Throwback Thursday: A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch

Author: Charles Finch
First published in 2007 by Minotaur Books

On any given day in London, all Charles Lenox, Victorian gentleman and armchair explorer, wants to do is relax in his private study with a cup of tea, a roaring fire and a good book. But when his lifelong friend Lady Jane asks for his help, Lenox cannot resist another chance to unravel a mystery, even if it means trudging through the snow to her townhouse next door.

One of Jane's former servants, Prudence Smith, is dead -- an apparent suicide. But Lenox suspects something far more sinister: murder, by a rare and deadly poison. The house where the girl worked is full of suspects, and though Prudence dabbled with the hearts of more than a few men, Lenox is baffled by an elusive lack of motive in the girl's death.

When another body turns up during the London season's most fashionable ball, Lenox must untangle a web of loyalties and animosities. Was it jealousy that killed Prudence? Or was it something else entirely, something that Lenox alone can uncover before the killer strikes again -- disturbingly close to home?

A Beautiful Blue Death is a book that I have been wanting to try for a while. I love Sherlock Holmes and historical english mysteries. I was hoping this book would be like those. I finally got the audiobook from my library.  I am sad to say that I got about halfway through the book and gave up. There were a couple of reasons that I didn't finish the book

First, the story was really dull.  I kept losing my place because I was bored.  I would have to re-listen to parts to figure out what I missed.  Second, there were too many characters with similar sounding  names.  I kept losing track of who was who.  I know that this is a series with the ninth book coming out next month.  I'm not sure if they get better.  Maybe I'll give it another try at a later date.  For now, I have too many things in my TBR pile!