A Page-turner of a Funeral

Book Review: A Burial at Sea (Charles Lenox Mysteries) by Charles Finch

Being a fan of both history and mystery, it is a wonder that I managed to go so long without discovering the Charles Lenox historical mystery series by author Charles Finch. A Burial at Sea, fifth book in the series, served as my introduction to Victorian detective Lenox and it was an enjoyable voyage clear through.

Finch's writing is clear and direct, and he manages to inject just the right amount of nautical terminology into the early chapters - describing it through the eyes of the non-seafaring Lenox so that the landlubbers among us don't confuse our bowsprits with our mizzens. He also lays the historical groundwork with easy facility, describing the politics of the English navy and how the class distinctions on land extended onto the seas. This supplies the undercurrent for the murders that Lenox must solve.

And in solving them, Lenox is at times as baffled as we are. After some time in Parliament, his skills are a little rusty, and without his usual experts at hand, he must work with what he has. The cast of characters that Finch lays out for us (and Lenox) are varied in background and personality, and Finch keeps them believable in their different aspects.

As the murder is solved and the ship arrives in port, we are returned to the mission that was the original purpose of Lenox's voyage. The story shifts scene but sails ahead on land, moving the characters into a more exotic locale that is no less threatening, and as fast-paced. My only dissatisfaction with the ending of the story was that there was no more to read.

A Labyrinthian Mystery

Book Review: Floors: Book 1 by Patrick Carman

Part fantasy, part mystery, part allegory, and part myth - author Patrick Carman covers all the bases in his young adult novel Floors. That's a high hurdle for any book to leap, and I think Floors clears it with room(s) to spare.

We join the young protagonist, Leo Fillmore in his quest to find out what happened to Merganzer Whippet, owner and builder of the Whippet Hotel. The hotel is a maze of hallways and stairwells, tunnels, hidden floors, and secret rooms. And in true labyrinth fashion, the only way out of the mystery of Mr. Whippets's disappearance is the way in - into the secret heart of the Whippet Hotel. Following cryptic clues, Leo follows the thread deeper into the unknown windings of the Whippet.

Every labyrinth needs a mythical monster, and in the case of the Whippet, that monster is the unnamed, unseen Mr. M. Or is it? There is a real monster inside the Hotel, and it is up to Leo to uncover it. In the process he discovers how the hotel and its builder are linked, and how Leo himself is part of the puzzle.

It's a journey of discovery for both Leo and the reader, Floors is a highly enjoyable story on many levels.