Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Stranger in Mayfair
    A Stranger in Mayfair
    A Stranger in Mayfair
    Audiobook8 hours

    A Stranger in Mayfair

    Written by Charles Finch

    Narrated by James Langton

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Returning from a continental honeymoon with his new wife, Lady Jane, Lenox is asked by a colleague in Parliament to consult in the murder of a footman, bludgeoned to death with a brick. His investigation uncovers some unsettling facts about the family he served and a strange, second identity that the footman himself cultivated.

    Going into the boxing clubs and public houses, the Mayfair mansions and servants' quarters of Victorian London, Lenox gradually realizes that an old friend may be implicated in the footman's death. Soon a suspect is arrested, but Lenox has his doubts. Desperately trying to balance the opening of Parliament and what he feels sure is a dark secret surrounding the murder, he soon discovers that the killer is someone seemingly beyond suspicion, and may be prepared to spill blood again-even a detective's.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateNov 21, 2011
    ISBN9781452674575
    A Stranger in Mayfair
    Author

    Charles Finch

    Charles Finch is the USA Today bestselling author of the Charles Lenox mysteries, including The Vanishing Man. His first contemporary novel, The Last Enchantments, is also available from St. Martin's Press. Finch received the 2017 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing from the National Book Critics Circle. His essays and criticism have appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Washington Post, and elsewhere. He lives in Los Angeles.

    More audiobooks from Charles Finch

    Related to A Stranger in Mayfair

    Titles in the series (6)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    General Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      When Lizzie met Maggie

      Dec 13, 2023

      The Grim Reaper has been having a high old time of late. I've barely had a moment to keep up with my diary, I have been so busy writing letters of condolence, attending funerals and giving addresses at memorial services. I was especially saddened by

      3 min read

    • Article

      Stranger Than Fiction

      Apr 12, 2024

      Stranger Than Fiction
      5 min read

    • Article

      Where The Walls Have Ears

      May 22, 2020

      Where The Walls Have Ears
      8 min read

    • Article

      Pats On The Back

      Dec 12, 2019

      I AM writing this column from a prone position. Reclining on my sofa in the library, propped up with cushions like some latter-day Lady Ottoline Morrell, but without the wit, brilliance and patronage. I wish I could say my current condition arose fro

      3 min read

    • Article

      Frank’s Fable

      Mar 18, 2021

      Frank’s Fable
      4 min read

    • Article

      Part Sixteen The Meeting With Count Ferrari

      Jul 8, 2022

      THE INTRIGUING CASE OF A MURDER IN PARIS Count Ferrari’s regal residence was a solid half hour walk according to the conscientious concierge at Noella’s hotel. Apparently it would be a mucky, muddy trudge through the Paris streets, heading south from

      4 min read

    • Article

      The William Trevor Reader: “Lovers of Their Time”

      Sep 27, 2022

      Trevor can create scenes and characters of such bleak pathos that they feel airless and bludgeoning. The post The William Trevor Reader: “Lovers of Their Time” appeared first on The Millions.

      3 min read

    • Article

      ‘My Life With Princess Diana’

      Sep 11, 2023

      ‘My Life With Princess Diana’
      3 min read

    • Article

      Life In The past Lane

      Aug 27, 2021

      Life In The past Lane
      5 min read

    • Article

      Typewriter

      Aug 2, 2021

      Chère Madame. Vous ne vous rappelleriez pas de moi, mais de ma part… Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap… She flicks the return bar – PING – and her fingers fall back into rhythm. Catherine’s French comes as naturally as the movement of her

      5 min read

    • Article

      Four Of A Kind

      May 3, 2023

      Four Of A Kind
      4 min read

    • Article

      Liar, Liar

      Apr 4, 2021

      Liar, Liar
      7 min read

    • Article

      “Caroline Was Besotted With Byron. But, Ungrateful Love Rat That He Was, He Set Off Chasing Others”

