Charles Finch is the author of more than 15 novels. A Beautiful Blue Death was published in 2007 and is the first of his Charles Lenox Mysteries. It is the 72nd book I completed reading in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.

The period is 1865. Victorian gentleman Charles Lenox cannot decline the request for help from an old friend, Lady Jane. Prudence Smith was once her maid. Now, the young woman is dead, apparently by suicide. As Lenox investigates, he begins to suspect the death was due to poison. And not a common poison, but a rare and deadly one.

The deceased worked for Barnard, who had a house full of guests at the time of her death. All of whom are now on his suspect list. But the question still remains as to why anyone would want to kill Smith. Her dalliances with some of those guests seems hardly enough to justify murder. Of course, being at odds with Scotland Yard over the death is not helping the investigation.

A second death follows at a society ball. Will Lenox be able to find the killer before more die?

I enjoyed the 8 hours I spent reading this 340-page historical mystery. This is an excellent period mystery very reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes. I like the chosen cover art for this novel. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Full disclosure, I did not finish this book, I just couldn't. Based on the 50 or so pages I did read, it felt disjointed and haphazardly put together. It read almost robotically and have no life to it.

A Beautiful Blue Death Charles Lennox Mysteries Book 1 by Charles Finch

340 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Release Date: June 26, 2007

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Victorian England, British, Private Detective, Amateur Detective

Charles Lenox is an amateur detective in Victorian England. His friend, Lady Jane asks him to investigate the death of her former maid, Prudence Smith. When his prime suspect is murdered, Charles is at a loss. He asks his brother to pose as a homeless man and watch the activity at the scene of Prudence’s murder.

The book has a fast pace, the characters are somewhat developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. The author does a good job describing the scenery to make the reader feel a part of the story. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading the rest of the series. If you like historical fiction, you will enjoy this book.

It took me a while but I finally got around to reading A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch (Book #1 in Charles Lenox Mysteries). And my or my… I believe I found another ‘bookish’ friend.


Charles Lenox is Sherlock’s contemorary but as different from him as chalk and cheese. Set in Victorian London, Charles Lenox Mysteries are much funner, warmer, cozier and ‘friendly’ then creations of Sir Conan Doyle.

We meet Mr Lenox at home and are immediately trasnferred into ‘Wooster and Jeeves’ like environment of friendly banter between muster and butler, where the master loves his slippers and is religious about his tea and cakes, and butler is the best sidekick a detective can have.

A detective for London establishment, Charles Lenox has carte blanche for every house and every party in town. He uncovers crimes as ‘favours’ for his friends and family. He goes about sleuthing in a very gentlemanly, even a bit lazy way. But he gets to the point. He solves the mysteries. And he gets to have his tea most of the days.

A Beautiful Blue Death is the murder mystery that starts very prosaic but ends up being very complicated and dangerous. A servant girl is found dead in the house of one of the British most prominent figures. Lenox is asked by his lady friend to solve this incident as a favour to her. What Lenox uncovers is way more than a death by posioning by beautiful blue death (name of the poison).

The solving of the mystery will take Lenox across London, will put him into danger and will make him question his beliefs and loyalties. At the same time, Lenox will strengthen his belief in his friends and family (his old friend, his lady friend and his brother). I found this part of the story especially endearing.


This detective is not cold and aloof. This detective is homely and friendly. He has strong beliefs and strong ties to people. He has feelings and attachments. He is alive.

I guess, I will have to read the rest of the books in the series

A BEAUTIFUL BLUE DEATH - Charles Finch

#1 in the Charles Lenox Mysteries series

QUIETLY INTERESTING - 3 stars

Plot - 3 stars - As a member of the aristocracy, Lenox is in a unique position to investigate certain crimes within his ranks. He is interested in the search and enlists the help of various people in solving the crimes. Since this is set in the 1800's, investigation consists mostly of searching for physical clues and deductive reasoning.

Writing - 3 stars - Finch writes in a sedate style that moved forward quietly yet fairly quickly.

