A Beautiful Blue Death is a quaint, cozy mystery. I’m unsure if Goodreads had the series order incorrect, but this book referred to previous cases, so there may be a prequel kicking around. Charles Lenox, an aristocratic second son, has little to occupy his time and a penchant for investigating. His close family friend Lady Jane asks him to look into the death of a former staff member as a favour to her. Charles bumps against the police investigation, gets mixed up himself, and leverages his connections to get all the information he needs to solve her death.
Book Information
Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
First Published: June 26 2007
Format: audiobook
Narrator: James Langton
Source: Library
Genre: Mystery
Series: Charles Lenox Mysteries
For a book set in the Victorian era, Prudence, Lady Jane’s former staff member, sure gets up to some hijinks. Charles keeps discovering more about her as the book progresses. There are many red herrings and misdirection, and I found the mystery aspects top-notch. Charles has a close friend who is a budding forensic scientist, but fingerprints aren’t yet part of the criminal investigation. A Beautiful Blue Death handles the tension between amateur detective and police service well, with limited collaboration and Charles getting told to butt out repeatedly.
Charles leverages his aristocratic connections to gain information that the police may not have access to. His older brother is involved in parliament so Charles has access to insider information. It’s so weird to think that Charles doesn’t have an occupation or career, as he is the second son of a noble family. Charles’s interactions with other aristocrats and the police are impacted by his apparent willingness to work. As much as I dream of living a life of luxury and not having to work, I don’t know how I’d cope with that much free time. Especially considering I wouldn’t have to do any chores because that’s what the staff is for. I wouldn’t describe Charles as indolent, though. He’s far too soft, kind and benign. His relationship with Lady Jane is entirely within the bounds of propriety and they are quite sweet together.
A Beautiful Blue Death is a comfortable story. It was engaging and cozy while staying within the expected boundaries of the genre. As it’s a fifteen-book series still in publication, I hope the series will continue to improve and engage.