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    The Fleet Street Murders
    The Fleet Street Murders
    The Fleet Street Murders
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Fleet Street Murders

    Written by Charles Finch

    Narrated by James Langton

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    It's Christmas, 1866, and amateur sleuth Charles Lenox, recently engaged to his best friend, Lady Jane Grey, is happily celebrating the holiday in his Mayfair townhouse. Across London, however, two journalists have just met with violent deaths-one shot, one throttled. Lenox soon involves himself in the strange case but must leave it behind to go north to Stirrington, where he is running for Parliament. Once there, he gets a further shock when Lady Jane sends him a letter whose contents may threaten their nuptials.

    In London, the police apprehend two unlikely and unrelated murder suspects. From the start, Lenox has his doubts; the crimes, he is sure, are tied. But how? Racing back and forth between London and Stirrington, Lenox must negotiate the complexities of crime and politics, not to mention his imperiled engagement. But as the case mounts, Lenox learns that the person behind the murders may be closer to him-and his beloved-than he knows.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateNov 7, 2011
    ISBN9781452674568
    The Fleet Street Murders
    Author

    Charles Finch

    Charles Finch is the USA Today bestselling author of the Charles Lenox mysteries, including The Vanishing Man. His first contemporary novel, The Last Enchantments, is also available from St. Martin's Press. Finch received the 2017 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing from the National Book Critics Circle. His essays and criticism have appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Washington Post, and elsewhere. He lives in Los Angeles.

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    Reviews for The Fleet Street Murders