Characters - 4 stars - Lenox is a somewhat unusual character in that he is a ranking member of society, with connections at the highest levels. But he is equally kind to the lower orders, so he is able to get their support as well. He seems like a pleasant man who is trying to do the right thing by helping to solve various crimes and giving the credit to Scotland Yard as necessary. Lady Jane, his neighbor, is a high-ranking member of society who is also intelligent and friendly. The best supporting character is Graham, Lenox's butler, who is instrumental in assisting with each case.

Title - 3.5 stars - The title makes sense as it connects to the method of murder--using bella indigo, a poison that literally means beautiful blue and always causes death.

Cover - 2 stars - This is such a washed-out and unattractive cover that I didn't pick up the book for a long time, thinking it would be boring.

Overall - 3 stars - The mystery was interesting, but I felt that things got confusing from time to time because of the number of suspects and Finch's tendency to move from one to the other. Apparently my mind doesn't work as quickly as Lenox's, so I found myself having to go back several times to refresh my memory about who was who. When picking apart separate parts of the book, there was nothing to complain about, but the total seemed to be quite slow and very put-downable.

This book is very old and while I did enjoy it, I am not sure why it was on NetGalley. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unfortunately the quality of the ARC was atrocious and I simply couldn't deal with it unless I wanted to really damage my dear eyesight. I really tried but I couldn't go on.

Many thanks to Netgalley for this missed opportunity

I've become a huge fan of thrilling mystery genre due to books like this. You can read this as an escape from the everyday in a weekend. A really good mystery. Maybe not my ultimate favorite but definitely worth a read

This was a very good start to a new series. The character Charles Lenox is a delightful, witty Victorian gentleman, and I enjoyed following along on his investigation of a maids death. The writing was atmospheric of the Victorian era and made for a great afternoon escape.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my own opinion.

Okay this book was a bit annoying. It was about a servant who was possibly poisoned in the 1800's. The servant, Prudence to Lady Jane, to be exact. Lady Jane is very bothered by this and seeks out the help of Charles Lennox, neighbor and has experience in this type of thing.

First, I found the characters to be pretty dull, and secondly, I was quite annoyed because this book was supposed to be set in the 1800's, where I found it a tad unbelievable how the servants were so free as to not use proper titles and interrupt while their employers were entertaining. Also, I found the book to be not very exciting, as well as the historical times not being accurate. Maybe if this book was set in the 1900's, it would be a bit more believable.

I hate to give a low rating but this book I would definitely say to pass on.

A Beautiful Blue Death is the first book in the extensive Charles Lenox series of historical mysteries, first published in 2007 and reissued in 2021. This was my first exposure to the series, which is now up to 11 plus some prequels. It features an upper class Englishman who is an amateur detective. He enjoys outsmarting Scotland Yard.

I found the main mystery to be interesting, but the book moved rather slowly for me. There were definitely some oddities that other reviewers have mentioned - even for someone like myself who is not particularly conversant with English colloquialisms, I realized that there were a number of American-isms used, like “sidewalk” instead of “pavement.” Lenox seemed overly familiar with his butler, Graham, despite a quick explanation of their backstory. Lenox sends Graham out to help with the investigation, which reminded me a bit of Nero Wolfe and Archie, although I haven’t read those books in ages.

These questions remain with me: 1) Why doesn’t a rich, upper-class man have better boots? 2) Who eats “cold sliced tomatoes, mashed potatoes, and milk”, referred to as simple food? Ick.

Apparently from the ratings, his later books get better. I hope so.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read a copy of this reissued book. All opinions are my own.

A Beautiful Blue Death is the first in the Charles Lennox mystery series. Having read several, it was interesting to go back to the beginning and see the evolution of Charles Lennox from wealthy aristocrat to full-time sleuth.
Charles Lennox is enjoying a cup of tea in his study when he is summoned by his neighbor and dear friend, Lady Jane, for help. One of Lady Jane's former servants has been found dead.
Everyone thinks that it is an apparent suicide but Jane doesn't believe that Prudence would kill herself. She calls upon Charles to look into the case. After a survey of the death site, Charles immediately realizes that this wasn't a suicide and the hunt is on to solve the murder.
Author Charles Finch has written a truly delightful mystery. His strength is in the character development and gets better with each book.
You will want to spend more and more time with Charles, Lady Jane and Lennox's butler, Graham, who should be renamed Watson.
Charles Finch's books are worth the read and improve as Charles Lennox's sleuthing skills become Sherlockesque.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #ABeautifulBlueDeath

I am a fan of interesting or intelligent crime procedural shows/books and have always loved the various techniques and procedures that are being used these days to solve crime. But reading an investigative story by an amateur investigator, somewhat in the shade of Sherlock Holmes, where most of the technology had not been developed yet, was really quite interesting. 

