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A review by weaselweader
Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander
4.0
A mystery lover's mystery!
In 1768, a recently orphaned Jeremy Proctor arrives in London and promptly finds himself in the dock facing false charges of theft under the gavel of the blind magistrate, Sir John Fielding. The justice, wisdom and perspicacity of Sir John prevails and Jeremy, cleared of all charges, finds himself, despite his youth, in the enviable position of assisting Sir John in investigating the details of the messy suicide of a member of the House of Lords, Sir Richard Goodhope.
BLIND JUSTICE is a mystery lover's mystery. Anybody who enjoys a classic mystery with that time-honoured formula ending that places all of the characters into a single room for the explosive climactic finish in which the canny sleuth reveals the grim details of the crime to all and sundry will howl with delight at Alexander's debut to what will prove to be an enduring, exciting series. Despite having much in common with the puzzles of Agatha Christie and her calm, gentle approach to their solution, this locked room head-scratcher will also appeal to grittier, more contemporary readers as it takes a peek under the covers of every stratum of Georgian England society - the slums, the prisons, the docks, pubs, the theater, outdoor markets, upstairs, downstairs, the courts, gaming houses, bordellos, the street walkers, the pickpockets, scamps, cut-purses and thieves.
Alexander's brilliant characterizations, his often humorous and always vivid dialogue, and atmospheric descriptions of an astonishingly wide variety of colourful settings bring Georgian England to life in an easy-reading eminently enjoyable historical mystery. Two thumbs up!
Paul Weiss
In 1768, a recently orphaned Jeremy Proctor arrives in London and promptly finds himself in the dock facing false charges of theft under the gavel of the blind magistrate, Sir John Fielding. The justice, wisdom and perspicacity of Sir John prevails and Jeremy, cleared of all charges, finds himself, despite his youth, in the enviable position of assisting Sir John in investigating the details of the messy suicide of a member of the House of Lords, Sir Richard Goodhope.
BLIND JUSTICE is a mystery lover's mystery. Anybody who enjoys a classic mystery with that time-honoured formula ending that places all of the characters into a single room for the explosive climactic finish in which the canny sleuth reveals the grim details of the crime to all and sundry will howl with delight at Alexander's debut to what will prove to be an enduring, exciting series. Despite having much in common with the puzzles of Agatha Christie and her calm, gentle approach to their solution, this locked room head-scratcher will also appeal to grittier, more contemporary readers as it takes a peek under the covers of every stratum of Georgian England society - the slums, the prisons, the docks, pubs, the theater, outdoor markets, upstairs, downstairs, the courts, gaming houses, bordellos, the street walkers, the pickpockets, scamps, cut-purses and thieves.
Alexander's brilliant characterizations, his often humorous and always vivid dialogue, and atmospheric descriptions of an astonishingly wide variety of colourful settings bring Georgian England to life in an easy-reading eminently enjoyable historical mystery. Two thumbs up!
Paul Weiss