    4.5/5

    52 ratings18 reviews

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    • 5/5
      The end of Charles Finch's books is always so, so beautiful and beautifully written. I love detective novels but if I could ask for one thing of the author, it would be to have him write a general fiction book with the same characters. I love them that much. I read something in which he admitted that his favourite part of the books was always the end once the plot was wrapped up and he could concentrate on just the characters and their day-to-day life - 'It's my favorite part of writing the Lenox books, because the really hard work is done and I can just enjoy living in the world - especially because I know that I'm about to leave it, at least for a while.' I think it really translates well on the page, it's always melancholy and lovely and this book was no exception. I can't even tell you where it takes place for it's a spoiler.
      It's lucky the last few pages are always so hopeful for the plot of this one was particularly gloomy I thought, especially since Lenox spends the majority of his time away from the supporting characters that bring a lot of the light of the book. Plus there are a couple of relationships which are tried, something that, combined to a series of murders, makes for sad reading. The writing is impeccable though and Lennox's new activities (I can't say anymore than that) shed a new light on his personality and breathe some fresh air into the pages. I love the author's attention to detail (oh, the food - more authors should write about what their characters eat and drink, I'm adamant it's one of the liveliest, warmest and most cheerful types of descriptions you can find so why not make liberal use of it?) and period detail, down to the remarkably intricate depictions of London.
      I enjoyed this book immensely and will happily reread the whole series in the future. While I don't think anything can beat The September Society (the previous volume), I'm more than happy to stay put in my seat and enjoy the rest of the ride.
    • 5/5
      Another successful installment in a series in which every book is a pleasant, congenial read, with a tantalizing mystery to keep you turning pages.Yet again, Charles Finch uses his light touch to throw the reader into the boisterous, amusing, and yet not-to-be-taken-lightly world of an MP election in a small, northern English town. As always, he masterfully folded what must have been fairly painstaking research into a delightful and engaging narrative in such a way it doesn't occur to the reader how much they've learned until after they've finished the book. Fans of Graham will be a bit disappointed that he doesn't play quite as large a role in this part, but there are several other new characters that are just as engaging who, hopefully, will make appearances in future books. Of particular note is the local pub owner who is also Lenox's northern campaign manager. Meanwhie, Lenox is torn between working to realize his dreams of being an MP and solving the murder that keeps tugging him back to London. Making his absences from the City even more unbearable is some unexpected tension between him and Lady Jane when she asks to delay the wedding.
    • 4/5
      Synopsis: Two men are murdered; their only link is that they testified against a traitor. Two men are arrested for these murders and they seem to be linked; but Charles isn't convinced. He is also distracted by his candidacy for Parliament, which is much more complicated than Charles expected. Jane is worried about her pending wedding and snivels a bit. There seems to be an arch criminal at work and Charles must find him.Review: The descriptions of small town politics were very interesting, as were the interactions among the press, the detectives and the police. An interesting book, the guilty party was apparent from the beginning, but how the crimes were committed and why were nicely convoluted.
    • 5/5
      An excellent historical detective fiction story set in Victorian England. The author's perspective on the society and class structure of the Victorians is a feature of this book and the others in the series. The election sub-plot was a diversion, but it was interesting reading on its own and developed the Charles Lenox character. The ending was a bit anti-climatic as it became apparent midway through the book who was behind the murders. Despite that it was a satisfactory conclusion and readers are set up for the next book in the series.
    • 4/5
      Another excellent story in the Charles Lenox series. This one is the third. The plot is a little more involved in this one--more lines, I think, than in the last two. Followers of the series will remember that at the end of the second installment--The September Society--Lenox proposed marriage to Lady Jane Grey and was asked to stand for a seat in Parliament. Here, despite the pressures of campaigning in a rural area, he is trying to keep abreast of the developments in two seemingly linked murders back in London and maintain his relationship with Lady Jane. I can highly recommend this book. I certainly hope Mr. Finch continues to favour us with the Lenox series.
    • 2/5
      Not my favorite of this series. Much of the book was about Lenox running for Parliament or mooning over Lady Jane. The actually mystery was concluded at the very end of the book in a rushed afterthought. The penultimate moment was rather unbelievable and somehow out of sync with the pace and tone of the proceeding chapters.
    • 4/5
      Charles Lenox is torn between investigating the Christmas murders of two London journalists -- they were killed minutes and miles apart -- and spending time in the rural district he is running in for a seat in Parliament. Charles also wants to spend more time with his fiancee, Lady Jane Grey, who has suddenly expressed a wish to delay their wedding day. The murders and their resolution are intriguing, but the secondary plots (the campaign and the romance) get in the way. One might have been OK, but two were too much. Still, I enjoyed The Fleet Street Murders almost as much as I had the two earlier books in this series ... and will keep Charles Lenox on my list of favorite historical mystery heroes. When mystery readers ask "where are the new, young mystery authors coming from?" I point them to Charles Finch as a prime example of writers I believe will endure. 01/06/2010
    • 3/5
      No. 3 in the Charles Lenox Victorian mystery series. Lenox is campaigning frantically in a by-election for a seat in Parliament for a rural district, while back in London two journalists have been murdered almost simultaneously and naturally the police have it all wrong. Or do they? Charles itches to get back and get into it, but he also really wants to take a seat in the House of Commons...can he manage both? And when things get rotten again with his old friend McConnell and wife Toto, Charles's fiance, Lady Jane, begins having second thoughts about the wisdom of getting married. Almost cozy, perfectly enjoyable and diverting.
    • 4/5
      Charles Lenox is pursuing his dream of running for Parliament. Standing in a far-flung northern district he is trying to solve a double murder at the same time. Two newspaper men were found murdered within minutes of each other. The time that Lenox would like to spend investigating is taken up with heavy campaigning. This series always provides a solid mystery and good Victorian atmosphere. This one offers a fascinating look at Parliamentary elections, particularly fascinating to those of us who are accustomed to residency as a prerequisite for representation. This series is highly recommended for those who enjoy historical mysteries.
    • 3/5
      Charles Lenox runs for a House of Commons seat and investigates suspicious deaths of men in finance. Lenox and Lady Jane Gray make plans for their wedding. While I'm certain the author will use the Parliamentary seat in future novels, it seemed more a distraction in this one. I'm not certain how I feel about a private investigator holding that title and continuing to practice private investigation. James Langton always does a good job narrating books.
    • 5/5
      It's official: I'm addicted to Charles Finch's delightful Victorian mysteries featuring the very noble, in every sense of the word, Charles Lenox. In this outing, Lenox faces a tangle of intrigue as he investigates what lies behind the almost simultaneous murders of two of Fleet Street's best while he is also contesting for a seat in Parliament and coping with the sudden doubts of his long-time love and fiancée, Lady Jane Grey. Through satisfying twists and turns, earnest, deeply decent Lenox comes through on all fronts. Finch shows a deft hand in balancing an immersive sense of setting with his characters and plot. More please!
    • 3/5
      When two newspaper men are murdered within minutes of each other, Charles Lenox is consulted by Inspector Jenkins of Scotland Yard without his superior's knowledge. Before Lenox gets very far in his investigation, he is called away to the north of England. The Member of Parliament for Stirrington has just died, and there will be an election to replace him in two weeks. Lenox will be the Liberal Party candidate for the seat, and he must dedicate himself to the campaign in the short time before the election. When his assistant/trainee, John Dallington, learns that an old acquaintance has been arrested for the murders, he begs Lenox to come back to London to find the truth. Lenox is torn between his calling as a private investigator and his desire to serve his country in Parliament.The book focuses as much on the election campaign as on the murder mystery. I had recently read Trollope's Can You Forgive Her?, in which a special parliamentary election also played a role, and I think Finch must have done the same thing in his research for this book. The campaign is conducted much like those in Trollope's works.The focus on the election shortchanges the development of the mystery plot. Lenox regrets being away from London and fears that the wrong person will be convicted for the murders since he isn't able to investigate. After these thoughts are repeated several times, it begins to come across as arrogance.The likeable characters are the book's best feature, and they're why I'll continue reading this series. I enjoy spending time with Lenox, his neighbor and fiance Jane, his butler/valet Graham, Lenox and Jane's friends, the McConnells, and Inspector Jenkins.
    • 4/5
      Big fan of this young series. The author adds enough touches of period dialogue and detail, but doesn't overload His style of writing dialogue is interesting; he includes many short sentences, ones like actual conversations have... not many writers do this as it can be seen as a bit boring or pointless, but I think it works here. It kind of gives the books a bit of a 'homey' feel, which I think he is going for. Good character development, he's very good with that.The only thing I didn't love was that the last chapter or two were a bit telegraphed... It wasn't too tough to see what was coming (not the mystery itself, which was fine, pretty standard stuff... the resolution of one of the sub-plots).
    • 4/5
      The Fleet Street Murders, the third installment of Charles Finch's Charles Lenox series provided the same period detail I loved in the first two books. I read these with Wikipedia up on my computer to learn more about historical figures or details mentioned in passing. This book dragged a bit in the first half, but the second half more than made up for it - keep reading! I highly reccomend this series and look forward to the fourth book:)
    • 4/5
      Another good one in this series (liked this one better than book #2)
    • 4/5
      Two men in London are killed minutes apart. The victims are Winston Caruthers, writer and editor of the conservative Daily Telegraph and Simon Pierce who worked for the liberal Daily News. Besides working for newspapers, the only other thing they had in common is each testified against Jonathan Poole, a traitor to England. The police ask Charles to look into the matter, but he has no time because he is running for Minster of Parliament from Stirrington. When his opponent uses dirty tricks to win Charles turns back to the case and begins to put the puzzle pieces together until he believes he knows who the culprit is, but lacks proof.