      Jun 8, 2023

      Ellie Cawthorne: Why did you want to write a biography of Lamb? What was it about her that intrigued you? Lady Antonia Fraser: During lockdown, I dusted a room that I haven’t dusted for years, which is full of books, like every room in this house. A

      6 min read

    • Article

      City Of A Scandal

      Jan 4, 2023

      City Of A Scandal
      5 min read

    • Article

      Good Books Make Good Fuel

      Sep 21, 2022

      Is it time to burn my books? My wife has already told me she is getting rid of the lot the moment I go. So, given the cost-of-living crisis and the rocketing price of fuel, is this the year for me to clear the grate and set a match to all my treasure

      3 min read

    • Article

      OreoArroyo

      Jul 6, 2021

      WHEN THE STRIPPER STRUTTED INTO THE LIBRARY, SHE COULDN’T hide her dismay. Probably, she and her bodyguard expected a bachelor party or investment bankers celebrating a big deal at the mansion overlooking the Newport Coast. She wouldn’t have anticipa

      21 min read

    • Article

      The Only Rule

      Jul 13, 2020

      There is only one rule in polite English society, but it is iron clad. Of course, polite English society is a fiction. For one thing, its members are rarely polite. Politeness is for the middle classes rather than those who live off ancestral acres o

      5 min read

    • Article

      A tender THREAD

      Jan 5, 2022

      A tender THREAD
      9 min read

    • Article

      What Larks With Larkin!

      Jul 27, 2022

      What Larks With Larkin!
      4 min read

    • Article

      Victoria's Secrets

      Apr 3, 2024

      Victoria's Secrets
      4 min read

    • Article

      A tender THREAD

      Dec 22, 2021

      A tender THREAD
      9 min read

    • Article

      Chronicles of NOELLA BRY

      Jun 10, 2022

      Chronicles of NOELLA BRY
      4 min read

    • Article

      STEPPING Out

      Feb 26, 2020

      STEPPING Out
      10 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Stranger in Mayfair

