Home by Nightfall

HOME BY NIGHTFALL
Charles Finch
Minotaur Books
November 10, 2015

It is 1876 and Charles Lenox has left Parliament and founded his own detective agency. The agency is prospering despite the efforts of a powerful peer to scuttle it. London is abuzz with rumors of the disappearance of a famed German pianist. The Yard is getting nowhere, but Charles has not been called in. His associates are eager for involvement, but Charles' mind is elsewhere; his elder brother, Edmund, has recently lost his much-loved wife. Edmund is still deep in grief and Charles is concerned. He decides to visit his brother in their childhood home in Sussex in an effort to help where he can. He is expecting a quiet time, but strange events are happening in the village; thefts, a missing dog, and most seriously, a break-in at the home of an insurance agent.  As time goes on, it becomes clear that something very serious is happening in the village. Meanwhile, the search for the missing pianist is heating up, especially after the Yard calls in a rival detective agency and Charles' associates feel that they must investigate, with or without Yard approval.

The Charles Lenox series has always been a pleasure to read, but a bit uneven at times. I found the books covering his Parliamentary years less involving, so I am very happy to see Charles back to full-time detection. The village investigation was of greater interest to me, but Charles' efforts to supervise the London inquiry from a distance were very well handled. The village mystery was almost Sherlockian; lots of odd, seemingly unrelated events adding up to a sinister whole. It was great fun, as a reader, to try to put the puzzle pieces together. The depiction of  the symbiotic relationship between village and "great house" shows the depth of knowledge that Charles Finch has of Victorian life in England.  All in all, Home by Nightfall is one of the best books so far in the series. I look forward to many more! 

RATING-4.5 Stars