Rules of Engagement: A Sir John Fielding Mystery FROM THE PUBLISHER
A final gift from Bruce Alexander: a new book in his acclaimed mystery series about eighteenth-century blind London judge Sir John Fielding.
Beloved by legions of fans and a staple of best-of-year book lists, the Fielding mysteries thrill readers with a pitch-perfect fusion of vivid characterizations, evocative atmosphere, and riveting plotlines. And now, for all those fans, here is one more.
In Rules of Engagement, Sir John and Jeremy are confronted with a series of bizarre deaths on the streets of Georgian London in a mystery that tests even Sir John's legendary skills of deduction. When Lord Lammermoor, a close personal friend of the Lord Chief Justice's, plunges to his death from the heights of Westminster Bridge in front of a dozen witnesses, suicide is ruled as the most likely cause of death. But Lammermoor's fatal leap coincides with the arrival of Dr. Goldsworthy, a student of the famous Dr. Anton Mesmer and his studies in animal magnetism. Sir John's suspicions are piqued when it is discovered that Goldsworthy's patron in London is none other than the beautiful and austere Lady Lammermoor. Meanwhile, Jeremy's sleuthing uncovers a web of intrigue within the ranks of the Lammermoor family, and the deeper he investigates, the more suspects he uncovers who stand to gain from Lammermoor's death.
Author Bio: Bruce Alexander was the pseudonym for Bruce Cook, the well-known author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction. When Alexander died in late 2003, he had completed most of Rules of Engagement, leaving behind notes on how the remainder of the story was to unfold. The novel has been completed by John Shannon and Alexander's wife, Judith Aller. Shannon himself is the author of four novels as well as six books in the highly praised Jack Liffey mystery series, most recently Terminal Island.
FROM THE CRITICS
Marilyn Stasio - The New York Times
Bruce Alexander's passion was 18th-century London, and while the posthumous publication of Rusles of Engagement marks the end of his remarkable six-book series featuring Sir John Fielding, the blind magistrate of the Bow Street Court, it is such a ripping good read that it deserves special attention. Alexander, who died in 2003, was a stickler for historical authenticity, but his richly detailed fiction has more than period atmosphere going for it. As he demonstrates in this story about a fashionable mesmerist who has all of London agog, he had a purist's grasp of the principles of storytelling in the grand classic tradition.
Publishers Weekly
Alexander's many fans will find the final, posthumous Sir John Fielding mystery (after 2003's The Price of Murder) a bittersweet experience. It marks a triumphant return to the series' strengths, with the blind magistrate Fielding, the real-life founder of London's fledgling police force, the Bow Street Runners, once again playing a prominent role in unraveling a baffling crime. When Lord Lammermoor, who's involved in drafting emergency legislation to combat the American rebels on the eve of the Revolutionary War, falls to his death from Westminster Bridge, the insightful sleuth and his loyal legman, Jeremy Proctor, uncover clues suggesting that the lord was murdered, possibly through a form of hypnotism. While the guilty party's identity is obvious fairly early on, the author's gifts for vivid characterizations, colorful period details and fast pacing are very much in evidence. His two collaborators deserve acclaim for making it impossible to tell where Alexander's words end and theirs begin, and for enabling one of the worthier recent historical series to go out on a well-deserved high note. Agent, Phalen G. Hurewitz at Isaacman, Kaufman and Painter. (Mar. 3) FYI: Alexander was the pseudonym for Bruce Cook, who died in 2003. The nearly completed manuscript was finished by his wife, Judith Aller, and mystery author John Shannon (Terminal Island). Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
In the final addition to Alexander's popular historical series about a blind 18th-century English magistrate, Sir John Fielding and his clerk Jeremy investigate the alleged suicide of Lord Lammermoor, a strongly anti-colonist politician who apparently jumped from the Westminster Bridge. But appearances, as they say, can be deceiving: the man's mistress, a former employee of Sir John, has a story to tell, and the man's widow-his second wife-has an agenda all her own. Historical references, family intrigue, a mesmerizing doctor, hidden passageways, and marrying characters enliven the plot: for all collections. Following Alexander's death last year, mystery author John Shannon (Terminal Island) and Alexander's widow completed the manuscript. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 10/1/04.] Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The inexplicable suicide of a powerful British lord leads Sir John Fielding and Jeremy Proctor to the weird worlds of medical quackery and necromancy. In 18th-century London, the Lord Chief Justice appeals to jurist and sometime sleuth Sir John Fielding when several witness see the distinguished Lord Lammermoor jump to his death from Westminster Bridge-even though he had no apparent reason to kill himself. Giving Sir John an edge is the secret disclosure of Annie Oakum, a former cook in the Fielding household gone on to thespian fame at the Drury Lane Theatre with David Garrick's famous troupe. She confesses to wide-eyed Jeremy, the blind Sir John's eyes, legs, and amanuensis, that she spent the night with Lammermoor, her lover, before his fatal leap. A dispute between the coroner, grim Mr. Trezavant, and the earnest doctor who first examined the body leads to an unsatisfying judgment of suicide, and further probing by Jeremy for Sir John. Sir John is suspicious of secretive Lady Lammermoor, who's tight with Mr. Goldsworthy, a "progressive" physician who claims he can heal with magnets and magnetized water. Unfortunately, the investigation's timing couldn't be worse for Jeremy, whose marriage to his long-time love Clarissa, Lady Fielding's ward, is imminent. Published posthumously, this 11th installment in the elegant Fielding series (The Price of Murder, 2003, etc.) was completed by the author's widow and mystery writer Jack Shannon. Most readers will wish for more.
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