About this title: England, 1897. London is preparing for Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, the celebration to mark her sixtieth year as queen and empress of a quarter of the surface of the globe. Fifty thousand troops from across her vast empire will gather in the capital and the immense importance of the occasion inevitably brings danger in its wake. The troubles begin when a body is found floating in the Thames at London Bridge. Scotland Yard calls in Lord Francis Powerscourt, whose investigation leads him to a mysterious mansion in Oxfordshire with ancient temples in its gardens and more recent secrets in ...
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Description: Good in good dust jacket. Ex) Library Copy. Moderate wear on Cover/Interior Pages. Usual library markings. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 288 p. Lord Francis Powerscourt Murder Mysteries. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Carroll & Graf
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780786711109ISBN:0786711108
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Dust Jacket has some edgewear present. -, Hard Cover, Very Good / Very Good. read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. 0786711108 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Description: Good. 0786711108 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Description: Good. 2004-Paperback----Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Description: New. Stated First Carroll & Graf Edition published in 2003, a fine 344-page hardcover book with a remainder mark, otherwise, unread, unused, clean, unmarked, and in a nice dust jacket (as pictured), this is a brand new copy. (872) read more
Edition: First Paperback Edition
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Constable & Robinson Limited, London, United Kingdom
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9781841197968ISBN:1841197963
Description: Soft-cover Edition There are small initials on the introductory page, else very good+++. " Weaves a tale of blackmail and murder among the royals late in Victoria reign. " read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Carroll & Graf
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780786711109ISBN:0786711108
Description: 1st Am. Ed., x-library, vg/nf. Series Character: Lord Francis Powerscourt. 1st editions are 1st printings unless noted; Dust Jackets have clear archival quality covers. read more
Binding: PAPERBACK
Publisher: Robinson Publishing
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9781841197968ISBN:1841197963
Description: Good. Paperback, larger format, good condition. Cover image is a stock image and may vary. Your book will be securely packed and promptly dispatched from our UK warehouse. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Robinson Publishing
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9781841197968ISBN:1841197963
Description: Good. EX LIBRARY COPY-PAPERBACK BOOK-GOOD OVERALL CONDITION-TRUSTED DEVON (UK) BASED SELLER-IN STOCK-SENT WITHIN 1 WORKING DAY-AVAILABLE BY EMAIL FOR QUERIES-NO QUIBBLE REFUND IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED- read more
"DEATH & THE JUBILEE (Hist. Mys-Lord Francis Powerscourt-England-1897) - VG Dickinson, David - 2nd in series Constable, 2003, UK Hardcover - ISBN: 1841195847
First Sentence: One nondescript room at the top of the War Office in London had become the nerve center of the British Empire.
London is excited about the upcoming Diamond celebrating the 60th year of Queen Victoria's reign, but there are also great concerns about security.
A corpse, without head or hands, is found floating in the Thames. Because the body appears to be a wealthy, older gentleman, Lord Francis Powerscourt is brought in to work with the security forces to identify the corpse and determine whether there is a greater threat.
The investigation leads Powerscourt back to his native Ireland, into the world of international banking and facing a personal threat.
I was afraid, at first, that this book might be a bit dry for my taste. It definitely was not.
There are great characters. Powerscourt is an ex-soldier, who is wealthy, urbane, literate, polite, and confident of his position in life. He loves his wife, Lady Lucy, and family, is capable of expressing emotion. Lady Lucy is no vapid Victoria female, but intelligent and holds her own. There is delightful interaction between Powerscourt, Lady Lucy and their children which adds humor and a softer note to the story. While they take the lead, the supporting characters, some of whom are recurring in the series, are well developed and integral to the story.
Dickinson's sense of place is strong enough that his description of a cricket match made me actually want to understand the game. The verbally paints with contract: "All around were the signs of England in the Spring...Then Powerscourt saw the sad remains of Blackwater House."
The story is very well plotted with escalating suspense. It begins with a seemingly straightforward murder but quickly become much more and goes places I didn't expect. There is no question that I shall read more books in this series."
"I really enjoyed this book, the second in Dickinson's Lord Powerscourt mysteries, although it was slow going in some parts (hence 4 stars instead of 5). This may have been the author's way of bringing to life the Victorian setting of 1897 England, where despite the hustle and bustle of London life at the center of the vast British Empire, life moved at a much slower pace than we can even imagine in our digital, wired age (including the pace of murder/conspiracy investigations!) It felt as if the urgency didn't kick in until the last 100 or so pages, and there was an INTERMINABLE chapter right before that about a cricket match that a good editor could've hacked down by at least half, IMHO!
I liked the first book in this series so much that I sought out this second installment, and finally gave up searching used book stores and bought it new off of Amazon. I'm glad to have it, as I will probably go back and re-read the first (the title escapes me, "Goodnight Sweet Prince" or "Death of a Prince", something like that! It's about the mystery surrounding the death of Prince Eddy, Victoria's debauched eldest son). I look forward to moving on in the series, although with cautious optimism as I've noticed the ratings on Amazon and here seem to vary from 3 stars to 5 - we'll see! But I'd definitely recommend this series to historical mystery fans, esp. the first two - but check your library first!"
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