The Laws of Murder

A Charles Lenox Mystery

By: Charles Finch

Narrated by: James Langton

With all the humanity, glamor, and mystery that readers have come to love, the next Charles Lenox Mystery, The Laws of Murder, is a shining confirmation of the enduring popularity of Charles Finch's Victorian series.

It's 1876, and Charles Lenox, once London's leading private investigator, has just given up his seat in Parliament after six years, primed to return to his first love, detection. With high hopes he and three colleagues start a new detective agency, the first of its kind. But as the months pass, and he is the only detective who cannot find work, Lenox begins to question whether he can still play the game as he once did.

Then comes a chance to redeem himself, though at a terrible price: a friend, a member of Scotland Yard, is shot near Regent's Park. As Lenox begins to parse the peculiar details of the death – an unlaced boot, a days-old wound, an untraceable luggage ticket – he realizes that the incident may lead him into grave personal danger, beyond which lies a terrible truth.

Critic reviews

<p>“The upper-class amateur sleuth, an endangered species even in historical mysteries, is very much alive in Charles Finch's charming Victorian whodunits.” —<i>The New York Times Book Review</i><br><br>“Superb . . . Boasting one of Finch's tightest and trickiest plots, this installment further establishes Lenox as a worthy heir to the aristocratic mantle of Lord Peter Wimsey.” —<i>Publishers Weekly (starred) on A Death in the Small Hours</i><br><br>“The sixth in Finch's steadily improving series develops the congenial continuing characters further while providing quite a decent mystery.” —<i>Kirkus Reviews on A Death in the Small Hours</i></p>

Fantastic narrator!

The narrator is great and this is one of my favorites of the series! Can't wait to hear the next one!

Good as always

What made the experience of listening to The Laws of Murder the most enjoyable?

Charles Lennox is one of the nicest, kindest fictional characters I know. He and his world are always interesting in book version already, with this reader, they are even better.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was gripping and the characters appealing.

What about James Langton’s performance did you like?

He is a very good reader, who suits Charles Lennox' character and the story's mood.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me think...

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend the book and Charles Finch's other books, less for being kept on the edge of the seat while reading/listening, more for overall thoughtfulness and interest.

Not as good

I was disappointed because I’ve always loved Charles Finch’s novels up to this point. This one was a bit dull. I’m not sure why it seemed to lag in the plot line but it was a chore to finish.

Original, Intelligent, Engaging Novels

It's a relief to listen to a Charles Finch novel after slogging through the jungle/desert that seems to be contemporary thriller fiction. What is amazing is how completely convincing they are, not only in terms of historical detail and flavor but also in terms of characterizations, plots and subplots that move the action along at a good pace.

This is a well thought out, well described mystery which is not an insult to the listener's intelligence; peopled with genuinely engaging characters who have not been downloaded from the most recent politically correct HBO series, and free of the gratuitous violence and gore that seem to be considered necessary to hold a reader's attention. Much better than 90% of the other works on offer in this genre. Highly recommended.

Another solid hit for Charles Lenox series

Would you consider the audio edition of The Laws of Murder to be better than the print version?

Great mystery and characters that you can care about. I've read all of the Charles Lenox mystery series (so far) and have greatly enjoyed them all. Looking forward to another installment.