Book Review: Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander (Sir John Fielding #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Character who are real from page one, a mystery that kept me guessing

Cons: Took a chapter to get into the book

The Bottom Line:

A tad slow to start

But characters pulled me in

And I enjoyed it

History and Mystery Collide

The year is 1768 and 13 year old Jeremy Proctor has just been orphaned. Setting out on his own, he arrives in London and immediately falls prey to a scheme to get him arrested for theft. He is saved by the wisdom of Judge Sir John Fielding, who takes an interest in the lad. Since Jeremy knows how to set type, Sir John decides to set him up as a printing apprentice. But before that can happen, the two get involved in a murder.

Sir Richard Goodhope was found dead in his study with the door locked. Everyone is quick to dismiss it as a suicide except the widow, who insists that it is indeed murder. Only a careful observation from Jeremy convinces Sir John of this fact. Since Sir John is blind, he needs help observing things, and Jeremy's careful observations are just what he needs. The two form an unlikely team and begin gathering clues. Unfortunately, those clues make little sense. Can Sir John piece them all together?

I have had this book for simply ages but hadn't read it. That was a huge mistake. I was gripped from the very beginning and had a hard time stopping. The mystery kept me guessing until the very end. I will admit the ending felt a little obvious. But the fact that I hadn't guessed it before I was told is a testament to the great storytelling.

What really makes this book work are the characters. In fact, the plot slows every so often to offer some character development. This makes the book stronger in the long run. Sir John is very proud and refuses to let his blindness stop him. In fact, his other four senses more than make up for his lack of eye sight. Since he is based on a real historical figure, I am quite curious to read more about him. Jeremy is part man and part boy, and comes across quite convincingly. His observations do help things along. Together, the two make a great team. And there seems to be an immediate bond I can't wait to see developed in further books. Just about every character comes off as real and fully developed. The exceptions are those who don't have much page time, which is natural.

The narration is unique. The book is supposedly written by an adult Jeremy remembering what happened years before. The result is a bit of an omniscient first person story. He shares things he learned latter and comments on how things have changed in the time between when the story takes place and he is writing it down. The book sounds like it was written in the late 1700's, yet is still easily assessable to today's readers. It only took me a chapter to get the style down.

Of course, this is a historical novel, and the historical details seem right to me. I felt transported to a different time. Yet these details are never shoved in our face. They help set the scene but never take over.

I enjoyed Blind Justice.  I've already bought book two. You can bet I won't wait years to read it.