Brigade: Further Adventures of Lestrade (The Lestrade Mystery Series) [Hardcover]

M. J. Trow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1998 | Series: The Lestrade Mystery Series

There is a new broom at Scotland yard: Nimrod Frost. His first little job for Lestrade is to investigate the reported appearance of a lion in Cornwall, a supposed savager of sheep and frightener of men. Hardly a task for an Inspector of the Criminal Investigation Department...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cleverly plotted and fast paced, this exciting tale brings back Trow's incarnation of Conan Doyle's Sholto Lestrade (The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade; Forecasts, Aug. 3), showing him to be a shrewd, intelligent and formidable investigator. In 1893, the new assistant commissioner of Scotland Yard, Nimrod Frost, sends Lestrade to Cornwall, where one William Lamb has been killed by a wild animal. Upon Lestrade's return, ex-police sergeant Beastie Beeson makes known to the inspector his suspicions that an old mate, Joe Towers, was murdered. Indeed, an autopsy confirms that Towers was poisoned with cyanide. The demise of a lighthouse keeper then brings Lestrade to Norfolk; while investigating that death, the inspector not only meets Kaiser Wilhelm but is suspended for attempting to attack the German ruler. Even so, Lestrade is sent undercover to delve into yet another death, by poison. During the ensuing months, Lestrade discovers that, 40 years before, all of the murdered men had participated in the Charge of the Light Brigade. The novel's cast of cameo celebrities (Winston Churchill, Bram Stoker, Henry Irving, even an infant Basil Rathbone) seems a contrivance. Otherwise, Trow offers a genuinely humorous pastiche buoyed by a refreshing irreverence too often absent from Conan Doyle knockoffs.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 219 pages
• Publisher: Gateway Editions (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895263424
• ISBN-13: 978-0895263421
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,869,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As witty as the first vol. but with a harder edge, February 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brigade: Further Adventures of Lestrade (The Lestrade Mystery Series) (Hardcover)

Volume two in the Lestrade series lives up to the promise of volume one, and surpasses it. The in-jokes (I especially liked the childhood inspiration for Basil Rathbone's most famous film part!), the victorian atmosphere and the wit are all still there, but the plot has a harder edge - less fantastical that the first time. Indeed, there is a darker side to this novel. The opening description of the Charge of the Light Brigade was masterful, with a pace as fast as the charging horses and a picture of the horror of the event that gripped like a cavalry officer's hold on his sword. The later description of the Manchester poorhouse was equally enthralling and harrowing. A good book and a great read all round.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The lion roars again, January 27, 2001

By 

"grrreg" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brigade: Further Adventures of Lestrade (The Lestrade Mystery Series) (Hardcover)

The second in the Inspector Lestrade series, this follows up fairly neatly on the first ('The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade') in that the events of that book have influence on this. This one has an advantage over the first in that the plotline and murders are less far-fetched than those in the earlier book.

It retains the good points of the first book: a mix of historical and fictional characters, a sense of humour that doesn't overpower the rest of the book, and a reasonable degree of irreverence.

It also has some of the earlier problems: Lestrade is not depicted as a very good detective, and I particularly dislike his technique of accusing people of being murderers in order to get information.

An entertaining series, but not the best on the market.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced and refreshing., January 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brigade: Further Adventures of Lestrade (The Lestrade Mystery Series) (Hardcover)

I found the book cover to be quite fascinating. Incredible reproduction of the lion's face. M.J. Trow's work is a refreshing look at Conan Doyle's characters. Looking forward to reading other books by M.J. Trow.