The Island

November 1, 2016

England and the world are in mourning. It's June 1870, and Charles Dickens has been found dead at his summer home. George Sala, one of the Victorian era's great journalists, is convinced the author was murdered and hires enquiry agents Englishman James Batchelor and American Matthew Grand to investigate. In probing Dickens's life, the two private investigators discover he was not quite the upstanding gentleman many thought he was. Was he addicted to opium? Was he a cross-dresser? Did Dickens actually pen his masterpieces or use a ghost writer? Writing in the florid prose style of the period and incorporating historical events and people adds authenticity and verisimilitude to the action in Trow's latest series outing (after The Circle). VERDICT This will attract devotees of Ed Gorman's series featuring Civil War--era Secret Service Agent Dev Mallory as well as fans of Michael Kilian's "Harrison Raines" mysteries.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2016
Detecting duo Grand and Batchelor return in an atmospheric murder mystery set in 1870 London. World-famous author Charles Dickens has just died, and George Sala, Dickens' good friend and biographer, wants Grand and Batchelor to investigate the great author's death, as Sala is convinced Dickens was murdered. Although the detectives are skeptical, Sala is offering a generous reward if they can prove Dickens was killed, so they decide to accept the case. When they dig into Dickens' life, they find it bizarrely unorthodox; the man was a womanizer, he employed very odd staff, and, at the time of his death, he was living with his wife's sister in what appeared to be quite friendly circumstances. But Grand and Batchelor aren't the only ones looking into Dickens' death; they soon realize that the field of investigators is quite crowded, what with a former cop, a pair of American tourists, at least one other private detective, and even Dickens' agent involved. Despairing of ever making headway in the puzzling case, the pair find themselves grasping at one tenuous lead after another with little progress. It's only when they follow the unlikeliest lead of all that they finally crack the case. Good fun, gentle humor, historic detail, plenty of twists, and a likable pair of heroes make this a book well worth reading.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

December 1, 2017
London-based inquiry agents James Batchelor and Matthew Grand (The Angel, 2016) return in another keep-'em-guessing adventure set in the late 1870s. Matthew's sister is getting married in Maine, and Matthew asks James to go with him to the wedding. James is ready for a break, but what he thought would be a pleasant visit turns into a nightmare when, the night before the wedding, a maid is found dead, her head bashed in. The nearest police are in far-away Boston, so James and Matthew, as experienced detectives, decide they must carry out at least a preliminary investigation. But the situation goes from bad to worse when another murder takes place, the killer employing the same grisly method. The complex plot is gripping and more than a little chillingthough with agreeable flashes of subtle humor. Welshman Trow is a veteran of the historical-mystery genre, and he knows to mix period details and distinctive characters in just the right proportions.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)