The Price of Murder (Sir John Fielding Series #10) by Bruce Alexander | eBook

Chicago Tribune

Historical mysteries rarely offer so many depths of pleasure as this series. Long may it ride.
— October 26, 2003

Publishers Weekly

In Alexander's 10th enjoyable Sir John Fielding novel set in Georgian England (after 2002's An Experiment in Treason), the brilliant blind magistrate and his young apprentice Jeremy Proctor investigate the brutal murder of a little girl whose mother had sold her into slavery. The trail leads Jeremy into a new world, the racetrack, as he joins forces with the victim's uncle, legendary jockey Deuteronomy Plummer. The challenges of the inquiry mount, as crucial witnesses turn up dead and evidence suggests that a member of the upper class is involved. The assistance of Jeremy's almost-fiancee, Clarissa Roundtree, proves vital when her childhood friend Elizabeth Hooker disappears only to resurface after a melodramatic escape from a brothel-a subplot borrowed from a celebrated real-life unsolved mystery. As with other recent entries in this fine series, the once-dominant Sir John plays a largely supporting role. His sage advice and struggle to serve justice in a corrupt milieu guide his assistant's growth and maturation. This shift also mirrors a trend to underplay the whodunit aspect. Routine police procedure has largely supplanted Holmesian deductive pyrotechnics. Restoring the old balance by adding to Jeremy's sleuthing skills in future entries might win more classic mystery fans. (Oct. 13) FYI: The subplot, based on the unexplained disappearance of a young woman named Elizabeth Canning, takes center stage in Josephine Tey's The Franchise Affair (1948) and is "solved" in Lillian De La Torre's Elizabeth Is Missing (1945). Arthur Machen's The Canning Wonder (1926) provides the definitive nonfiction account. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Blind Georgian London magistrate Fielding and assistant Jeremy (Murder in Grub Street) investigate the death of a young girl but find her mother has disappeared. Jeremy's subsequent search for her takes him to the racetrack, where close and personal danger lurks. An outstanding historical. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

It's 1774, and a child killer prowls the streets of London's tenderloin. Jeremy Proctor, the narrator and young protégé of blind barrister and renowned sleuth Sir John Fielding, reaches maturity in this tenth series episode and, appropriately, takes a more active role than in earlier investigations (An Experiment in Treason, 2002, etc.). But the case is an unhappy one, especially considering Jeremy's impending nuptials. While his longtime love, Clarissa the housemaid, plans for the wedding and nervously prepares to step temporarily into the shoes of the vacationing cook, Jeremy probes the drowning of young Maggie Plummer, pulled from the Thames as the latest in a string of recent victims. His first task is finding Maggie's indigent mother Amanda, who's so elusive she must be involved in the crime. Amanda's pompous brother Deuteronomy offers a hand in locating her, but he too seems duplicitous. Traveling with Deuteronomy leads Jeremy to apparent chicanery at the racetrack and a singular horse called Pegasus. And Clarissa's intense interest in wagering on the races is just one of a handful of unattractive new traits in his bride-to-be that give Jeremy pause. It takes the brilliant Sir John, working at the 11th hour, to reshuffle the seemingly disparate pieces of the puzzle into a surprising but rational explanation. Alexander balances darker narrative colors and a deeper look at series characters with a satisfying mystery and rich period authenticity.

The Price of Murder (Sir John Fielding Series #10)

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