book Critiques: The Secret of the Three Fates by Jess Armstrong

 Lesa's Book Critiques: The Secret of the Three Fates by Jess Armstrong

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Murder at the White Palace by Allison Montclair

Again I am here to extol the virtues of the next book in the Sparks and Bainbridge historical mystery series written by Alan Gordon under the name Allison Montclair. Alan Gordon is a recently retired lawyer, author, lyricist, and librettist, who is no stranger to the demands of writing a convincing historical mystery series. Between 1999 and 2010 he wrote eight well-reviewed books in the Fool’s Guild mysteries, set in early 13th century Europe.

Gordon chose a completely different time and place for his current series, but a fascinating one as well: post-war London. The country is in social and economic upheaval, service personnel are returning from overseas to find no jobs and sometimes bombed-out homes, and shortages of all kinds are still wreaking havoc with the simple act of existing day to day. He created two compelling, very different characters: Miss Iris Sparks, formerly of an intelligence unit, and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, widow of an Air Force pilot from an aristocrat family. Both of them are looking for a fresh start when they meet and decide to form an agency to facilitate marriage among the lonely and unattached members of the London populace. The series debut earned starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus and selection as the best mystery of 2020 by the American Library Association’s Reading List.

Six books into the series and the duo are pleased with their success. They are making enough money to hire a secretary and they moved into a larger office. In Murder at the White Palace (Minotaur, release date July 30, 2024) Gwen suggests throwing a New Year’s Eve party for their clients as a sort of large-scale effort to match them up. The biggest roadblock was a venue that they could afford. Archie Spelling, Iris’s admirer, offered one of his buildings under renovation. He expedited the clean-up, during which a body was discovered. The initial assumption was that another victim of the Blitz had been discovered until further examination showed otherwise.

Since Spelling’s business ventures were often somewhat dubious, the police believed the victim was one of Spelling’s erstwhile competitors. Iris of course could not have Spelling wrongfully accused so she and Gwen went to work once again as investigators.

They are also addressing changes in their personal lives. Gwen is now in the possession of her inheritance. She is quietly searching for a home away from her controlling in-laws where she can raise her son. Iris is steeling herself to introduce her wrong-side-of-the-tracks boyfriend to her Member of Parliament mother and then to meet his family at the wedding of his nephew.

The characters of Iris and Gwen continue to grow here. Gwen gathers strength and self-confidence as she navigates the world without the husband she thought she needed. Iris is shedding the loner lifestyle she had adopted as she moves toward deeper involvement with Archie and his large family.

A major plot twist suggests even greater changes in the not distant future. Followers of the series will be waiting with bated breath for the seventh book.

Highly recommended, especially for fans of historical mysteries and of mysteries with strong female leads.

 

 

·         Publisher: Minotaur Books (July 30, 2024)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Hardcover: ‎320 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1250854210

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1250854216

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3z1a3PH

 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024 

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

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Unkept Woman by Allison Montclair

Alan Gordon is a lawyer, author, lyricist, and librettist, an interesting mix of career interests. Between 1999 and 2010 he wrote eight books in the Fool’s Guild mysteries, set in early 13th century Europe, and in 2019 launched a new historical series under the name Allison Montclair. In September 2020 I burbled in this space about the debut of Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, proprietors of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, in 1946 London, England. https://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/2020/09/aubrey-hamilton-reviews-right-sort-of.html

Since then Gordon has released three more volumes of their adventures as well as a separately published short story. The fifth is scheduled to be published next summer. The fourth is The Unkept Woman (Minotaur, 2022), which focuses more on the personal lives of the main characters than on their marriage bureau and its clientele. Iris Sparks, who worked in covert operations during the war, is startled to find that her past has come alive again. First she realizes she is being followed on her way to the office one morning. Her shadow is not especially competent so Iris knows it’s no one professionally trained but she cannot think who might be interested in trailing her. Her musings on this subject are pushed aside when she returns to her apartment to find an earlier paramour has returned and is planning on hiding there.

