The Last Passenger
A Charles Lenox Mystery
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4.5 • 11 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
"Bravo, Mr. Finch, and keep them coming! More Lenox, please." —Louise Penny, bestselling author of A Better Man
From bestselling author Charles Finch comes the third and final in a prequel trilogy to his lauded Charles Lenox series.
London, 1855. A young and eager Charles Lenox faces his toughest case yet: a murder without a single clue. Slumped in a third-class car at Paddington Station is the body of a handsome young gentleman. He has no luggage, empty pockets, and no sign of identification on his person. And putting together the clues to the mystery of the man’s identity only raises more questions, when Lenox discovers that the crime has a significant connection to America.
As he seeks to solve this impossible case, the young Lenox must confront an equally troublesome problem in his personal life. Kitty Ashbrook, beautiful and cultured, appears to be his soulmate—but love comes with obstacles of its own. In tandem, this fiendish early case and passionate, deeply felt affair will irrevocably shape the brilliant detective and thoughtful gentleman Lenox is destined to become.
Written in Charles Finch’s unmistakably witty and graceful voice, The Last Passenger is a cunning, thrilling, and deeply satisfying conclusion to this trilogy of prequels to his bestselling Charles Lenox series.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1855 London, Finch's solid 13th Charles Lenox mystery (after 2019's The Vanishing Man) takes the aristocratic sleuth to a crime scene at Paddington Station, where a conductor on the train from Manchester has found a man's bloody corpse. The killer insured that identifying his victim would be a tall order by not only emptying the dead man's pockets but also taking the time to cut out all the labels from the man's clothing. While the police attribute the killing to an ongoing gang war in Manchester, Lenox pursues a different tack after realizing that the conductor lied about missing a bus ticket home in his statement to the authorities. Other evidence, such as the conductor's not wearing a uniform, suggests that he was an imposter not employed by the railway. Finch effectively integrates the politics of the time, including pre Civil War tensions in America, and his insertion of subplots regarding his lead's romantic life doesn't distract from the clever murder puzzle. Anne Perry and David Dickinson fans will be satisfied. 100,000-copy announced first printing; author tour.
