The September Society by Charles Finch

From the Publisher

The sitting room looked as familiar as the back of his hand, and immediately Lenox took a liking to the young man who inhabited it. He saw several small artifacts of the missing student’s life---a frayed piece of string about two feet long of the sort you might bind a package with, half of a pulpy fried tomato, which was too far from the breakfast table to have been dropped, a fountain pen, and lastly, a card which said on the front The September Society. . . .

In the small hours of the morning one fall day in 1866, a frantic widow visits detective Charles Lenox. Lady Annabelle’s problem is simple: her beloved son, George, has vanished from his room at Oxford. When Lenox visits his alma mater to investigate, he discovers a series of bizarre clues, including a murdered cat and a card cryptically referring to the September Society.

Then, just as Lenox realizes that the case may be deeper than it appears, a student dies, the victim of foul play.

What could the September Society have to do with it? What specter, returned from the past, is haunting gentle Oxford? Lenox, with the support of his devoted friends in London’s upper crust, must race to discover the truth before it comes searching for him, and dangerously close to home.

Jo Ann Vicarel - Library Journal

When Oxford student George Payson goes missing, his mother asks Charles Lennox to find him. All avenues of investigation point to foul play, and then Payson's garroted body is found in the Christ Church Meadow. Wealthy, intelligent, Oxford-educated, and a detective of some repute, Charles seeks to determine what role the little-known student club, the September Society, might have played in Payson's death and what lies behind the threats against Payson's friends and now Lennox's beloved Lady Jane Grey. In Finch's second Victorian mystery (after A Beautiful Blue Death), Lennox and his diverse acquaintences are developing into a cohesive team of detectives, much like the sleuths in the mysteries of Will Thomas and Caleb Carr. Finch, a superb hand at plotting, gives nothing away, and even the most astute reader will be guessing to the end. Another triumph; highly recommended for all collections.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School- Charles Lenox, Victorian private detective, has an opportunity to revisit his university days when he gets a case involving a missing second-year student at Lincoln College, Oxford. George Payson has vanished, leaving only an odd collection of items in the sitting room of his quarters: a frayed piece of string, half a tomato, a fountain pen, and a card labeled "The September Society." Oh, yes, and a dead cat. Lenox re-explores his old haunts as he pieces together the clues, which eventually lead him back to London and the headquarters of the mysterious society. Period details are present but not oppressive in this carefully plotted story. Lenox is an appealing character, and details of his personal life are scattered throughout, giving a rounded picture of the man while not hampering the detective portion of the story. Good writing, good plotting, an intriguing setting, and agreeable characters make this a solid choice for older teens.-Sarah Flowers, Santa Clara County Library, CA

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Product Details

• ISBN: 0312359780
  
• ISBN-13: 9780312359782
• Format: Hardcover, 320pp
• Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur
• Pub. Date: August 2008
• Sales Rank: 14,471
• Series: Charles Lennox Mysteries Ser.