If you had asked me a year ago if I enjoyed mystery and murder books, I would have said no. They are not my thing.
Except for my love of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys as a kid, mystery books have never really appealed to me.
Movies are the same way. I don’t love murder mystery movies and shows. My husband and kids enjoy them. My daughter loves reading Perry Mason, some of the Agatha Cristie books, and Sherlock Holmes. My mom also loves crime books and t.v. shows.
Me not so much. But I am loving the Charles Lenox Mysteries by Charles Finch. (This post contains affiliate links that support this site and what we do.)
I first heard about these books in a magazine that was reviewing of one of the recent books in the series. It briefly mentioned the book and the author. Something about the article made me want to give one of the books a try and I immediately bought one. I am so glad that I did!
In the last year I have read five of the books in the series and I can’t wait to read the rest of them.
Most of this series has 3.5-4 stars on Goodreads. The Amazon reviews are almost as good. A few people don’t like them, but overall they have great ratings.
The books take place in England in the 1860’s. I think the books are a good mix of historical fiction and murder mystery.
What I love about these books though, is that they are not overly gory. There is a murder, with some basic details, but nothing overly graphic.
I also appreciate that the books are not overly sexual. There is actually very little romance in them. There are couples, married and single, but again nothing too graphic or with too much detail. The author keeps it pretty clean. Which is getting rare in modern nonfiction and modern mystery books.
The books take place in England in the 1800’s, so there is drinking, a lot by some of the characters, but it is not the main focus of the books.
These are books I can easily let my kids read. My 14 year old son is enjoying them and plans to read the whole series. I am glad I have a series like this that he can enjoy.
If you like gory, graphic, complex mystery books, than this series may not be for you. But if you enjoy a good historical fiction book with some decent mystery mixed in, I think you will enjoy these books!
Books in the series:
- A Beautiful Blue Death
- The September Society
- The Fleet Street Murders
- A Stranger in Mayfair
- A Burial at Sea
- A Death in the Small Hours
- An Old Betrayal
- The Laws of Murder
- Home By Nightfall
- The Inheritance
Have you read any of this series? I would love to hear your thoughts!
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