Book Review: Murder in Grub Street by Bruce Alexander (Sir John Fielding #2)

Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Rich characters and writing

Cons: Very weak plot

The Bottom Line:

Plot? Disappointing

But I still liked characters

Wanted to like more

Sir John Fielding Eventually Solves the Grub Street Massacre

I really had intended to get back to this series sooner.  I read the first historical fiction mystery about Sir John Fielding two years ago.  I enjoyed it and immediately bought Murder in Grub Street, the second.  And there it has sat ever since.  Turns out the time spent setting it aside wasn't a bad thing since this book wasn't as good as the first.

The series stars real life magistrate Sir John Fielding.  He presided over one of the courts in London during the 1700's.  He also happened to be blind.  These mysteries are narrated from the point of view of Jeremy Proctor, here a thirteen-year-old boy.  Jeremy has become a ward of Sir John and often acts as his eyes and general gofer when a puzzling case comes up.  However, as the first book ended, Jeremy had been set up with an internship to a printer.

This book opens the night before Jeremy is set to begin that apprenticeship on Grub Street.  But his last night living with Sir John is interrupted by a tragedy.  The family Jeremy was to work for is brutally murdered.  When a deranged poet is found with a bloody axe in his hand, it appears to be an open and shut case.

Sir John isn't convinced, however.  With Jeremy's help, he begins looking into the matter.  Can he find the truth?

I am glad to say that the characters are just as wonderful as I remember them.  Jeremy, as our narrator is the best developed.  He's a very rich character on the border between childhood and adulthood.  Sir John is a healthy mix of justice and compassion.  To be honest, I didn't remember any of the other supporting characters from the last book, but I have a feeling I was supposed to know one or two already.  My lack of memory didn't matter.  They were well drawn here.  And the characters obviously created for this story were equally rich.

The book is written as if Jeremy were recording the story years later from his own memory aided by research into the matter.  This allows for a few editorial comments as Jeremy reflects on his own actions.  These interjections never last for more than a sentence or two, but I found it a nice addition.  The writing style is much more complex than the average book written today.  It strikes a balance between capturing the writing style of the period without being so dense it turns off modern readers.  I had to read this one more slowly than I normally would.

The big problem with the book is the plot.  The murder actually becomes a sub-plot.  Instead, the book spends a lot of time discussing other issues going on in the area at the time.  But here's the funny thing.  The solution to the mystery is actually telegraphed early.  We're talking everything down to the motive.  So while I was enjoying the characters and writing style, I was growing frustrated with the plot.

While not a Christian book, Christian end times prophecy came up a couple times in relation to the plot.  I actually found these funny since the same discussions are still going on today.

It turns out that Murder in Grub Street was a couple steps down from the excellent series starter.  While I am still interested in continuing the series, I'm not as anxious to get back to it as I expected to be.