Customer Reviews

Jack, Knave and Fool

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As someone who has been following this series since the beginning, I found this to be an enjoyable installment. Many of the secondary characters are developed more fully, and some new regulars are introduced, including a spirited love interest for the narrator, Jeremy. The prose style is a bit stilted, but less so than texts actually written in the 18th century, and if the word choice sometimes seems a bit modern, well, this is a work of fiction written for a contemporary audience. All in all, I found it a fun, lively read with many fascinating and authentic glimpses into 18th century London along the way.

I have read several books in this series but found this installment disappointing.

Alexander seems unable to break out of the "someone's been murdered and the characters must find the culprit" plot mode -- even within the mystery genre, surely it's possible to be more creative than that. Jack, Knave and Fool is talky and forgettable, with much of the action and drama happening offstage. The characters change little and never seem personally challenged. Jeremy's "voice" has developed somewhat, but that's not enough to save this honestly rather boring book. Strange pseudo-archaisms on the order of "Nicely dressed she was" add an annoying touch.

There is an inherent danger in taking a historical figure and using that person in a fictional setting. Sir John Fielding was founder of the Bow Street Runners, the precursors to modern policemen and Bruce Alexander makes a valiant effort to turn him into the hero of this mystery. The details to the criminal investigation with the limitations of the forensics ring true and the characters are engaging. The mysteries themselves are very basic and some characters seem to be added just for effect, but all in all not a bad addition to the historical mystery field.

"Jack, Knave and Fool", Bruce Alexander's fifth novel in the highly acclaimed Sir John Fielding series, is neither the cozy, lightweight mystery (à la Agatha Christie or Susan Wittig-Albert) nor the historical thriller that many readers might expect. It might more accurately be categorized as an atmospheric and compelling police procedural set within a graphic description of 18th century Georgian England.

"Jack, Knave and Fool" will treat its readers to extraordinary characterization and atmospheric embellishment that brings people, time and place to life with a sparkling vitality and a sense of realism that can hardly be rivaled - the sights, the smells, the sounds, the slums, the prisons, the docks, pubs, outdoor markets, dark alleys, upstairs, downstairs, courts, gaming houses, bordellos, street walkers, poor houses, pickpockets, scamps, cut purses, thieves, murderers and even a police sting operation designed to snag the fencing operations of a less than scrupulously honest pawn shop. In short, Bruce Alexander brings a very nervous gaslit Georgian London to life with an unrivalled clarity.

It's also quite exciting to witness the early growth of modern jurisprudence and police work through the fictionalized account of Sir John Fielding's experiences as the magistrate of Bow Street Court; the experiences of England's first police force, the "Bow Street Runners"; and the early political realities faced by a coroner as opposed to the forensic realities and limitations of 18th century medicine.

Two mysteries, both workmanlike and well-constructed, run side by side. The first arises when Lord Laningham dies in a very public and rather obnoxious manner at a concert. Although an inquest rules that his death is due to natural causes, Sir John Fielding persists in believing the death to be a murder by poison. When Lord Laningham's wife dies in a similar manner, Sir John directs his sights and suspicion to the heir to the Laningham seat in the House of Lords, Arthur Paltrow.

The second mystery (and, for my money, the more interesting of the two) revolves around the escape of a Bow Street court prisoner. Thomas Rowntree, temporarily in the custody of a rapidly maturing Jeremy Proctor (who with each book has been given more air time, more responsibility and more respect), effectively plays the harmless, friendly fool and slips out of Proctor's clutches. Tracking him down leads Sir John and Jeremy through murder, a major fencing operation and a police sting. Thomas Rowntree's daughter, Clarissa, a feisty and positively enchanting character, is set up for what will almost certainly be return appearances in future novels.

"Jack, Knave and Fool", preceded by "Person or Persons Unknown", "Watery Grave", "Blind Justice" and "Murder in Grub Street" is the fifth entry in Alexander's highly successful Sir John Fielding series. While it does stand alone as a satisfactory mystery, readers will derive the most enjoyment if they dig into the series from the start so they can revel in Alexander's wonderful multi-story character development as well as the mystery.

Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

This fifth of the series of Sir John Fielding mysteries was my first. One reads historical fiction hoping for period authenticity as well as a good tale. This is a fair tale with engaging continuing characters. I have some familiarity with late 18th century London, enough, at least, to find the happenings plausible, but I lack the expertise for astute criticism on this head. I can speak to its authenticity of style.

