When I read the Aubrey and Maturin (Master and Commander) series by Patrick O’Brian, I fell in love with tall ships. I was super pumped when I realized that A Burial At Sea is on a tall ship. While there isn’t as much focus on the technical aspects of sailing as in Aubrey and Maturin, Charles Finch does an excellent job keeping the story lively while describing ship life. Locked room mysteries are a favourite, and A Burial At Sea handled it well.
Book Information
Publisher: St. Martin’s Publishing Group
Imprint: Minotaur Books
First Published: Nov 8, 2011
Format: ebook
ISBN: 9781429980708
Source: Library
Genre: Mystery
Series: Charles Lenox Mysteries #5
I still find Charles Lenox himself to be a bit bland. He’s correct, kind, and filled with the usual self-doubts and recriminations when the situation escalates. His perspective on the changes in his personal life is sweet and lovely. I don’t even have any real complaints. He’s just so mild. Charles also has the smug starchiness I’d associate with the British upper class at the time. His views on British colonialism are of the time but would have been considered progressive.
The mystery in A Burial at Sea is pretty solid. I found it a little gruesome at times, but I’m a lightweight when it comes to blood and guts. The locked room aspects are fun. Charles does a great job of tracking movements throughout the ship to create a timeline, and the ship is full of interesting characters. Charles has some surprise collaborators I didn’t see coming.
I found the premise for his trip to Egypt to be a bit far-fetched. There had to have been other resources! Lenox is way too straight-laced and forthright to be savvy in this area.
Overall, I continue to feel medium about this series. The writing is good, and the plots are fun, but I still struggle to connect with the characters. By book five, I would have thought my feelings would have solidified, but A Burial At Sea didn’t tip the scales in either direction.