A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch is set in the year 1865 and the book actually transports the reader there quite literally. The settings described, the events that take place in the backdrop and the language used, all manage to draw the reader into the story completely. It shows the amount of research that has gone into understanding and knowing that world; also, understanding the psych of the people then and how they perceive the world around them. The author's efforts are extremely praise- worthy and I can see why there have been 13 more books in the same series. 

As for the characters, they were all interesting. The main character Lord Charles Lenox is a very interesting character and quite likable too. And so was Lady Jane, on whom, it is hinted that Charles has an interest. The intrigue was not bad and quite sufficient. The crisp narrative style and the interesting story flow, make up the book into a very good mystery thriller with a laid- back tone. I would really love to read through the other books in the series as the book has completely whetted my appetite to know more about Lord Charles Lennox. Thanks to Netgalley,  St.Martin's Press, Minotaur books and the author Charles Finch for this ARC and this introduction to a wonderful author.

This is the first in series and my first by this author. I loved the cover and the blurb, so I was excited to receive this book on my request from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was the perfect read for chilly, rainy afternoon--a steady pace, twisty plot, great characters, and a setting of 1860's London. When a servant girl is poisoned with an unusual substance the race is on to untangle the clues to find the culprit. I am excited to read more in this series.
#ABeautifulBlueDeath #NetGalley #KensingtonPublishing

This book through be back to writing styles like Agatha Christie, which it really enjoyed. This at key itself took a bit long to actually get through and I definitely want more from it. It’s a great cozy mystery, but I just wanted a bit more

This is the third book in the Charles Lenox series I have read and I have to say I’m thoroughly enjoying these mysteries. I like the character, an upper-crust young man who turns his back on snobbery and follows his dream to become a private detective. It’s easy to fall in love with the characters the author creates; they are sympathetically drawn (at least the good guys) and each have their own quirks and motivations.

In this mystery, Lenox chases the identity of a murderer who has left several clues. The victim, a maid in a wealthy household, is first believed to be a suicide – but of course, Lenox immediately sees the fraud set up by a clever murderer. Lenox leads the reader up one path and down another as he closes in on the perpetrator.

One other thing I enjoy so much about this series is that Lenox ages over time. While each mystery can be read as a stand-alone, it’s fun to catch this detective at different stages in his life and career.

Now, onto another Lenox mystery!

Recently I read “An Extravagant death” which is the 14th book in the series so I was excited to read the first one. Even if these books are great stories as a standalone I had wanted to know a bit more background on Charles Lenox and how the relationship started with his wife. After reading “A Beautiful Blue Death” it all fell into place. I got to learn a bit more of the political situations in Victorian England. We see the big differences between the classes and the feel of entitlement of the wealthy. Again we get a great mystery that could not be happening anywhere else then Victorian London.

This was my first foray into the world of Lenox and Charles Finch. I am sorry I never got to it earlier. I loved the style of writing, the slower pace of vintage detection and the overall atmosphere of cleanliness, style and a certain innocence which is certainly lacking in the present detective genre.

Lenox just wants to relax as a gentleman in his library with his books, his maps, his travel plans but this is not always to be. His lifelong friend Lady Jane, living next door appeals for his help in finding out the murderer of a maid who worked in her employ and who then subsequently worked for another. The other is a very high up in the present government, wants to shush the whole thing up for the most unbelievable of reasons and wants the murder to pass as a suicide.

Despite so many things written oddly in this book (the geography, the americanisms, the mistakes of addressing aristocracy, even the odd title) I found the overall story to be unbelievable but charming, and Lenox though I have seen so many criticisms of his character - totally loveable!

This was a sweet, old-fashioned mystery that reminded me in spirit of Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark. The story took too long to get going, though. Nevertheless, anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries would like this.

A thoroughly enjoyable historical mystery, with a main character who reminds me of a Victorian version of Lord Peter Whimsey. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.