If you like a classic whodunit, reminiscent of Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Beautiful Blue Death is for you. The author, Charles Finch, states that he was heavily influenced by Doyles famous Sherlock Holmes tales and it shows in his writing. Instead of it being a bad immatation like so many others who try to copy Doyles success, Finch creates a character that is the complete opposite of Sherlock but retains the feel of reading one of the great detectives novels.

The sometimes-detective Charles Lenox is the friendly good-natured version of Sherlock Holmes.  Inspector Exeter is the pompous equivalent of Inspector Lestrade from Sherlock Holmes. McConnel is Lenox best friend who is a doctor that helped with the crime scene and the equivalent of Watson. Lenox's older brother is an influential member of parliament and just like Sherlock's brother except they have a close relationship.

I had a hard time getting into the story in the beginning because it was slow to really get into the investigation and cultivation of leads. The pace picks up and he begins to make more progress solving the case. I wasn't surprised by who the murderer(s) were, the why was the real mystery. It wasn't a 1 a.m. page-turner for me but those who like a clean and cozy mystery will probably enjoy it. Happy reading! 📚

On the whole, though, most Sherlockians can skip this unengaging debut without risk.

Lovers of quality historical whodunits will hope this is the first in a series.