The September Society

by Charles Finch

I loved the first novel in this series, A Beautiful Blue Death, but I'm not feeling as much love for this new Charles Lenox mystery.

Quick plot summary: Lady Annabelle Payson has contacted Lenox to help find her son, George. A student at Oxford, George is suddenly missing, his cat is dead (murdered), and nobody knows what happened. Added to the mix is the mention of the September Society. Who belongs to the September Society? What is the September Society?

Patience, dear reader, all will be revealed, but it will take a long time. And you will get mired in one of the most convoluted murder mystery plots ever.

I'm kind of disappointed in this novel. It lacked the spirit of the first mystery, as well as the human touch. So much time is spent on the actual plot, and so little time is spent on further developing Lenox's character and his relationships with Graham and Lady Jane.

9/11/08