Charles Lenox has always been a thoughtful, curious, introspective person. When Disraeli, no less, invites him to leave England for a while, Lenox has the opportunity to explore a new land, the United States. After being wined and dined in New York City he is enroute to Boston for more of the same when his detective skills are urgently requested by one of the fabled 400. After verifying the truth of the matter, Lenox boards a private train to Newport where he attempts to solve the puzzle of the violent death of a young society beauty, much sought after by all the rich young men. Lenox is alternately fascinated and repelled by the ostentatious "cottages," the extreme wealth of Newport's summer population, and how much power that wealth commands. As Lenox works through the case in his professional capacity, he also attempts to sort through his personal life. This is a wonderfully involved mystery and a fascinating look at New York society when Caroline Astor ruled.

This latest Charles Lenox mystery is fabulous. In this installment, Lenox ventures to America as a representative of the queen just to be recruited to solve the murder of a young debutante. I appreciate the mixture of real people from history with the fictional characters, although that made it easier, in my opinion, to solve the mystery before Lenox did. I can without reserve recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a smart, non-gory murder mystery with a historical flair. In fact, I recommend all the whole series for a good read.

Charles Lenox is a British investigator in 1878 who has recently uncovered the illegal behavior of some very powerful people. He has been encouraged to leave the country for a while to prevent further embarrassment. So under the Queen's banner, he travels to America to see the sights and to solve an American murder.

I have to say I am behind on this series, but I enjoyed this installment. The characters were interesting and fleshed out. Their daily routines were thoroughly described which kept the pacing representative of the period. The author did a good job of creating an enjoyable mystery with some unexpected twists.

Charles Lenox is the premier private detective in all of England. After breaking a corruption ring at Scotland Yard, he takes up Prime Minister Disraeli’s offer to be represent the Queen on a diplomatic tour to America to be away from the mess for a while. While on his way from New York to Boston, he is asked to detour to Newport to help solve the murder of a prominent young socialite.

What first appears to be a simple suicide turns in a complex case and Lenox eventually tracks down the culprit. Lots of twists and turns here. The ending is not telegraphed at all.

A good read that kept me interested. No language issues to be aware of.

Fans of historical fiction and unforgettable mysteries will love this book. Charles Lenox is traveling from 1878 London to America to give a presentation to a group of police officers on his detective skills, solving crimes and his success in juggling both for Scotland Yard. Once the ship docks and he is on his way for his meeting he is summoned to the New England coastal town of Newport where the mysterious death of one of the season’s most desirable socialites has occurred. Wanting to see more of America and curious about the Knickerbocker society that he is thrust into, Lenox accepts the opportunity to solve the murder as it has now been deemed.
The society that he finds himself among is indeed extravagant, wildly wealthy and just a bit daunting for the detective. This is a wonderful look inside the wealth, attitudes and culture displayed in early America wrapped up in a great murder mystery.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read the advanced copy.

While as always Charles Finch writes in an engaging manner, this story is not one of his best. The characters are presented superficially. The story is less compelling. The historical detail is a rehash of that presented in others in this series. All in all, the book was ca placeholder- easy to read, full of potential, but unfulfilling.

I have read most of the Charles Lenox mysteries, though I missed the most recent three (which I believe are prequels to the main series), and so while it's been a while, I easily picked up where the longstanding characters abd the series as a whole is. In this mystery, Lenox travels to America to avoid some political entanglements in London, and finds himself caught up in a high society murder in Newport.

I enjoyed the change of scenery and watching Lenox figure out how to detect in an entirely new milieu. The solution was there, and I actually guessed the murderer, and then figured (incorrectly as it turns out) that that person was in the clear. If you liked the previous books in the series, I think you'll enjoy this one too. If you like historical fiction and murder mysteries, this book, and indeed the whole series, are enjoyable diversions.

I received a digital advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was unfamiliar with the Charles Lenox mystery series before reading this book. It turned me into a devotee. Charles Lenox, a former member of Parliament, has made a career of detection. He is often called upon by those of the upper classes to resolve their mysteries. In this case Lenox is sent to visit the United States where society embraces him. He is called upon to use his skills to find the truth behind a debutant’s death. The amazing world of wealthy Newport and the old and new money families are delightfully portrayed. Enjoy!

I received a copy of this novel through net galley in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge fan of Charles Finch’s Detective Lenox series I couldn’t wait for this novel and jumped at the chance to read it when it became available to review. That being said, this was probably my least favorite of the novels. Do not get me wrong, Lenox returns as a wonderfully written character with depth, it is some of the other characters who, although have the glitz and glam of the rich at the turn of the century, fell flat in my opinion. There were parts of the story that sucked me in and kept me reading, while other parts dragged on for what seemed forever making me wonder how much I had left.

I hate that I didn’t truly love this book, but I do feel like many will enjoy it and others will wonder why I did not.

Will still be recommending.

An Extravagant Death by Charles Finch

In 1878 well known sleuth Charles Lenox finds himself caught up in a puzzling mystery. After traveling from London to New York to consult on investigative strategies, a train trip finds him urgently summoned to help solve the mysterious death of a beautiful young girl.

Finding himself in the midst of the Rhode Island elite, many are questioned and Lenox is closing in on a suspect. No clues are given to the reader, so you are free to form your own theories. Each character is nicely developed, so you might really hate to choose one.