      This is the third book in Finch's Victorian series and the author delivers the story in an immensely readable fashion. The real charm of this series is the details, particularly when Lenox spends time in the northern town of Stirrington, which he hopes to launch his political career. He also does a wonderful job of describing Victorian London. The Victorian world is vivid and well-drawn, and the characters moving within it seem very real.
    • 4/5
      Another Charles Lennox mystery, set in Victorian England. Charles is set to marry his best childhood friend Lady Jane Grey, when their friends Thomas & Toto McConnell lose the child Toto is carrying... sending all into a funk and setting Lady Jane in to a state of questioning herself.....

      Charles is preparing to run for Parliament, when the current member dies.. thus pushing Charles into a rushed election against a "local" who has moved his business out of town..... Dirty politics here, but a bit of information on the running of a campaign and getting to know one's constituency.

      In the mean time two journalists have been murdered across town from each other but within 5 minutes of each other and Charles is privately called into the investigation... One of the murderers is caught and dies in prison, the other confesses..... After a fashion the nasty Scotland Yard inspector is also murdered (for me this was no great loss)......

      Well written and compelling I was unable to put the book down until I finished it.......
    • 2/5
      Most of this book was about Charles Lenox running for Parliament. I did not read this book in order to learn about 19th-century British election procedures. The mystery itself was only mildly interesting and was wrapped up rather quickly.