In the meantime widowed Gwendolyn Bainbridge decides to take formal action to claim her inheritance, which would result in independence from her in-laws. The interview with the lawyer who might undertake the job for her highlights just how unusual the idea of a woman starting her own business was for the time. It was hilarious, as Gwen conscientiously reveals the sideline in homicide she and Iris have inadvertently developed. He assures her that anyone involved with as many murders as she seems to have been will not be viewed as responsible enough to manage her own affairs by the judiciary so she agrees to avoid murders for the duration, a bargain she is unable to keep as the story unfolds.

The authentic backdrop of post-war London with its bombed-out buildings and shortages of every kind is one of this series’ high points. Gordon’s research is impressive. Gwen and Iris are charming creations and I am looking forward to their next adventure, when I hope attention returns to their burgeoning enterprise. Highly recommended.

Starred review from Publishers Weekly.

  

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022

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

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Primary Storm by Brendan DuBois

Brendan DuBois is a talented author of mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. He’s written dozens of short stories as well as novels. His work has been awarded the Shamus three times, the Barry and the Derringer two times each, and nominated three times for the Edgar. Most recently he’s teamed up with James Patterson as co-author of three books.

DuBois introduced former Department of Defense analyst Lewis Cole in 1994 and has since produced 10 more titles about his adventures. After his DoD career Cole retired to the small town of Tyler Beach, New Hampshire, where he writes for a local magazine but he seems to become readily entangled in more complicated matters.

In Primary Storm (Minotaur, 2006) the presidential fever that strikes New Hampshire every four years is in full bloom. White House hopefuls swarm the small state and local journalists have access to them that media representatives elsewhere only dream about. When Lewis shows up for a speech by Senator Jackson Hale, by all accounts a strong contender for the nomination, he thinks he’s just there to look the candidate over but ends up being arrested for attempting to kill Hale when shots are fired during the rally and Cole’s revolver is found on the scene. Cole’s lawyer gets him out of jail but who is setting him up is a question that needs to be answered.

A well-written and engaging read on more than one level. I live in another part of the country that is also highly political, and I can attest to the accuracy of the election madness as it’s portrayed here. Telephone calls at all hours, flyers in the mailbox, door-to-door canvassers, and signs everywhere: on cars, in yards, along the streets. Overwhelming until the day after the polls, when it thankfully stops. The minor thread with the campaigner who just wants to go home resonated with me.

Cole has acquired a love interest in this book and the romance is woven into the investigation better than a number of stories I’ve read. Not only is the would-be killer well disguised, the motive is thoroughly hidden until the last few pages. Politicians make a lot of enemies! A good series to have on any mystery reader’s TBR list. Definitely bingeworthy.

·         Publisher: ‎ Minotaur Books; 1st Edition (September 19, 2006)

·         Language: ‎ English

·         Hardcover: ‎ 288 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎ 0312327331

·         ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0312327330

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2021

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

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair

The fantastic members of the Crime Thru Time historical mystery online discussion group drew my attention to a new series set in one of my chronological times of interest, the 1940s. I felt compelled to investigate. The Right Sort of Man (Minotaur, 2019) is set in London in the aftermath of World War II, before rebuilding commenced and rationing was still very much a part of everyday life. Author Allison Montclair is apparently a pseudonym of Alan Gordon, the author of the Fools’ Guild historical mystery series set in the 13^th century. See the footnote on Montclair’s entry on the website Stop! You’re Killing Me.

Miss Iris Sparks, who is secretive about her participation in the recently ended war, and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, a war widow living with her obnoxious mother-in-law, are both at loose ends. They decide to open a marriage bureau in Mayfair and after three months are pleased with their modest success. Their budding matchmaking careers are jeopardized though when one of their clients is murdered, and Scotland Yard decides the man Iris and Gwen set her up with is the culprit. Gwen, whose accurate assessment of people is awe-inspiring, knows the mild accountant is not guilty. Iris uses her war contacts to look into the dead girl’s background and finds some questionable activity. The pair delves into the alibis of her associates, which leads them into some hair-raising encounters with purveyors of black-market stockings and clothing coupons.