Patrick O'Brian this is not. Authenticity of style has been compromised in favor of accesibility. Most readers will probably find this all to the good. I was a little disappointed. A friendlier reviewer calls the language "stilted", but excuses this in the name of authenticity. A more sympathetic view of 18th century style would deem it formal but elegant, complex but clear. Clear, the writing is, but it lacks the authentic density. The character Sir John Fielding's brother is the novelist Henry Fielding, and one must turn to Henry for the real thing. This is the 18th century in translation, and it is a mediocre translation at that. I, like another reviewer, wearied of the locution "Then did he...". While this, and a few other rhetorical devices are authentic enough, those that appear are overused, and become stereotypical after a short time. Then too, there are the occasional disturbing lapses into anachronism of attitude and phraseology which equivocate unpleasantly back to our own time.

What rescues the book for me is the appeal of the characters themselves. Sir John Fielding and his retinue are good-hearted, but hard-edged. They deploy politesse as necessary, but retain their independence of mind. The evince intelligence and fundamental worth - refreshing antidotes to the modern degeneracy. All this is enough to induce me to read at least one more of the series.

I have enjoyed the entire series, am in the process of rereading most if not all the books. They stirred a desire to learn more of that time in history. Would highly recommend these books to anyone who loves old England, in a "family" type setting. Bruce makes you feel you are there with them setting at the table, or setting in the courtroom with the "Blind Beak". Extremely sorry when I found out Bruce Alexander had passed away. Keep hoping they will find another unfinished volume. Have found nothing that can begin to compare with this series.

These stories are well written and very interesting reading. Slow at times, but with fairly intricate plots. The glimpse into many aspects of 18th century London, its high life and its low life, is what makes them so interesting. I have read the first 5 of this series and have to pronounce this one the best so far. An additional main character is added and the young protagonist's character is being developed well. In spite of this being the longest of the stories thus far, the story line in this one hangs together a little better than in the others.

Some reviews of this story are surprisingly down on it, which I attribute to expectations. If you want a fast paced thriller mystery or a surprise ending, or if you think teenage main characters are only for kid's stories, then I can see why. This series won't meet those expectations.

Readers looking here for a land-locked Patrick O'Brian series will be disappointed, for this series of historical mysteries is not nearly as strong or well-researched as the Aubrey/Maturin books. Having said that, the series gets incrementally better with each installment. The first of Alexander's books, "Blind Justice", was laughably simplistic. Everyone actually gathered in the drawing room in the final scene, a la Agatha Christie, to unmask the villain.

This is the fifth book in the series, and Alexander capably keeps two separate investigations humming along. A few minor characters are developed, and Jeremy is becoming a young man.

It's a good story, I'll read the next one. It's as good as the others, but no matter how long this series runs, I don't think it will ever become worthy of buying in hardcover. It's a pop mystery, enjoy it or not. There's always another one to read.

While attending a performance of Handel, young Jeremy Proctor, assistant to magistrate Sir John Fielding, witnesses the unusual death of Lord Laningham. It initially appears to have been natural; the lord was in his seventies and not in the best of health. But something makes Sir John suspect that he has been poisoned. Later on, when the victim's wife dies in a similar manner, he becomes certain of it - but remains unsure of who killed them.

A few days after the concert, Jeremy is asked by Sir John to escort a prisoner - arrested for public drunkenness - to his job to borrow money for his fine when the prisoner escapes. Jeremy meets the man's daughter, Clarissa Roundtree, who is a sharp-witted eleven year-old who seeems to know more about her father's whereabouts than she is letting on.

Meanwhile, a head washes up after having been thrown into a London sewer. Jeremy's friend, Jimmie Bunkins, thinks it belongs to a pawn shop broker who often deals in stolen goods. Jimmie decides to keep watch over the shop to prove that the broker's wife killed him and that it is that man whose head was recovered.

In "Jack, Knave and Fool", the fifth installment in the Sir John Fielding mystery series, Bruce Alexander has taken three separate stories and woven them seamlessly into one. Though there was a lot going on in this book, it is interesting and, as always, provides a unique look at 1770s London.

The Sir John Fielding series, to my mind, gets better with each book. This is the fifth book in the series. The year is January 1771, and Fielding and his young charge are dealing with two murderers. Each is unique, but each is as deadly as the other. The book is also filled with rich period detail. I truly like the characters that are part of each book, but also the new ones introduced with each new story. Although neither murder is a real mystery, since Sir John knows who is guilty in both cases, he must gather the proof he needs to ensure that these people pay for their crimes and that is what is fun in this book. And Jeremy's love of adventure and lust for life help jolly the story along. This is a very strong historical series.