The Price of Murder (Sir John Fielding Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Bruce Alexander (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sir John Fielding Mysteries | Publication Date: October 9, 2003

Blind eighteenth-century London judge Sir John Fielding returns in the tenth novel of Bruce Alexander's critically acclaimed mystery series.

In The Price of Murder, Sir John and Jeremy are drawn deep into the notorious Seven Dials section of London, where they must contend with the most sordid inclinations of both the working class and the aristocracy.

When the body of a young girl is pulled from the Thames, Sir John and Jeremy begin to investigate; but the girl's mother is nowhere to be found, until Jeremy's search for clues leads him to the racetrack. There, he discovers just how dangerous the high-stakes battle is that he has gotten himself into-and, when an acquaintance of his own suddenly disappears, just how terribly steep the odds.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Alexander's 10th enjoyable Sir John Fielding novel set in Georgian England (after 2002's An Experiment in Treason), the brilliant blind magistrate and his young apprentice Jeremy Proctor investigate the brutal murder of a little girl whose mother had sold her into slavery. The trail leads Jeremy into a new world, the racetrack, as he joins forces with the victim's uncle, legendary jockey Deuteronomy Plummer. The challenges of the inquiry mount, as crucial witnesses turn up dead and evidence suggests that a member of the upper class is involved. The assistance of Jeremy's almost-fiancee, Clarissa Roundtree, proves vital when her childhood friend Elizabeth Hooker disappears only to resurface after a melodramatic escape from a brothel-a subplot borrowed from a celebrated real-life unsolved mystery. As with other recent entries in this fine series, the once-dominant Sir John plays a largely supporting role. His sage advice and struggle to serve justice in a corrupt milieu guide his assistant's growth and maturation. This shift also mirrors a trend to underplay the whodunit aspect. Routine police procedure has largely supplanted Holmesian deductive pyrotechnics. Restoring the old balance by adding to Jeremy's sleuthing skills in future entries might win more classic mystery fans. FYI: The subplot, based on the unexplained disappearance of a young woman named Elizabeth Canning, takes center stage in Josephine Tey's The Franchise Affair (1948) and is "solved" in Lillian De La Torre's Elizabeth Is Missing (1945). Arthur Machen's The Canning Wonder (1926) provides the definitive nonfiction account.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Alexander's detective novels starring Sir John Fielding, the blind magistrate of Bow Street Court in mid-eighteenth-century London, may be the best historical mystery series around. Alexander's got it all: a heroic central figure, a setting that both fascinates and appalls, and a gift for concocting plots that weave in and out of social classes. Also, unlike many writers in this genre, who lay on historical details with a trowel, Alexander brings Georgian England alive with facts fitting the action. Alexander's detective is a real-life one: the younger half-brother of the novelist Henry Fielding, Sir John Fielding, who studied law and became chief magistrate after losing his sight at 19, relied on members of the Bow Street Runners as his eyes and ears. This fact-based device gives the novels a sort of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin feel, as Fielding's apprentice, Jeremy Proctor, scours London for the suspects Fielding later cross-examines. In the tenth Fielding adventure, the discovery of a seven-year-old girl's body in the Thames sends Proctor into the notorious Seven Dials district of London, where he seeks the girl's mother, only to discover that the gin-addicted mother was tricked into seling her daughter into child prostitution. More revelations of child abductions leading to child slavery follow, with suspense ratcheted up when the childhood friend of Jeremy's fiancee disappears. Marvelous. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (October 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399150781
• ISBN-13: 978-0399150784
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #781,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a Review, A Sad Good-bye, November 26, 2003

By 

"mcmc52" (West Van Nuys, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Price of Murder (Sir John Fielding Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Bruce Alexander (AKA Bruce Cook)died this month. His books have brought me so much enjoyment, I feel like I've lost a good friend. Reading this last book will be bitter-sweet to say the least.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable but lacks suspense, October 15, 2003

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Price of Murder (Sir John Fielding Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Even though I didn't think that the last few Sir John Fielding mystery novels have been as good as the first four mysteries in the series ("Blind Justice," "Murder in Grub Street," Watery Grave" & "Person or Persons Unknown"), I will admit that this latest installment in the series was an enjoyable read -- especially if you enjoy books that are full of historical detail and that are character driven.

The discovery of a body of a little six year old girl (Maggie Plummer) pulled from the Thames introduces Sir John and his trusted assistant, Jeremy Proctor to a new kind of criminal horror: the sexual abuse of children. Both Sir John and Jeremy are determined to discover and apprehend those responsible for the Maggie's death -- from the mother who sold her, to the people who brokered the deal, to the monster responsible for violating and murdering Maggie. But their mission is confounded with the mysterious disappearance of the Maggie's mother and the murder of a the Plummer's nosy neighbour. What did the neighbour know? Was she somehow involved in the selling and murder of Maggie? The murderer seems constantly to be one step ahead of Sir John and Jeremy, but both are determined to see justice done, no matter the cost...

The problem with "The Price of Murder" was that in spite of the promising plot premise, there was actually very little of it. The focus of the novel was more on the mysterious disappearance of a serving maid, horse racing and Jeremy's relationship with Clarissa (a series regular), and whether or not they would be able to marry soon. The search for the probable child selling ring in the underbelly of London never really materialized, to my disappointment, nor were there any surprising plot twists and turns (essential to a good mystery novel) or red herring suspects. However Bruce Alexander did a wonderful job of bringing seventeenth century England to life, especially that of the horse racing circuit. And I did enjoy the subplot dealing with the missing servant and how Sir John and Jeremy resolved that matter.

On the whole, I do think that if you're a fan of the series then "The Price of Murder" should prove to be enjoyable reading (though you might want to get your copy from the library); but if you're new to this series and are looking for a gripping read, try the first few books in this series instead.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Elegant writing, wonderful history, April 9, 2005

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Price of Murder (Paperback)

Sadly, Bruce Alexander passed on shortly after the release of this book, but has left us one more book after this. What this book may have lacked in suspense and plot twists, it more than made up for interesting, fully-developed characters and providing a picture of the period and, being a huge fan of Dick Francis, the racing world turning that time. I've always thought of his books as somewhat elegant reads. I do highly recommend this series for those who love elegant writing and period history.