Secondary plots involve Gwen’s intense grief at the loss of her husband and her attempts to detach from her controlling mother-in-law. Iris has her own set of deep regrets about the war, which aren’t helped by encountering a former fiancé who is now with Scotland Yard. The mother-in-law is masterfully drawn as someone we all would despise. Another fine character is Sally, their debt collector, who is actually an actor and budding playwright.

Perhaps one of the best parts of this story is the authenticity with which postwar London is portrayed. References to the shattered buildings, the stories of nights sheltering in the Underground, and the basic deprivations are worked unobtrusively but authoritatively in and around the story line. And the reminders of the loss of sons, brothers, husbands, comrades, not just numbers but lives that were dear to the people they left, are always there.

Fortunately, my local library has purchased both books issued so far. I didn’t have to wait long for the first title and I was number #32 on the waiting list for the second one when I last checked. Starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus and selection as the best mystery of 2020 by the American Library Association’s Reading List make this book a must-read for traditional and historical mystery fans.

·         Hardcover : 336 pages

·         ISBN-10 : 1250178363

·         ISBN-13 : 978-1250178367

·         Publisher : Minotaur Books (June 4, 2019)

·         Language: : English

Aubrey Hamilton ©2020

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

Crime City Review: HARD CASH VALLEY by Brian Panowich

Crime City Review: HARD CASH VALLEY by Brian Panowich

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Dead Man’s Mistress by David Housewright

Rushmore McKenzie, created by David Housewright, is one of my favorite fictional characters. Pleasantly self-indulgent and not especially energetic, he is still willing to do favors for his friends, as well as for friends of friends, which is often how he gets into situations where his ribs are cracked and the police are asking him awkward questions.

In Dead Man’s Mistress (Minotaur, 2019), the 16^th of Mac’s adventures, the director of a local museum whom he helped in the past asks Mac to help a friend locate some paintings that have been stolen. Mac of course can’t say no, especially when he learns that it’s not just any friend, it’s Louise Wyckoff, the reclusive yet famous subject of dozens of paintings by the world-famous artist Randolph McInnis.

The discovery of the paintings with Louise came as a shock to the world and to McInnis’s wife after McInnis’s death in a traffic accident. Think back to the furor over Wyeth’s paintings of Helga. There was much speculation as to the exact relationship between McInnis and the much younger Louise, which Louise has steadfastly declined to explain. Now, some 35 years after his death, Louise reveals that McInnis gave her three paintings, previously unknown to exist and worth millions, and that someone has stolen them from her house in Grand Marais, Minnesota.

Louise teaches art in her home, and any number of people have reason to be there. Mac starts checking into all her visitors to identify the likely candidates for theft and almost immediately the name of David Montgomery, a handyman who was in Louise’s house multiple times during the week in question, pops up. When Mac goes to Montgomery’s house to interview him, Mac finds Montgomery shot to death in what could be a suicide but maybe not. The local police are interested in Mac, since he found the body, and also are not especially happy to learn he’s carrying out an investigation on their turf of a major theft they didn’t know about.

Mac manages to placate the police and goes about his inquiries, managing to incur the ire of some local thugs who follow him across the border into Canada. Fisticuffs and gunfire take place, and the hoodlums are taken into a custody in a country other than their own. The ensuing quick tutorial in the gun laws of Canada was fascinating.

Of course it’s all more complicated than that, as usual in this series. Another fine entry, with the next one to be released in July 2020. One point against it: The typos in the book jerked me out of the story more than once. “Publicaly”? “Indentify”? Come on, Minotaur, you’re falling down on the job.

