Rules of Engagement
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5.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
“Richly detailed fiction…storytelling in the grand classic tradition.”—The New York Times
“Fascinating and impeccably written . . . should delight old fans and new readers.”—Chicago Tribune
“Triumphant.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
When Lord Lammermoor plunges to his death from Westminster Bridge before a dozen witnesses, his death is ruled a suicide. But his fatal leap coincides with the arrival of Dr. Goldsworthy—a student of the famous Dr. Anton Mesmer and his research into animal magnetism. Sir John’s suspicions grow when he learns that Goldsworthy’s patron in London is none other than the beautiful Lady Lammermoor. And the deeper Jeremy investigates the Lammermoor family, the more suspects he discovers who stand to gain from Lord Lammermoor’s death.
“A wonderful series.”—The Washington Post Book World
Bruce Alexander was the pseudonym for Bruce Cook. He died in 2003 having completed most of Rules of Engagement and left notes on how the rest of the story unfolded. John Shannon, author of the highly praised Jack Liffey series, most recently Terminal Island, completed the novel with Bruce’s wife, J. Aller Cook.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Alexander's many fans will find the final, posthumous Sir John Fielding mystery (after 2003's The Price of Murder) a bittersweet experience. It marks a triumphant return to the series' strengths, with the blind magistrate Fielding, the real-life founder of London's fledgling police force, the Bow Street Runners, once again playing a prominent role in unraveling a baffling crime. When Lord Lammermoor, who's involved in drafting emergency legislation to combat the American rebels on the eve of the Revolutionary War, falls to his death from Westminster Bridge, the insightful sleuth and his loyal legman, Jeremy Proctor, uncover clues suggesting that the lord was murdered, possibly through a form of hypnotism. While the guilty party's identity is obvious fairly early on, the author's gifts for vivid characterizations, colorful period details and fast pacing are very much in evidence. His two collaborators deserve acclaim for making it impossible to tell where Alexander's words end and theirs begin, and for enabling one of the worthier recent historical series to go out on a well-deserved high note. .
