Death and The Jubilee
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Review
"'A cracking yarn, beguilingly real from start to finish... you have to pinch yourself to remind you that it is fiction - or is it?' Peter Snow * 'This is detective fiction in the grand style; the characters and the plot soar upwards and carry us in their wake. Powerscourt's debut in this intoxicating book is the start of a gilded life in the archives of crime.' - James Naughtie * 'In this excellent novel, Dickinson weaves a tale of blackmail and murder among the royals late in Victoria's reign... One hopes to see more of Lord Powerscourt and his friends in the near future.'- Publishers Weekly"
Product Description
Find a murderer - and save the Queen's Jubilee! It is 1897 and the London is preparing for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. But a corpse is with no head or hands is dragged out of the Thames. The dead man was old and prosperously dressed, but there are no other clues to his identity and the police ask for the discreet assistance of Lord Francis Powerscourt. His investigation leads him to a mysterious mansion in Oxfordshire, with classical temples in the gardens and in the house, a second corpse killed in a fire. On the track of the murderer, Powerscourt realizes that both he and his family are in mortal danger - and the outcome could wreck the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
First Sentence: One nondescript room at the top of the War Office in London had become the nerve center of the British Empire.
London is excited about the upcoming Diamond celebrating the 60th year of Queen Victoria's reign, but there are also great concerns about security.
A corpse, without head or hands, is found floating in the Thames. Because the body appears to be a wealthy, older gentleman, Lord Francis Powerscourt is brought in to work with the security forces to identify the corpse and determine whether there is a greater threat.
The investigation leads Powerscourt back to his native Ireland, into the world of international banking and facing a personal threat.
I was afraid, at first, that this book might be a bit dry for my taste. It definitely was not.
There are great characters. Powerscourt is an ex-soldier, who is wealthy, urbane, literate, polite, and confident of his position in life. He loves his wife, Lady Lucy, and family, is capable of expressing emotion. Lady Lucy is no vapid Victoria female, but intelligent and holds her own. There is delightful interaction between Powerscourt, Lady Lucy and their children which adds humor and a softer note to the story. While they take the lead, the supporting characters, some of whom are recurring in the series, are well developed and integral to the story.
Dickinson's sense of place is strong enough that his description of a cricket match made me actually want to understand the game. The verbally paints with contract: "All around were the signs of England in the Spring...Then Powerscourt saw the sad remains of Blackwater House."
The story is very well plotted with escalating suspense. It begins with a seemingly straightforward murder but quickly become much more and goes places I didn't expect. There is no question that I shall read more books in this series.
London is excited about the upcoming Diamond celebrating the 60th year of Queen Victoria's reign, but there are also great concerns about security.
A corpse, without head or hands, is found floating in the Thames. Because the body appears to be a wealthy, older gentleman, Lord Francis Powerscourt is brought in to work with the security forces to identify the corpse and determine whether there is a greater threat.
The investigation leads Powerscourt back to his native Ireland, into the world of international banking and facing a personal threat.
I was afraid, at first, that this book might be a bit dry for my taste. It definitely was not.
There are great characters. Powerscourt is an ex-soldier, who is wealthy, urbane, literate, polite, and confident of his position in life. He loves his wife, Lady Lucy, and family, is capable of expressing emotion. Lady Lucy is no vapid Victoria female, but intelligent and holds her own. There is delightful interaction between Powerscourt, Lady Lucy and their children which adds humor and a softer note to the story. While they take the lead, the supporting characters, some of whom are recurring in the series, are well developed and integral to the story.
Dickinson's sense of place is strong enough that his description of a cricket match made me actually want to understand the game. The verbally paints with contract: "All around were the signs of England in the Spring...Then Powerscourt saw the sad remains of Blackwater House."
The story is very well plotted with escalating suspense. It begins with a seemingly straightforward murder but quickly become much more and goes places I didn't expect. There is no question that I shall read more books in this series.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Excellent historical mystery/suspense
21 July 2003
Format:Hardcover
When an aging German banker is found, his body decapitated, hands severed, Lord Francis Powerscourt is called into action. Powerhouse has developed a reputation as an investigator but this case is bigger than anything he has tackled. A vast conspiracy to destroy the British Empire threatens England's place in the world. Germans and Irish republicans combine to threaten Queen Victoria--and the institutions that British power rests upon. Before his investigation is complete, Powerscourt will be shot at several times, develop interest in early arson research, and put his own wife at risk.
Author David Dickinson draws a convincing picture of Britain at the end of the 19th century. Victoria nears the end of her long reign and the entire Empire prepares to celebrate her jubilee. Yet already, Germany (still allied with Britain at this time) sees its place as the dominant nation of the world and views Britain as its primary threat.
