In THE HIDDEN CITY, written by Charles Finch, Charles Lenox is an Englishman living in Victorian England. He is a private detective who recently sustained a stabbing injury while in America. Charles learns that his cousin, Lieutenant Jasper Lenox, has died of chlolera and named him sole executor. As such, he receives Jasper's daughter, Angela, from Bombay, India. I want to know what happens.

I enjoy reading the historical details of 1879 Victorian England. The characters are well-developed, and I care about them, especially Charles Lenox. Charles first strikes me as a gentleman of the Victorian Era. The plot doesn’t really get going for me until the details of the murder are revealed. There are times when I am so enthralled by aspects of the setting that the plot is almost superfluous. I look forward to reading other historical fiction books in the Charles Lenox Mystery series. Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of THE HIDDEN CITY.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book.

After 14 Charles Lenox mysteries in 14 years, it has been four since the last volume about this Victorian gentleman detective, has appeared.

It is 1879, and having returned to England from a successful but dangerous American adventure, Charles Lenox is recovering from an almost fatal wound he suffered. In frequent pain, feeling more of his 50 years, he seems scarred in both mind and body as he ruminates about the passage of time and his health. Then a note asking for help from his old housekeeper brings a new case for him, during which he recovers his equilibrium and finds new perspective on his life and work.

Family and friends continue to be a strong theme, as in earlier books. Charles and Lady Jane welcome the child of his close cousin, Jasper, who went to India many years ago. He was widowed early there, and upon his death has asked Charles to be guardian to his 17-year-old daughter, Angela, and her dear same-aged Indian companion, Sari.

Lady Jane and Charles’ two young daughters (who have aged four years since the last book, though only one year has passed in the fictional time), his brother, close friends, and a new detective protégé, all play their roles in this strange mystery. It is an engaging novel of Victorian manners, politics, and social expectations, and even the minor characters are deftly drawn.

As in the last Lenox book, Extravagant Death, we are given the how and why of the crime, but no resolution: the criminal is not punished. This raises some moral issues to struggle with, for us as well as Charles. It makes for absorbing reading, and despite Charles’ depression and the crimes, rather pleasant reading, as well.

The Hidden City is the fifteenth book that Charles Finch has written about his Victorian gentleman sleuth, Charles Lennox. I’m sorry I’ve only just discovered him. His look into Victorian England via his gentleman detective Charles Lennox is remarkable for an American author. I’m sure it helps that he has a degree from Oxford, but it’s still remarkable that the period mannerisms and customs are so thorough in this book, and I presume his earlier ones. I shall certainly be going back to read this series, perhaps in total.

In this volume, Charles Lennox is at home in London, following a harrowing experience on a visit to America. He has just received his cousin’s daughter and her companion from India into his home. They are young women who have never been to England, indeed have never been anywhere but India, and their adjustment is an interesting strand of the novel.

The mystery that presents, however, is initiated by a letter from an old servant, who is now in need of someone to discover who killed the former tenet of her apartment. It seems whoever did might be back and she might be in some danger.

Lest this review get too long, let me just say I didn't want this book to end, and I will probably read every other book in the Charles Lennox series.

The Hidden City is a cozy, Victorian mystery that follows Charles Lenox as he sleuths out the answer to a twenty year old murder mystery. This book was a sequel, and while I was able to read it fairly well with no issues, I think it would have read more smoothly if I had read the others before this one.

I would like to thank St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Investigator Charles Lennox finds himself chasing around London trying to decipher the strange symbols on the homes of the deceased. Very enjoyable complicated read.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Pub Date Nov 04, 2025
#TheHiddenCity by Charles Finch #CharlesLenoxMysteriesBk12 @stmartinspress @minotaur_books
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I'm always eagerly awaiting Charles Finch's next installment of the Charles Lenox series, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of The Hidden City, thanks to NetGalley. It must have been a while since I read the last book, because I didn't *exactly* remember that Charles had been in America. But he's back in England, with new semi-permanent house guests and a proclivity to sink deep into his thoughts as his body heals. There is intrigue in the form of a few small mysteries, but on the whole, this book moves more slowly than others in the series. I enjoyed it, as I always enjoy the company of an old literary friend, but I did keep waiting for a big spark that never materialized.

I enjoyed the Hidden City because of the setting and the characters. I liked the combination of history/mystery. Strange symbols have appeared on various London buildings where murders have occurred. Investigator Charles Lennox searches for answers with his staff. The reasons for the murders was discovered but the perpetrator never turned into police as justice was already done. Recommended for fans of English mysteries.

The Hidden City marks my first book by Charles Finch. What a happy surprise to learn Charles Lenox has a history! I love finding new authors and series guaranteed to intrigue and delight.

From the first page to the last, your senses are engaged. You feel the atmosphere and life experiences challenging Charles Lenox. Lenox experiences angst when looking for his cousin's orphaned daughter in first class, but he is relieved and surprised when he learns the reasons. In the midst of his changing personal life, he is recovering from a near death trauma and helping a retired servant discover who is trying to break into her meager apartment. His pursuit of the truth brings the past to the present and exposes a quest for a hidden city the 50ish year old detective cannot resist and neither can you.

The rhythm of the book is much like the rhythm of life. It has its routine bits and easy predictions but plenty of action-packed mystery, as well as heart-felt scenes laced by the period's changing cultural landscape. The story demonstrates the value of family, friends, and adventure for the willing. Great characters and story lines.

Pardon me. I can hear the laughter of girls and the crackling fire, smell the burning wood and the ink of the pages in the study, and feel the warmth of the Lenox study. Thank you for the sneak peak.

