Goodnight Sweet Prince
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"* 'In this excellent novel, Dickinson weaves a tale of blackmail and murder among the royals late in Victoria's reign... [his] knowledge of the arts, history and literature is nothing if not exhaustive, and adds enormously to the overall background... One hopes to see more of Lord Powerscourt and his friends in the near future.'- Publishers Weekl2 * '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"
Product Description
Mystery surrounds the death of Queen Victoria's grandson England, 1892. Victoria, Queen and Empress, is in the 54th year of her reign, when her grandson Prince Eddy, eldest son of the Prince of Wales, is found slaughtered in his bed at Sandringham. Terrified of more royal scandal, the Prince of Wales and his spindoctors decide to cover up the facts and the murder is disguised as death by influenza. Lord Francis Powerscourt, an Irish investigator, is privately asked to find the killer. His quest takes him on a journey through the prince's debauched and dissolute past, across Europe to the misty waterways of Venice where, amidst scandal and suicide, Powerscourt finally unravels the mystery of the sweet prince's last goodnight. Praise for the book - 'In this excellent novel, Dickinson weaves a tale of blackmail and murder among the royals late in Victoria's reign& [his] knowledge of the arts, history and literature is nothing if not exhaustive, and adds enormously to the overall background& One hopes to see more of Lord Powerscourt and his friends in the near future' - "Publishers Weekly". '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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
You might think that this novel is a precursor of the current controversy over spin doctors, cover-ups by the Establishment and the death of innocent chaps who deserve better. Spice that up with decadent behaviour by minor royals, machiavellian manipulation by Whitehall mandarins and a story that travels from Sandringham to London,the Shire counties and Venice for the answer to "whodunnit" and you have a cracking good read.
Don't expect a racy novel, but if you like your characterisation to evolve against a well developed scenario you will like this novel. Makes you look up the history to see if the novel gives a true record of what happened rather than just a possible/probable. The period research is excellent as the story is very credible. Gives you the opportunity for mental exercise in considering the background situation, character's motives and how you would have handled the case. Easy to identify with Lord Francis Powersourt.
You may not want to finish it by burning the midnight oil, but you will want to pick it up again quickly to see what happens next.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I shouldn't have read the review below by the esteemed "prof" before I read this because it got me into a nitpicking mood. I honestly couldn't care less about correct forms of address but when an author takes great pains to stress the importance of train timetables in an effort to show the depth of his research then it sets the "right lets catch you out" antenna twitching, and I think I got him when he describes the town of Amble being a mile away from Alnwick in Northumberland - Nope it's at least 10 miles so you couldn't see Alnwick Castle even on a clear day.
So smart aleckdom established what about the plot? What about the characters? Ahem, not much to say about either really. I was most struck by the woodenness of many of the conversations which further detracted somewhat from the lack of tension in the plot and the thinly drawn characters. The whole book read more like a travelogue (half a page describing the route from Berkeley Square to Marlborough House, with a list of shops along the way) or once again to show the depth of his research, describing exhaustively life in late Victorian Britain (and Venice) so you end up urging the author to GET ON WITH IT!
I will put this one down as a fair effort for a debut, as there is promise in the premise - and the series has grown longer so some improvement must be assumed - but I'll get the next one from the library and save a few bob!
So smart aleckdom established what about the plot? What about the characters? Ahem, not much to say about either really. I was most struck by the woodenness of many of the conversations which further detracted somewhat from the lack of tension in the plot and the thinly drawn characters. The whole book read more like a travelogue (half a page describing the route from Berkeley Square to Marlborough House, with a list of shops along the way) or once again to show the depth of his research, describing exhaustively life in late Victorian Britain (and Venice) so you end up urging the author to GET ON WITH IT!
I will put this one down as a fair effort for a debut, as there is promise in the premise - and the series has grown longer so some improvement must be assumed - but I'll get the next one from the library and save a few bob!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've read nearly all of the Powerscourt series now and I find him a thoroughly decent chap. He and his sidekick, Jonny, the ever faithful companion, is a bit wooden but still, a good egg.
I thought the premise was good but oh, such a lot more could be written surrounding Prince Eddy. He was after all, thought to have been involved in the Ripper murders (although not convincingly but nevertheless great for a plot) and such a good tale could have been woven around the circumstances of his death. I found the reason for his death a little tame in the end. Nevertheless, I think the Powerscourt books do get better as the series progresses. Just a shame that this was a little pale in comparison to some of his others.
I thought the premise was good but oh, such a lot more could be written surrounding Prince Eddy. He was after all, thought to have been involved in the Ripper murders (although not convincingly but nevertheless great for a plot) and such a good tale could have been woven around the circumstances of his death. I found the reason for his death a little tame in the end. Nevertheless, I think the Powerscourt books do get better as the series progresses. Just a shame that this was a little pale in comparison to some of his others.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Lame stuff
The author has obviously read the Sherlock Holmes canon and then come to the conclusion that the Baker Street irregulars were the real secret to the great detective's success... Read more
Published on 2 May 2009 by Graham R. Hill
Shoddy research & ludicrous plot
I have already put a review of this book on the US Amazon site, but am putting one here also because I am amazed that no one has commented on the egregious errors of fact in this... Read more
Published on 27 Jan 2008 by Suzanne G. Bowles
An absorbing read
I've read and enjoyed several of David Dickinson's books, but this one is my favourite. The writing is superb, the characters believable, the historical setting authentic, the... Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2007 by Friendlycard
great read
this book is really great. i am hooked on lord francis now and keep reading to see what him and johnny fitzgerald are going to get into next. Read more
Published on 24 Jun 2007 by Ms. Fiona G. Panton
Prince Collar and Cuffs - a royal problem
"Prince Eddy and the Homosexual Underworld" by renowned author Theo Aronson is an study of Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (born Frogmore... Read more
Published on 23 May 2005 by Amelrode
A Royal murder story that could be true.........
A cover-up to hide the true reason a Prince was murdered. This book had me questioning could this really have happened? Could history have been re-written? Read more
Published on 3 May 2004 by Dusty
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