4.5 out of 5 stars
The early and formative years of young Charles Lenox, as private investigator/detective extraordinaire continue in this second prequel of the Charles Lenox mystery series by talented writer, Charles Finch. The story opens in London, 1853, three years following Lenox's successful solving of a baffling murder in the first prequel, "The Woman in the Water". He continues in his quest searching for work as a detective, much to the puzzlement and scorn of his peers. Money was not what motivated him. In fact, you couldn't hire him if you wanted to but could merely engage his services. So when the Duke of Dorset sought Charles' assistance with a delicate theft in the Duke's home, it was more the command appearance by someone so high on the peerage chart which set young Lenox on edge. The Duke was convinced that a thief stole the wrong item from his private study as the item adjacent to it held a much higher value. Surprisingly, only the name of the thief was important to the Duke and not necessarily the recapture of the stolen item.

As Lenox sets about on his detecting, a kidnapping occurs, a murder, and yet another theft. Through his honed skills of observation, Lenox goes about unraveling the details and working out the various mysteries, all while dealing with the mercurial disposition of a duke.

The character development, including that of secondary characters, is rich, humorous and often at times, charming. Such lighter moments ease the heaviness of the darker subjects at hand. The descriptive prose is rich and sets well the scene such that one is easily transported to the streets of East London and St. James Park of 1853. The mind of Charles Lenox is that of an inquisitive young man who is continuously honing his skills through ardent study, research and observation. He visits insane asylums to study the minds and motivations of the criminally insane. Lenox's interactions with his young nephew, Lancelot, are absolutely delightful and often confound the detective.

If finely written historical mystery is your passion, then this may well be the book for you!

I am grateful to author Charles Finch, publisher, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for having provided an advanced reader e-copy of this book. There generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.

This is the third book I have read in Finch's wonderful series of Victorian mysteries. The author has a light hand but manages to include lots of social history, local color related to London and its environs, as well as tidbits from the way the "high life" functions during the period.

As a former student of Victorian literature, I have a good sense of the era, and the ease with which Finch educates his reader while entertaining them is really a gift. You can not read one of his delightful mysteries without understanding a bit more about Britain's class structure, the plight of women, or how a gentleman lives and should behave.

This book is presented as a prequel to the others in the series and I suspect that for Finch's new readers it might be a good place to start because as the story progresses, we come to understand how the gentleman protagonist feels about his (volunteer) profession of detective. And, a bit about how others perceive him in this role.

I loved every minute I spent with this book and hope to read many more in the series.

NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy of the book in return for a candid review.

Richly atmospheric and gorgeously researched, Finch once again delivers a wonderful portrait of a time and place, exceptionally well plotted and smart.

The Vanishing Man, a detective novel set in historical London, is the prequel #2 of the Charles Lenox Mystery Series. Having solved his first murder Charles Lenox is called upon to solve a mystery, which could jeopardize his reputation and his social standing within Aristocracy of England. Lenox is an intelligent and intuitive protagonist, a detective and a member of the English aristocracy whom we have met in several novels of Charles Finch’s Charles Lenox series.

Charles Lenox is summoned to the meeting with the Duke of Dorset, one of the most powerful men in England. A painting is missing from the Duke’s private study. The Duke insists that the painting has been taken in error because it has hung beside a much more valuable painting which the Duke’s family is sworn to protect. Before, Lenox can retrieve the painting the Duke is kidnapped and his closest confidant is murdered. Lenox reputation will suffer irreparable damage if he does not solve the mystery of the missing painting.

One of the things I like about this novel is its historical context. We learn a lot of English society in the mid 1800’s and how social standing is a preoccupation. We see how the long arm of the law is not applied equally across classes. On the side we also learn about the origin of English words that are in common use today. My favourite was the word “clue”.

The protagonist Charles Lenox is just learning his trade. I have not read any of the other novels in this series (I will now) but Lenox is humble student of the art crime solving. He is well read and studies continuously. In this case, he even uses Shakespeare for guidance. He visits institutes for the criminally insane to learn how they think. He engages shady characters to teach him how to find things and case scenes of the crime. He is not above admitting his mistakes. I like him a lot.

The mystery itself is also fascinating. What seems obvious at the outset is not at all the case. This alone is a good reason to read the book. I give this book a 5 on 5 and highly recommend it to people who like detective fiction and social history.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Vanishing Man, the second in a prequel trilogy to the Charles Lenox series, is as delightfully complicated as the first, The Woman in the Water. The young detective Lenox faces his toughest case yet -- someone has stolen the portrait of the great-grandfather of the Duke of Dorset. This case, however, is not a simple recovery of stolen property because the thieves may not be done. Before long, Lenox is caught between saving secrets and a priceless treasure, and when there's a murder, he fears this case may be beyond his skills. The Vanishing Man offers another peak at Lenox's early years as a detective and his relationship with Lady Jane as well as a mystery that kept me guessing until the end. I eagerly anticipate the third one. Mr. Finch captures the time period well, creates memorable characters, and weaves a mystery that immerses the reader in a world of truth and lies -- the challenge is finding the difference. I highly recommend this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, atmosphere, and characters. I would recommend the book to friends and family for their reading pleasure.

Book takes place in London during 1853. The main character, Charles Lenox is starting a career as a detective. He is asked by one of the most senior noblemen in England to help solve a case. Story flows smoothly. I enjoyed book.

I do not think, in all my years of reading, I have ever enjoyed a book [or a series] as much as I have enjoyed the Charles Lennox Series by Charles Finch. Each book is an absolute delight and I have never been disappointed.

They are old England, interesting, suspenseful [but not to the point of being scary, though he has moments when you wonder just HOW he is going to get out of the situation], filled with real-like, believable people and a story that always makes you think, makes you grateful [I CANNOT even imagine living back then] and entertains you. I have learned so much about this time frame and it never fails to continue to amaze me the things they had to do and endure and deal with [especially the women!!].

This book takes us back to Charles' beginnings as a detective [this one takes place after The Woman in the Water] and brings him to the door of the Duke of Dorset, who has recently been "relieved" of one of his paintings and hires Lennox to find it. And all sorts of intrigue and shenanigans ensues. To share any more would give spoilers and I am not that person. :-)

Greatly enjoyed this book; it was a great addition to this series. I cannot wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reading The Vanishing Man motivated me to seek other titles by this author. It’s apparent that the author enjoys etymology - and his description of the time period through small details add color and interest. He’s done his research, but the “factoids” are seamlessly scattered throughout the book rather that inserted merely to show how much the author knows. A good, not-too-contrived mystery with engaging characters. I liked it.

I'm not certain when I do Readers' Advisory whether I start patrons on the prequel series or just have them jump in with A Beautiful Blue Death. However, since The Vanishing Man is only book two of the prequel trilogy I wouldn't want to wait to read the rest of them! Finch always writes a compelling mystery.