    4/5

    166 ratings14 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Newly married, and recently elected to Parliament’s House of Commons, Charles Lenox still loves being a detective, even if that occupation earns him the scorn of many of his peers in Victorian-era London. But Charles can’t say “no” when a fellow MP asks for help finding the murderer of his footman, Frederick Clarke. Ludovic Starling and his wife are concerned that any future (and much anticipated) knighthood might be in jeopardy if the murder brings any taint to their house. But just as Charles and his assistant John Dallington start investigating the young man’s death, Starling tries to take them off the case. And Fowler, Lenox’s usual contact at Scotland Yard, who has always been eager for Lenox’s help, gives the detectives the cold shoulder. Something’s going on, and nothing is going to take Lenox off the case.In the meantime, Lenox and his new wife/old friend Lady Jane settle into married life after a three-month honeymoon on the Continent. It is not going smoothly. Charles’s great friend Thomas, a physician who often collaborates with detective on his cases, and his wife Toto McConnell become parents. Graham, Lenox’s long-time butler segues into the role of secretary to a Member of Parliament – a role to which he is perfectly suited. Soon, the murder case overshadows all else, and Lenox wonders whether he can truly give up detecting for legislating. This is a great historical mystery series, which plunks readers into 1860s London and lets them accompany Charles Lenox in his roles as both detective and MP. What a romp! Great characters, top-notch writing, complex stories, and wonderful historical setting and detail … what more can readers ask for? When mystery readers wonder where new talent is coming from, just point them to Charles Finch.
    • 4/5
      I like this series a lot, though I don't feel this was his strongest effort. Funny thing is, Finch includes so much inner-monologue and sub-plot that I could see him doing a novel about these characters that wasn't a mystery!His mystery plotting is pretty by the book cosy kind of writing, nothing outlandish... very much a throwback in every way. Can't wait for next year.
    • 4/5
      Just as Charles Lenox is preparing for his first days in Parliament, an acquaintance asks him to investigate the deadly assault on one of his footmen. Just as Charles is sinking his teeth into this dilemma (over the objections of his new bride), said acquaintance suddenly changes course and demands that Charles leave it all to the Yard. Naturally, this does nothing to diminish his interest. A good entry in this Victorian amateur sleuth series. I had a notion fairly early who wielded the brick, but the details didn't all fall into place until just as the light was dawning on Charles...and that's the way I like my detective fiction.
    • 4/5
      Just returned from his honeymoon and ready to begin his new career as a member of Parliament, Charles Lenox looks into a footman's murder. Knowing his time will be limited due to his duties as a public servant, he involves his protege John Dallington in the investigation. Charles comes up with a solution to the problem of two butlers by having his own come to work for him in his new role. I suspected the perpetrator almost from the beginning, but the author did probably develop enough other options to distract many readers from the solution. I listened to the audiobook read by one of my favorite narrators, James Langton.
    • 4/5
      I am loving this series more and more with each book of it I read. It is smart; at times - humorous, and always a wonderfully researched, written and constructed mystery with lots of red herrings. As for characters, the main ones are well developed throughout the series and little nicks in their armor become exposed over the course of time. The characters are as real humans which elicits empathy from, at least, this reader. In this story, the lisping bishop (a minor character) was amusing and it may be a bit sacrilegious for some. For this anglo-catholic, a little poke at the Church of England wass a delight. If you cannot laugh at yourself, then who can?New readers may ask, "Should I start at the beginning of this series or wade in mid-stream?" Frankly, if you are just now considering diving into this series, I would recommend starting with the three prequels. They really set the stage for the series and provided good solid background for the various characters.Synopsis (from inside book's dust jacket):In the fourth book of this Agatha-nominated series, gentleman detective Charles Lenox tries to resist the lure of a case -- a murder in the opulent streets of Mayfair -- and focus on his new position in Parliament. As the strange details of a family's complicated history are discovered, he finds himself pulled back into his old areer.Returning from a continental honeymoon with his lifelong friend and new wife, Lady Jane Grey, Charles Lenox is asked by a colleague in Parliament, Ludovic Starling, to consult in the murder of a footman, bludgeoned to death with a brick. The investigation requires discretion all the more, Lenox learns, because Starling is up for a title; a scandal would certainly ruin his chances with the royals.Almost as soon as Lenox begins his investigation, the Starlings abruptly call him off the case, but not before he learns some unsettling facts uncovers some unsettling facts about the family that the footman served, not to mention a secret identity the young man had been carefully cultivating.Lenox, of course, has a new career to attend to, but curiosity gets the better of him.Going into the boxing clubs and public houses, the Mayfair mansions and servants' quarters of Victorian London, the detective gradually realizes that an old friend may be implicated in the footman's death. Soon a suspect is arrested, providing a full confession, but Lenox has his doubts. Desperately trying to balance the opening of Parliament and what he feels sure is a dark secret, he soon discovers that the killer is someone standing harmlessly, it would seem, in his midst -- and who may be prepared to spill blood again.
    • 4/5
      Back from his honeymoon, Charles Lenox is asked to look into the murder of footman Frederick Clarke. He undertakes the case along with his protege John Dallington. The McConnell's baby is finally born, causing both Charles and his wife to consider possibly adding to their own family. There was a lot more politics in this book as Charles takes his position in Parliament. I wouldn't have minded if there was a purpose, but none of the political threads were followed to any conclusion. Still, I enjoyed it and will look forward to the next in the series.
    • 2/5
      This volume in the series didn't interest me as much as the others have.
    • 4/5
      Synopsis: Charles and Jane are just back from a wonderful honeymoon and now Charles must face going to 'work' in the House of Commons. As this new job begins, one of the House members approaches Charles about the murder of his footman. Charles is torn between the murder and preparing for the House. Toto has her child and Jane is concerned about having children of her own.Review: Well written but with the murderer obvious about two-thirds of the way through the book if you weren't a 19th century male. The motive became apparent a bit later in the book. In any case, the reader is left wondering if the series will continue for many more books or if the main character will be placed in politics instead.
    • 3/5
      Good entry in series & perfect for a weekend or airport read. Charles Lenox is trying to settle into being newly married to Lady Jane Grey & his new seat at Parliament while being drawn into investigating a murder case involving footman Frederick bludgeoned with a brick in a Mayfair alley. I won't give away the answer to the case but I will say that I figured it out before the reveal. I don't think it was a flaw in the writing just good clues woven through & easy enough to work out if one pays attention. The way it all came together with the other strands regarding the killer & those others suspected was quite well done & I enjoyed reading it.

