Charles Lenox is back in another of this extended series of gentle, Victorian era mysteries. Lenox is now married, a father, and a Member of Parliament. Though he yearns for the detective work he has left behind, he feels his dedication to improving the conditions of the poor through legislation is too important to give up. When he’s asked to give his party’s opening speech and finds he has no time to write it, he decides to escape the hectic rounds of visitors who plague him in London (with advice that will have you laughing) and take up his uncle’s invitation to visit his country house in the village of Plumbley.
But all is not well in this bucolic retreat. Strange acts of vandalism are frightening the villagers. Lenox makes inquiries—it’s too tempting to resist and he’s clearly needed. The reader has to wonder how long Lenox will resist the siren song of detection and continue to serve his country. Then a man is murdered and Lenox’s speech becomes far less important. Finch is very clever at planting a wide range of suspects and leaving the reader guessing to the end. This plot (in both senses of the word) has many layers and when you think it’s all revealed, you’ll be wrong.
Excellent historical detail—occasionally more than I wanted, but not overburdensome—enriches the tangible world of the novel. There’s an appealing contrast of sinister actions set against the sweetness of Lenox’s decent and moral character, the mutual devotion of Lenox and his wife Lady Jane, and their love for their daughter Sophie, a theme frequently mentioned. Love in many forms turns up in unlikely places as the evil crimes are committed and solved. Finch uses this counterpoint thematically and it gives the book a benign lightness despite some grim moments.