Charles Finch Books

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Charles Finch is an American author that writes the Charles Lenox novels. The books follow a gentleman detective living in mid 19th Century London. Because he is independently wealthy, Lenox can afford to pursue his sleuthing interests.

Finch was born in 1980 in New York City. A former student at Phillips Academy, Yale University, and Merton College, Oxford, he studied Engish and History. He drew interest from the publishing arena when he wrote ‘A Beautiful Blue Death’, the first of the Charles Lenox Books.

The book was recognized by Library Journal, Agatha, and Nero Awards. This encouraged the author to write more novels set in Victorian Era England. Reading and writing have been a part of Finch’s life for as long as he can remember. Because he lived in so many places as a child, reading gave him stability.

It was the one constant companion upon which Finch to lean during his formative years. He was also drawn to history, politics, and English. His interest in writing fiction began as a passion for the English language. As a younger fellow, Finch wrote a lot of poems and short stories. At the time, he was primarily interested in experimenting with words. None of his writing endeavors had a plot to them. Writing came naturally to him. In the years that followed, he had to learn to tell stories.

But that was a skill that he eventually taught himself. Once he decided to pursue publishing as a career, it did not come as much of a surprise to the people that knew him when he chose to set his story in the Victorian Era.

As a student of history, the Charles Lenox series allowed the author to introduce readers to the time periods over which he obsesses. Finch admits that he doesn’t necessarily aim for complete accuracy when he tackles historical figures, events, and cultures.

His objective is to make the settings his characters inhabit as real as possible. However, he also wants to entertain his readers, which is why he has been known to allow one or two historical inaccuracies to appear in his work.

But these inaccuracies are quite small. Finch may use the wrong word for an object on occasion. However, he does quite a bit of research before he writes his novels. He reads writers like Trollope and Ward to acquire in-depth knowledge of the events he wishes to explore.

For that reason, the historical anomalies in his work are few and far in between. The author isn’t much of a plotter. He doesn’t write until he has a clear idea of the plot of his next novel. But he also prefers to take a spontaneous approach to his writing efforts.

He wants his novel to surprise him as he writes it. Knowing the details of his plot before he writes it would make Finch’s work less interesting. He starts writing first thing in the morning. He tries to get a few pages written before he is fully awake. He believes that this state of semi-consciousness allows his creative juices to flow.

Charles Finch Awards

Finch has received Agatha and Nero Award nominations.

Best Charles Finch Books

Even though he is primarily known for his historical fiction, Finch has also written stories set in contemporary times such as ‘The Last Enchantments’. Some of Finch’s best books include:

A Beautiful Blue Death: Prudence Smith, Lady Jane’s former servant, is dead. It looks like a suicide but Charles Lenox isn’t convinced. The Victorian gentleman wanted to spend his day relaxing in his private study. But Lady Jane was a good friend. And when she requested his help, Lenox couldn’t refuse her.

However, the case is a difficult one. Even though the house where Prudence worked is full of suspects, there is no clear motive for the girl’s murder. Things get even more complicated when another body drops at a London Ball.

The September Society: Lady Annabelle was quite frantic when she came to Charles Lenox. The widow’s son was gone. He was last seen in his room at Oxford and Annabelle wanted Lenox to solve the mystery of his disappearance.

Now Lenox must decipher the meaning behind the clues he’s discovered in the victim’s room, which include a dead cat and a reference to the September Society.

When Does The Next Charles Finch book come out?

The next book by Charles Finch is The Hidden City and will be released on September, 2nd 2025. It is the newest book in the Charles Lenox Mysteries Series.

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