      There was also a lot of Parliamentary politics as Charles settles in but it wasn't related to the case, so I basically enjoyed that we get to see Graham (former butler to Charles, now secretary) take on his new role & even impress his new peers. Lady Jane came off a bit odd to me as she was a bit of a harridan about Charles & his penchant for detecting & though married, she knew this was his thing before & she had no issue with it so I don't know why she was so stroppy about it. Anyway, she was brought back around entirely for me when she showed up at Charles's office with Bear & Rabbit, so I was satisfied.
    • 4/5
      The plot is solid and one of the most engaging ones yet. The added characters are strongly built with three-dimensional personalities. Finch always conveys a great sense of the period he writes about and while he does expose some of the historical background of monuments, laws, people, etc to do so, he knows how much to give away and it nevers feels as if all his research were being put in in huge blocks of text that have nothing to do with the main character's knowledge or point of view.

      I admire the fact that the narrator questions Lennox a few times - about his position in Parliament and what his true vocation is (I have a feeling this will be resolved one way or the other soon enough, perhaps in the next book) and about his social position. There's a scene when Lennox himself admits he's never really thought about his privilege in life. This is in stark contrast with a poignant revelation coming from a secondary character and it makes Charles' background stand out even more.

      I guessed a lot of the plot before each revelation but it's tightly crafted nevertheless with not a string loose. I'm not sure I enjoyed the personal side of Charles' life that much this time as it seems to me there's some tension between Lady Jane and him that really shouldn't be here. I long for them to finally find happiness. Marital bliss makes for rather dull reading but it can be done well and they truly deserve it. Dallington plays a very important role in the book and I really enjoyed not only the contrast between Charles and him but also his personality onto itself which I think is rather at odds with his chosen profession (which makes him all the more endearing).
      Overall, a very strong installment in the series and an excellent mystery. I can't give it five stars as I wasn't impressed with Lennox's personal life for once but it breaks my heart for this series is really quite beyond reproach so far.
    • 3/5
      I must admit, I'm a little disappointed in Jane and Charles both. I hadn't expected her to turn so super emotional. She and Charles are both adults - did they really not think to discuss how their lives would work? Maybe I'm coming at it with too much of a 21st century standpoint, but they're both intelligent people and it irks me.
    • 4/5
      The latest installment in the Charles Lennox series–when Ludo, a fellow member of Parliament, requests Charles’s help in solving the murder of his footman, Charles feels torn between both duties. However, when the man later recants his request, Charles’s interest is already piqued. As a Lennox and Dallington probe the murder, further attacks on Ludo and on Charles create further confusion before the full plot unfolds to reveal not only a killer close to home but police corruption and the exoneration of an innocent man. On the domestic front, Charles envies Toto and Thomas their newfound joy in baby Grace, aka George while he also grapples with his waning interest in Parliament.
    • 5/5
      I am sad to have finished all of the books written by this author and hope there are more on the way. You get involved with the characters, and this time Charles Lenox and Lady Jane Grey have returned from their honeymoon, and Charles is looking forward to his first days in the House of Commons. He is asked by a colleague, Ludovic Starling to investigate the murder of his footman and Lenox realises that he is being manipulated . Wonderful story.
    • 5/5
      Best of the series so far. Read it in one sitting!