A Beautiful Blue Death: The First Charles Lenox Mystery -- Charles Finch

<p><b>Equal parts Sherlock Holmes and P.G. Wodehouse, Charles Finch's debut mystery<i> A Beautiful Blue Death</i> introduces a wonderfully appealing gentleman detective in Victorian London who investigates crime as a diversion from his life of leisure. </b> <p/>Charles Lenox, Victorian gentleman and armchair explorer, likes nothing more than to relax in his private study with a cup of tea, a roaring fire and a good book. But when his lifelong friend Lady Jane asks for his help, Lenox cannot resist the chance to unravel a mystery. <p/>Prudence Smith, one of Jane's former servants, is dead of an apparent suicide. But Lenox suspects something far more sinister: murder, by a rare and deadly poison. The grand house where the girl worked is full of suspects, and though Prue had dabbled with the hearts of more than a few men, Lenox is baffled by the motive for the girl's death. <p/>When another body turns up during the London season's most fashionable ball, Lenox must untangle a web of loyalties and animosities. Was it jealousy that killed Prudence Smith? Or was it something else entirely? And can Lenox find the answer before the killer strikes again--this time, disturbingly close to home?</p><br><br><b>Author:</b> Charles Finch<br><b>Publisher:</b> Minotaur Books<br><b>Published:</b> 07/22/2008<br><b>Pages:</b> 336<br><b>Binding Type:</b> Paperback<br><b>Weight:</b> 0.70lbs<br><b>Size:</b> 8.34h x 5.54w x 0.87d<br><b>ISBN:</b> 9780312386078<br><p><b>About the Author</b><br><p><b>C