Review of 'The September Society (Charles Lenox Mysteries)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I don't regret reading this, it's a ripping yarn, but my foremost impression is that Charles Finch's publisher failed him by denying him a good and thorough editor: the Victorians in this novel used American phrasing ("off of," "pregnant"), and by its artistic director deciding on the cover which made me think fountain pens would feature. A circle of writing implements, nibs and points inward, is the cover art of Jincy Willett's The Writing Class, logical and pertinent to the story. The colour red (covering the centre nib) is significant, hope that is not a spoiler -- that's deduced by Charles Lenox early on in the novel.
Some revelations are guessable by the reader familiar to mysteries, some are sudden surprises at the denouement. The September Society is not my first Oxford mystery -- I would have enjoyed this more if it were. The histories of Oxford's colleges are …
I don't regret reading this, it's a ripping yarn, but my foremost impression is that Charles Finch's publisher failed him by denying him a good and thorough editor: the Victorians in this novel used American phrasing ("off of," "pregnant"), and by its artistic director deciding on the cover which made me think fountain pens would feature. A circle of writing implements, nibs and points inward, is the cover art of Jincy Willett's The Writing Class, logical and pertinent to the story. The colour red (covering the centre nib) is significant, hope that is not a spoiler -- that's deduced by Charles Lenox early on in the novel.
Some revelations are guessable by the reader familiar to mysteries, some are sudden surprises at the denouement. The September Society is not my first Oxford mystery -- I would have enjoyed this more if it were. The histories of Oxford's colleges are welcome local colour.