This is my first Charles Lenox Mystery and now I will be looking forward to reading the others in the series. This delightful story gets a solid four stars from this reviewer. I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley and Minotaur Books. Opinions expressed are my own.

The Charles Lennox series written by Charles Finch has captured my heart. In An Extravagant Death Charles has traveled to the US and finds himself being drawn into the mystery of a young woman who has been killed. As always the mystery is interesting and the solution is satisfying but the real draw is the Private Detective himself and how he goes about solving the mystery as well as how this book moves his life forward. The period details and learning about the life of the newly rich in the US is very well written and almost like world building as it seems so foreign and fantastic. The research that goes into what is on the page is invisible as it is just part of the very interesting story but it must be extensive as the details make the period very clear.. If you haven't read any of this series and can, start with the prequels but if not just jump in! You won't be sorry to lose your heart to Charles Lennox.

Charles Lennox has just found that three Chief Inspectors of Scotland Yard had been organizing robberies for five years. This would embarrass too many people of influence, so Disraeli offers Charles a knighthood and a trip to the United States. Charles lands in New York and is assigned a young Irish man O'Brian, to work for him. At a dinner with socialites, a wealthy young man, Teddy Blaine, who needed a cane tells Charles he wants to be a detective and asks to join Charles on his trip to Boston. On the way to Boston, the train is stopped and Charles is asked by Mr. William Stuyvesant to go the New Port in a special railway car to help with the murder investigation of a 19 year old debutante.

The girl, Lily Allingham, was very beautiful and her parents just high enough in society for her to be sought after by several wealthy young men, including Stuyvesant's son William and Laurence Vanderbilt. She was murdered in front of Stuyvesant's Cliff Walk home after a ball a few houses away. Lenox and O'Brien are put up at a very nice rooming house. Teddy goes to stay in his family home (also on Cliff Walk). Lenox doesn't see Teddy for the first day, but then he shows up with a time line of the day Lily was murdered which Lenox finds very useful. Lenox is taken into the New Port society, and is soon invited to the great event of the season - Caroline Aster's ball.

Charles has gotten a few clues, but still doesn't know who did the murder as the time for the ball approaches. But, can he finish the job and find the murderer and still have time to see more of the US? This is a very good story mostly taking place in 1878 New Port, and Lenox is a delightful detective.

I enjoyed this. I think that the character development was good. The story had a decent pace and it kept my attention too! I would recommend.

This book is part of a series but can read without knowing the back story. Charles Lenox is a detective in London but due to circumstances that were probably in an earlier book, he was asked to go to America by the Prime Minister. While there he is asked to investigate a murder that happened in Newport, RI. It is an interesting look at the Guilded Age. It moved quickly once the background was established and kept me guessing almost until the end.
What a pleasure to read this novel. The setting was rich, the characters well developed, and the contrast between the wealthy in England and in America was interesting. I have not read other books by this author but will look for them now.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for my advanced reader copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

Found this to be a hard read. Had I read the previous books it might have been better. It took me a while to get in to the book.

This feels like a very triumphant return to the series, more in the feeling of the original 4 or 5 books I fell in love with. The series lost some interest for me several books ago, and I didn't end up reading the last couple. This one though reminds me of why I loved the series originally and is definitely now one of my favorites. I loved that Finch decided to take our man to America, and Newport during the Gilded Age is always such a great great setting, especially suited to mysteries for some reason (I devour just about any one I can find set in this period/location).

There is a slightly slow intro and a possibly overlong denouement, but those are not uncommon with his writing, and I don't mind the pondering so much in this case. The mystery in this one is very good, we have our gorgeous young socialite, the bell of ball as it were, who's murdered and a crop of suspects, largely from the Gilded Age power families who of course tighten up to protect their own, making our detectives job all the more difficult. There were a few good red herrings and some nice little surprises, and the "who done it" a typical twisty reveal.

Overall really loved this entry into the series, has definitely made this series relevant for me once again. Highly recommended for fans of the series, but also as a stand alone for those who like period mysteries, and most especially that Newport/Gilded Age setting.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book from NetGalley. I found this book to be a page turner! I found it to be enjoyable and a good murder mystery book. I have not had the opportunity to read the books before this, but this book was so good, I will go back and start the series from the beginning. Charles Lennox comes to the States as an experienced investigator. The book draws you in to a masterful suspense. Wonderful book.

travel back to the old money of Newport. Rub elbows with the Astors, Vanderbilts and others in their summer escape from New York. Lavish parties and a murder!

Excellent historical mystery, it might just be the best one in this 14 book series. Charles Lenox is in Newport, New York looking into the murder of a beautiful, high society debutant. Witty and clever with wonderful commentary on America’s Gilded Age. This is a delightful book.

After several prequels, the Charles Lenox series is back in chronological order, this time with Lenox heading off to America at the Prime Minister's request. Part of what I like best in this series is Lenox, Lady Jane Grey, and the others in 1870's London, but, even so, I enjoyed this book very much.

I'd hoped to see more of 1870's America through the eyes of Lenox but, of course, this is a murder mystery so, again of course, Lenox is drawn into it.

This is a solid installment in the long-running series. Highly recommended!!