Powerscourt makes a sympathetic protagonist. He is clever enough to make a difference, willing to throw himself into the investigation, and very much in love with his wife and family. Scenes where Powerscourt plays cricket or visits his tutor add depth to this interesting character. His curiosity about arson plays into the story and also shows the type of talent that makes Powerscourt an effective investigator.
Dickinson introduces enough subplots to keep up reader interest. Even minor characters such as Dominick Knox of the Irish Office tantilize the reader interest. Unlike GOOD NIGHT SWEET PRINCE, the earlier novel in this series, DEATH AND THE JUBILEE is conservative rather than questioning of authority. Both novels are definitely worth the read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful historical mystery
4 Feb 2009
Format:Hardcover
First Sentence: One nondescript room at the top of the War Office in London had become the nerve center of the British Empire.
London is excited about the upcoming Diamond celebrating the 60th year of Queen Victoria's reign, but there are also great concerns about security.
A corpse, without head or hands, is found floating in the Thames. Because the body appears to be a wealthy, older gentleman, Lord Francis Powerscourt is brought in to work with the security forces to identify the corpse and determine whether there is a greater threat.
The investigation leads Powerscourt back to his native Ireland, into the world of international banking and facing a personal threat.
I was afraid, at first, that this book might be a bit dry for my taste. It definitely was not.
There are great characters. Powerscourt is an ex-soldier, who is wealthy, urbane, literate, polite, and confident of his position in life. He loves his wife, Lady Lucy, and family, is capable of expressing emotion. Lady Lucy is no vapid Victoria female, but intelligent and holds her own. There is delightful interaction between Powerscourt, Lady Lucy and their children which adds humor and a softer note to the story. While they take the lead, the supporting characters, some of whom are recurring in the series, are well developed and integral to the story.
Dickinson's sense of place is strong enough that his description of a cricket match made me actually want to understand the game. The verbally paints with contract: "All around were the signs of England in the Spring...Then Powerscourt saw the sad remains of Blackwater House."
The story is very well plotted with escalating suspense. It begins with a seemingly straightforward murder but quickly become much more and goes places I didn't expect. There is no question that I shall read more books in this series.
London is excited about the upcoming Diamond celebrating the 60th year of Queen Victoria's reign, but there are also great concerns about security.
A corpse, without head or hands, is found floating in the Thames. Because the body appears to be a wealthy, older gentleman, Lord Francis Powerscourt is brought in to work with the security forces to identify the corpse and determine whether there is a greater threat.
The investigation leads Powerscourt back to his native Ireland, into the world of international banking and facing a personal threat.
I was afraid, at first, that this book might be a bit dry for my taste. It definitely was not.
There are great characters. Powerscourt is an ex-soldier, who is wealthy, urbane, literate, polite, and confident of his position in life. He loves his wife, Lady Lucy, and family, is capable of expressing emotion. Lady Lucy is no vapid Victoria female, but intelligent and holds her own. There is delightful interaction between Powerscourt, Lady Lucy and their children which adds humor and a softer note to the story. While they take the lead, the supporting characters, some of whom are recurring in the series, are well developed and integral to the story.
Dickinson's sense of place is strong enough that his description of a cricket match made me actually want to understand the game. The verbally paints with contract: "All around were the signs of England in the Spring...Then Powerscourt saw the sad remains of Blackwater House."
The story is very well plotted with escalating suspense. It begins with a seemingly straightforward murder but quickly become much more and goes places I didn't expect. There is no question that I shall read more books in this series.
A Very Astute Nobleman!
23 Feb 2012
Format:Paperback
I regretted that I was unable to read the first in the series of the Lord Francis Powerscourt mysteries. It would've explained more of his background and that of his wife, Lady Lucy. The plot of a German banker's death compounded with the upcoming Jubilee of Queen Victoria was intriguing. I agree with another reviewer that there seemed to be a great deal of time spent on a cricket match, which unless you really understand the game, one would tend to skip a lot of pages and move on! The other part of the story I had problems with is in the scene where Lord Francis comes home to discover his wife missing and the son, Robert crying and relating the kidnapping story to him. Who is Robert, I asked? I had to turn back pages to find out because to my knowledge there were just two small children in that household. I guess the disadvantage is not reading the first book which I must do. I really like the character of Lord Francis since he is unlike most of his peers of that era. He shows a lot of perspective in solving problems, as well as being an intellectual type as he always refers to classics when confronted with obstacles. He's also got a lot of courage and puts his life at risk many times during the story. He's also a loving husband and father and probably dotes on his children more than any father would've done in the Victorian period. There is no such rule as "children being seen and not heard" in the Powerscourt household!
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