Death and the Jubilee (Lord Francis Powerscourt) - Softcover

Dickinson, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1569475474 ISBN 13: 9781569475478

Publisher: Soho Constable, 2008

Synopsis

Lord Francis Powerscourt must save the life of Queen-Empress Victoria.

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. The immense importance of the occasion inevitably brings danger in its wake. The troubles begin when a body is found floating in the Thames. Lord Francis Powerscourt, a private investigator trusted by the court, is called in. His research leads him to a mysterious mansion in Oxfordshire, with ancient temples in its gardens and more recent secrets in the house. There a second corpse is found, burnt to death, the door of the victim's room locked from the outside. Following the deaths by water and fire, Francis is led into the arcane world of bonds and futures in the City of London, which in turn takes him back to his native Ireland and a terrifying night encounter deep in the Wicklow Mountains. As the investigation proceeds, Powerscourt realizes that more is at stake than murder, and his mission is far greater than simply to find a killer—upon his success or failure lies the success of the Imperial Jubilee.

Powerscourt's own life, and that of his family, will also stand in terrible danger before he can solve this mystery. Will Victoria's loyal subjects be able to salute their monarch in safety? Only if Powerscourt can crack the riddle of Death and the Jubilee.

About this title

About the Author:

David Dickinson has an honors degree in Classics from Cambridge. Working for the BBC, he became editor of Newsnight and Panorama, as well as series editor of Monarchy. He is the author of eight mysteries in the Lord Powerscourt series. He lives in Barnes, West London, UK.

From AudioFile:

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee is the background for this complicated, often gruesome story. Lord Francis Powerscourt is called in to clean up the mystery of a decapitated and handless corpse found floating in the Thames so that Her Majesty's party can roll on unaffected. A myriad of Welsh, Irish, and English men enliven this book, each with his particular accent, which places him either among the nobs or issuing from the gutter. Peter Wickham adds to our enjoyment by nailing each character to a sign post within the British Isles. From what each man says, we hear the class tensions and are not surprised to learn that herein lies the mystery. Wickham does a spiffing job throughout. B.H.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Soho Constable
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1569475474
• ISBN 13: 9781569475478
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288