In his latest case (after Home by Nightfall), gentleman private investigator Charles Lenox helps an old friend identify a mysterious benefactor who has left him a large sum of money. Murder results and Charles needs to consult his partners. As always, the characters and the Victorian setting are impeccable. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

THE KINGDOM OF SPEECH, by Tom Wolfe. (Back Bay/ Little, Brown, $15.99.) With his signature wit, Wolfe takes aim at evolution - or, as he sees it, a messy guess - baggy, boggy, soggy and leaking all over the place." Language, in his view, is not a logical byproduct of evolution but a tool that humans invented. The book also serves as a searing dismissal of academia, and of the linguistics professor Noam Chomsky.

It's been years since Charles Lenox last heard from Gerald Leigh, his former Harrow schoolmate, but then, surprisingly, Leigh writes and asks for help. A misfit who was expelled from Harrow but has since become a renowned scientist living in France, Leigh is in London to accept a mysterious inheritance when he's attacked with deadly intent. When the solicitor who contacted Leigh about the inheritance is murdered, Lenox joins forces with Inspector Timothy Frost to investigate the case and protect his friend. At the same time, Polly Buchanan and Lord John Dallington, partners with Lenox in their detective agency, are looking into an apparent break-in at Parliament, which seems a simple case of a lovers' tryst but leaves Dallington, who suspects something more, working alone with disastrous results. The detailed relationship between Lenox and Leigh as teens provides pleasure, and the details of Leigh's work with microbes add substance to this tenth entry in Finch's series set in late nineteenth-century England. Notable for the evolving relationships among members of the cast of well-developed characters, this is a fine historical mystery.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2016 Booklist

Finch fails to deliver on the promise of the intriguing setup of his 10th Charles Lenox mystery (after 2015's Home by Nightfall). In 1877, Gerald Leigh writes gentleman sleuth Lenox, his only friend at Harrow 30 years earlier, a vague letter stating that he's in some kind of trouble. Lenox's fears are heightened when he's unable to find Leigh at his former classmate's London hotel. Lenox eventually tracks the man down, only to learn that he recently survived two attempts on his life. Leigh, now a renowned scientist who has been living in France, returned to England after being contacted by a solicitor, who informed him that he's the heir to a large fortune. The solicitor refused to identify Leigh's benefactor. This revives for Leigh and Lenox the puzzle of who the mysterious person was who funded the former's education at Harrow. A subplot involving one of Lenox's partners in his enquiry agency dilutes the main action, which builds to an unsatisfying resolution. Agents: Kari Stuart and Jennifer Joel, ICM. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In the 10th installment of this Victorian-era series, a Member of Parliamentturnedprivate detective gets the chance to solve a 30-year-old mystery that involves his boyhood friend.Charles Lenox hasnt seen his Harrow school[7] friend Gerald Leigh[2] in many years, ever since Leigh got happily expelled and set off for a life of travel and, eventually, scientific inquiry. But hearing from Leigh generates an extra sense of excitement when his letter reveals that his return to London is related to his mysterious benefactor.[76] Lenox and Leigh started an unusual friendship at school when Leigh explained that his tuition was paid by an anonymous friend, whose identity he desperately wanted to figure out. It was Lenoxs first mystery, and it still hasnt been solved. It becomes clear that this is much more than childs play when Leigh goes missing from the Collingwood Hotel[3] and Lenox must track him downand once he does, Leigh reports that attempts have been made on his life. The descriptions of the attackers are at once familiar to Lenox, who recognizes the pair as Anderson and Singh[284], part of the notorious Farthing gang. Who could possibly order this traveling scientist dead? This is when Leigh reveals that the mysterious benefactor has recently left him a rather large sum, enough to make him rich by any standardsand enough to make people risk killing for it. While in London, Leigh is also persuaded to speak at the Royal Society, which has been encouraging his visit for a long time. To Lenoxs surprise, his old friend has become quite the sensation. But when Leighs solicitor Ernest Middleton[212] is found murdered, Lenox is reminded that the target is still very much on Leighs back. Its time he consults his agency partners Lord John Dallington[20] and Polly Buchanon[244], who have been working a break-in case at Parliament, keeping watch there overnight and, to Lenoxs extreme interest, becoming closer with each passing day. The tension continues to rise as an element of deceit clouds the entire investigation and events take surprisingly sinister and twisting turns.Finch impressively raises the stakes of this tale between tea settings, and his character development is top notch. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.