As always from Finch, a wonderful British mystery that keeps me interested and wanting to read more.

This was an interesting read. The mystery was intriguing, but there were a few moments when I felt lost. The Hidden City is the 12th book in a series and you don't necessarily need to read all the books before this one, but they do reference them sometimes. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

I didn’t dislike the book but I struggled to stay interested and invested in it. It moved very slowly with lots of melancholy introspection from Lenox, the MC and the mystery felt anti-climactic. It didn’t really have much tension in it, nor did it feel like there was much for the reader to join in on to try to puzzle thru. It felt more like I was watching Lenox figure out clues as I watched from the outside without much to wonder about. Nothing super profound, nothing to really guess at. It just sort of came together and was done.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of The Hidden City. I have a read a number of Charles Finch's books. I think he is a very good and thoughtful writer and love the interesting mysteries that he creates. Since it's historical, I always learn something new about that era. Which I think is one of his points.
Charles Lenox is a private detective married to Lady Jane and they live a very comfortable life in Society. In this book, Lenox is healing from being attacked in America, becomes the gardian to his cousin's daughter and her Indian friend, and sets out to solve a mystery that involves a teacher of his from many years ago. There are many many threads moving at the same time. They all work. It is a pleasant read, a mystery, not a thriller.
I recommend it to mystery lovers.

Charles Lennox is asked to investigate some strange nightly events at the home of an old friend. As he delves into the mystery of these nightly occurrences he opens up some old secrets that have been hidden for years. Not just a one book with one mystery, but the unfolding of many mysteries this book takes the reader on a trip through parts of Victorian London that are amazing.
The plot is intriguing; the city descriptions are so realistic you feel you are there, and the characters draw you in. The author may have many threads going through the book, but he brings it all together in a perfect ending.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

I am known to read multiple books at a time without a problem, yet I couldn't keep the storylines of this book straight for anything. There is so much going on in this book that when one subject is revisited, I have forgotten that it was even in this book. Everything was too much for me.

This is my honest review of an ARC received from NetGalley. This could have been an okay read if the main author had pumped the brakes on his ego. Especially in the beginning of the book, he was busy letting the reader know how wonderful and talented he was. He was the most intuitive, he was the most skeptical, he had the neatest desk, he was the best father. He was the MIDAS of the FBI and when he went rogue it was ALWAYS taking the high road. He just was not at all believable as a narrator and I was often rolling my eyes and skimming past his stage-setting of readers' perceptions of him. It really could have been a good book if Hilland could get out of his own way. The second half of the book was rather tedious. There were strange flaws throughout that were just careless. July 1999--described as being unseasonally cold spring day. Even in Ohio, July is not spring. Further on, the same Ohio trip made tasks more difficult due to the July heat. It is an ARC so typos were expected but not errors that cause the reader to have go back to reread--in my case I eventually stopped going back because I just didn't care enough anymore. Although there were times when the story was engaging, I don't recommend this one.

I found this to be a smashing good book! There are several mysteries, new family members, and a glimpse into women's suffrage. I have not read any of the previous books but I never felt lost or like I was missing something.

The characters are well written and for the most part likeable. Lenox is my favorite! He's genuine, compassionate, and trustworthy. He never gives up on a case or a person. Montague amazed me! He's young, but smart and eager to learn.

I enjoyed reading about the Swedish gymnasium and Sven the instructor! I'd like to hire him!!

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Minotaur Books via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is book 12 in the Charles Lenox series, and the first that I have read from Charles Finch. Set in the late 19th century in London, Charles Lenox is and aristocratic private detective. Finch tells a great story, but having read all of Will Thomas' Barker and Llewelyn series, I found this a poor imitation. They have very similar styles, but for whatever reason, Thomas casts a better story. That is not saying I didn't like this book. I have already ordered the first book from the series and have no doubt that I will work my way back to this one.
My biggest complaint with the book was that it was in need of good editing. I found sentences that repeated themselves and the amount of typos was appalling. I understand this is and Advanced Copy, but I would have expected far fewer glaring errors.
If you want a good crime-mystery novel set in London, the Lenox series would be a good place to look.
Thanks to St Martin Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinions.

The Hidden City by Charles Finch is the 16th book featuring Victorian era private detective Charles Lennox, and the third installment in the prequel trilogy. Set in 1850s London, it's an intriguing mix of social commentary, the historical protests for women's right to vote, life in the upper crust, and, of course, murder and mayhem. A young detective, Lennox is drawn into a case involving an old woman whose home is being threatened by a mysterious vagrant; who is he and why does he want to get into her building so badly? It was the location of a mysterious murder seven years earlier, and when Lennox notices a strange emblem carved on the door, he can't help but try to decipher it. The mystery deepens even as Lennox and his wife Lady Jane welcome their cousin Angela and her Indian companion to England after a family tragedy.

I found The Hidden City to be quite absorbing. Finch is a great writer and his prose flows effortlessly, moving between the criminal activities, Lennox's friendship with colleagues and family, Lady Jane and her efforts towards women's suffrage, and the romantic puzzle of their new Indian family members. If Arthur Conan Doyle had made Sherlock Holmes a family man, this might be just the kind of mysteries he would have written. Recommended, and it does work as a standalone introduction to the series too.

Charles Lenox traverses Victorian London searching for clues in the murder of a pharmacist. When he notices strange symbols on the entrances, he realizes that they may be the key to finding the murderer.

This was a slightly slower paced Lenox, but all the best bits of the previous novels were there. I greatly enjoyed seeing his arc of growth as he healed. The mystery was a bit of a let down, but overall I really enjoyed this book. I especially enjoy all the little historic and fun fact details that are always included.