Goodnight Sweet Prince (Lord Francis Powerscourt Murder Mysteries) (Paperback)

by David Dickinson (Author) "'Come, Powerscourt, come. I have a great secret to tell you.'..." (more)
Key Phrases: Lady Lucy, Lord Powerscourt, Prince Eddy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this excellent novel, the first in a new historical series, Dickinson draws on his experience as series editor of the BBC's three-part program about the British royal family, Monarchy, to weave a tale of blackmail and murder among the royals late in Victoria's reign. When the dissolute Prince of Wales is threatened with yet another scandal, Lord Francis Powerscourt, an Irish peer with a shadowy history of espionage, first tries to discover who's blackmailing and then who murdered the prince's equally dissolute eldest son, Prince Eddy. Through brief, deft visual descriptions and dialogue that's equally unforced, the author gives us a varied assortment of appealing characters. Scenery, too, from the cold coast of Norfolk to the tangled alleys of Venice, is rendered with fascinating verisimilitude. Dickinson's knowledge of the arts, history and literature is nothing if not exhaustive, and adds enormously to the overall background. Few authors could get away with such a cliche as "The gentlemen from The Times are here" yet Dickinson does, and makes it credible to boot. Similarly, Powerscourt's liquorish friend Lord Johnny Fitzgerald seems ripe for the stereotype of the drunken toff, but instead turns out to be one of the book's most engaging characters. The tension builds slowly (this is the year 1892, after all) but surely. Even if Prince Eddy wasn't really murdered (that he died of influenza is the "cover story" here), Dickinson can make us believe it for a while. One hopes to see more of Lord Powerscourt and his friends in the near future.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
When someone murders 28-year-old Prince Eddy in his bed at Sandringham, it falls to Lord Francis Powerscourt, military intelligence officer, to find the perpetrator. Because of various blackmail-enticing indiscretions of the prince's father, the Prince of Wales (Queen Victoria's son), and Eddy's alleged connections to the homosexual underworld, public acknowledgment of his murder could cause untold moral and political scandal. Powerscourt and his associates therefore invent a "death by influenza" as they uproot family secrets in search of the murderer. These events provide succulent fodder for fans of Victorian mysteries. Fine prose, high society, and complex plot recommend this series debut for most collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf (January 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078672000X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786720002
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #899,773 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating and captivating reading, January 11, 2002

By	tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Goodnight, Sweet Prince (Hardcover)

If you're looking for a good historical mystery that is evocative of the Victorian period with all it's dark, horrific secrets and that takes a look at the highhandedness as well as the dissolute weakness of the British monarchy, look no further: "Goodnight, Sweet Prince" reflects all this in spades. While not the kind of mystery novel that is full of twists and turns and red herrings, I found myself absolutely glued to the pages as I read along as the detective of this novel, Lord Francis Powerscourt, tried to unmask the murderer of Prince Eddy, eldest son to the Prince of Wales, and uncover a motive behind the killing.

It's 1892 (and the 54th year of Queen Victoria's reign) when Prince Eddy is discovered murdered in his bed (he has been stabbed over and over again and died with a smile on his face) at Sandringham (the royal country house). His father, the Prince of Wales, immediately orders a cover-up, and the story is put out that the Prince had died of influenza instead. But the Prince of Wales also insists that his son's death be investigated and avenged. Lord Francis Powerscourt, a special investigator who had been initially called on to discover who was trying to blackmail the Prince of Wales, is now asked to investigate the murder instead. How was so audacious a crime carried out? Why didn't the Prince call out for help? And who wanted him dead? These are the questions that Lord Francis has to ask himself as he begins his investigation. The suspects are many and diverse, and include anyone from the anarchists to the Prince of Wales himself, who was furious at Prince Eddy for his scandalous and dissolute behaviour. And as Lord Francis follows the wispy path of gossip and innuendo, he begins to uncover such a trail of scandal and vice that even makes this very decent man begin to question what he is doing.

The great thing about this novel is the manner in which the plot unfolds. Davidson takes his time to set the stage -- the murder of the prince does not take place until a quarter way into the book -- but by that time he has drawn a picture of the two dissolute and arrogant princes, intent on their own pleasure, and with very little care for the feelings of others, as well as given a very good idea of the kind of person the chief investigator, Lord Francis Powerscourt, is. We see how early tragedy has touched Lord Francis's life, and how this has made him especially sensitive to the pain and sorrow in others. The pacing of this novel is flawless, and the manner in which Davidson 'fleshes' out his characters in absolutely brilliant -- with a few well chosen words and phrases, you'd swear that the very characters themselves have come alive in front of you. "Goodnight, Sweet Prince" is an extremely well written book, that however may not be everyone cup of tea since it deals with the scandalous and imperious behavior of royal family members that may offend some readers, esp if their royalists. But it would be a shame however to give this excellent book a miss, because it is an extremely fun read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great characters and mystery--royals acting badly, April 7, 2002

By	booksforabuck "BooksForABuck.com" (Dallas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Goodnight, Sweet Prince (Hardcover)

In 1881, Victoria is Queen and Empress and proper British society is at its very height, yet all is not well. Investigator Lord Powerscourt is brought into a strange case involving blackmail of the Prince of Wales himself. England's heir has followed in some of the unfortunate traditions of royalty and his son, Prince Eddy, may be even worse. When Prince Eddy is found dead and the Prince of Wales decides on a cover-up, Powerscourt is called upon to find the killer in a murder that the English Royals simply cannot admit occured.

Author David Dickinson offers a delightful combination of engaging characters (the romance between Powerscourt and Lady Lucy is very well done as is the time-table toting butler) and compelling mystery. As Powerscourt digs deeper into the murder, he finds that Prince Eddy had much to account for and that the list of people with motives is long indeed. Powerscourt's investigative abilities and the reader's enjoyment are enhanced by his insights into society and humanity.

The scandals of the Royals have made history from the days of Shakespear until today. Dickinson reminds us that even in the glory days of the British Empire and Victoria, power and corruption add up to a dangerous combination--dangerous both to the royals themselves, and to everyone who comes in contact with them. GOODNIGHT SWEET PRINCE is a joy to read.

Highly Recommended.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars strong start, weak ending, December 22, 2005

By	E Rice (western ny state) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Goodnight, Sweet Prince (Paperback)

i quite liked the first half, or even two-thirds of this book. dickinson writes well (though he confuses flotsam and jetsam, which a good editor should have caught, and imagines a wealthy aristocrat would have to send to the grocers for cake--again, a good editor...), most of the plot is believable, but the cinematic bit at the end could have used, yes, a good editor. actually, the whole last part could have used editing, since it goes on nearly forever after the murder confesses.

i agree with one reviewer that the romance added little to the story, and was anachronistic to boot. this was the height of the victorian age, it is extremely unlikely that any members of the upper class would have married in ten days.

i also have little patience with a hero who refers, frequently, to his sisters as 'the three witches' and then asks their help in his investigations. in fact, the only woman in this book which has very few female characters who comes off well (aside from the rather one-dimensional love interest) is alexandra, the princess of wales, and she never appears.

i'm debating about reading the next book in the series. while the author is better at recreating a 19th century atmosphere than many i've read, the hero wasn't very well developed--some of the secondary characters were better drawn and more memorable. still, it's better than most historical mysteries and there is definite potential.