·         Hardcover: 320 pages

·         Publisher: Minotaur Books (May 21, 2019)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 1250212154

·         ISBN-13: 978-1250212153

Aubrey Hamilton ©2020

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

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: A Season to Lie by Emily Littlejohn

A Season to Lie by Emily Littlejohn (Minotaur, 2017) is the satisfying follow-up to this series’ highly praised debut Inherit the Bones. Gemma Monroe returns from maternity leave to her job with a small Colorado police force in a blinding snowstorm, finding a stack of reports on a desk that she left completely cleared three months earlier. Before she has time to review them and learn what’s happened in her absence, she and her partner Finn respond to an anonymous call about a prowler at a private school. Wondering who could possibly want to be out on a night like this, Gemma and Finn rouse the security firm to let them into the locked campus and circle the buildings, looking for signs of entrance, theft, or vandalism. They find none, but Gemma does discover the gruesomely dead body of an internationally known writer who was teaching part-time at the school under an assumed name and an altered appearance.

Their investigation uncovers eccentric staff members at the school with complex relationships and sets off a media firestorm. One of the students reports extensive bullying among the students, instigated by someone only known as Grimm. In addition, a putative construction group has moved into town but the personnel look remarkably like members of organized crime.  

On the home front Gemma has still not married Brody, the father of her baby, despite the urging of her friends and family. His early infidelity has left her distrustful of him, no matter what he does. He’s accepted a contract to write a textbook, which he can do while he looks after Grace, allowing Gemma to return to work. He quickly becomes bored and frustrated with full-time childcare, though. Sorting through and balancing their individual needs perplexes Gemma while she enjoys the first few months of her baby’s life, and she thrives on the intellectual stimulation of the investigation.

Two more books in this very good police procedural series have been published, and they are all well written, reliably solid reads. The distinctive setting of Colorado provides great context for the action, but the people are the strongest element. Gemma is a believably complex person, surrounded by secondary characters no less well developed. This story drops some clear hints about her future with Brody. Strongly recommended. Start with the first book if at all possible.

·         Hardcover: 304 pages

·         Publisher: Minotaur Books (November 14, 2017)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 1250089417

·         ISBN-13: 978-1250089410

Aubrey Hamilton ©2020

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

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Bull by David Elliott

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Bull by David Elliott: Reviewed by Jeanne As we all keep saying, we love book bingo! It encourages us to read a bit more widely.   This time around,...

Lesa's Book Critiques: Death of a New American by Mariah Fredericks

Lesa's Book Critiques: Death of a New American by Mariah Fredericks

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: What You Want to See by Kristen Lepionka

What You Want to See by Kristen Lepionka (Minotaur, 2018) is the second book in the contemporary private investigator series featuring Roxane Weary in Columbus, Ohio. Roxane is retained by the owner of a local printing company to follow his fiancé, whose behavior leads him to believe she is having an affair. Roxane follows her for a few days and sees nothing that suggests another man but also nothing that indicates she is a successful and busy interior decorator as her client believes. Late one night while Roxane is not on the job, however, the fiancé is killed in a neighborhood where she would not ordinarily be, and her client’s fingerprints are found on the bullets. Roxane can’t believe her client is capable of murder and dives headlong into an investigation that unfolds into a startling number of complicated family relationships that includes a gold-digging second wife, a drive-by shooting at the print shop, and a scheme to defraud seniors of their homes and the valuable antiques in them.

I am always looking for contemporary women crime authors who write police procedurals and private investigator novels, and I was initially enthusiastic about this one. The creative plot twists and turns and the different character threads are all tied up in the end in a masterful manner. I was frankly wondering where some of the storylines were going, yet they came together quite skillfully. However, Roxane’s tendency to self-flagellation in regard to her supposed failures as a daughter/sister/friend/lover/human being got old quickly. I have no idea why anyone thinks that stuff is fun to read – it isn’t. The last book I tried to read with an angsty heroine, also a contemporary private investigator story, went back to the library unfinished. The plot in this one was innovative and executed admirably enough to keep me reading to the end, but the main character is annoying nonetheless. The next in the series is not on my must-read list.

·         Hardcover: 304 pages

·         Publisher: Minotaur Books (May 1, 2018)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 1250120535

·         ISBN-13: 978-1250120533

Aubrey Hamilton ©2019

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