From Publishers WeeklyBlind 18th-century magistrate Sir John Fielding, hero of Alexander's popular series of historical detective fiction (Jack, Knave and Fool, etc.), here lends his investigative skills to the mystery surrounding the claimant to the vast estate of the late Lord Laningham. Since Fielding sentenced the last heir, Arthur Paltrow, to hanging for murder, he has a personal interest in the case. As before in the series, events are filtered through the eyes of Jeremy Proctor, the orphan Fielding unofficially adopted, whose natural talent for tracing the logic of events is fostered by the magistrate. The Fielding mysteries are always notable for their sense of place and rich historical detail, but Alexander relies more than usual this go-around on his descriptive powers, capturing perfectly the sybaritic pleasures of 18th-century Bath and the ebullience of the university community at Oxford. The plot, by contrast, feels perfunctory. If the claimant is illegitimate, the estate will go to King George III, and the king's solicitor-general, Sir Patrick Spenser, has convened a secret committee to make sure that the king gets his due. The claimant, who calls himself Lawrence Paltrow and is supposedly the younger brother of Arthur Paltrow, has turned up in England after eight years in the colonies, and his mother, overlooking certain physical discrepancies, claims to recognize him. Fielding reluctantly takes on the task of disabusing the mother. Promptly after his visit, she is killedAa death in which the circumstances recall an eight-year-old unsolved murder. What gray eminence stands behind the sequence of events in both deaths? This is a brisk and picturesque outing, but its relatively weak story line separates it from Alexander's best. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.From BooklistAlexander's Sir John Fielding novels aren't as well known as Anne Perry's historical mysteries, but they should be. Set in 1770s London, the stories are cleverly plotted, rich in historical ambience, and written with flair and a keen eye for detail. This time, the blind Sir John, a skilled investigator and respected magistrate, and his teenage protege, Jeremy Proctor, are drawn into a challenging case when a man claiming to be Lawrence Paltrow, heir to a vast fortune and the family title, mysteriously reappears after being missing for nearly a decade. The man looks and acts enough like Paltrow to convince Paltrow's old acquaintances and even his mother that he's who he says he is, but Sir John senses something amiss. His brilliant deductive powers and meticulous investigative techniques unearth a cunning plot motivated by avarice, jealousy, and ambition. A mesmerizing tale certain to delight all historical-mystery lovers. Emily MeltonFrom Kirkus sDeath Of A Colonial ($23.95; Sept. 13; 288 pp.; 0-399-14564-8): Just as the Crown is about to seize the estate of Arthur Paltrow, a nobleman hanged for murder, Arthur's younger brother Lawrence, missing for seven years, returns to stake his claim. It's up to blind magistrate Sir John Fielding and his seeing-eye dogsbody Jeremy Proctor (Jack, Knave and Fool, 1998, etc.) to figure out whether the claimant is as sterling as the estate he claims. -- Copyright 1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. how do i create a web form Death of a Colonial (Sir John Fielding)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Death of a ColonialBy Robert ChattinAnother of the Sir John Fielding mysteries and just as good as the rest. Bruce Alexander takes you back to 18th century London, creating the feel of time and place. As I read, I can almost smell the streets where chamber pots were emptied out of windows and meat spoiled while hanging in butchers' stalls. The narrative pulls the reader along the course of an investigation of several home invasions which have, so far, resulted in two deaths. Sir John is unable to pursue the investigation so he has his ward, Jeremy, seek out clues and question witnesses in the great houses, the coffee shops and gin mills of Westminster,0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Phoenix77Highly recommend, not done with all of them yet, but each one is better and better0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Book in very good condition! Love the whole Sir John Fielding seriesBy CustomerBook in very good condition! Love the whole Sir John Fielding series.