The Vanishing Man is the twelfth book in the Charles Lenox mystery series by Charles Finch; by chronology it is the second book in the trilogy of prequels that Finch is now writing about the early career of his Victorian era sleuth, following after The Woman in the Water, and predating the first book in the original series, A Beautiful Blue Death.
The Vanishing Man finds our hero determined to follow his instinct for detection and continuing his investigative education despite the antagonism of Scotland Yard and the social disapproval of his peers. Lenox would forfeit his status as a gentleman if he "went into trade" (in other words, was paid for his work) so he makes a point of offering his services gratis.
The Duke of Dorset, the third most powerful nobleman in England, reluctantly turns to Lenox for assistance when a painting of his great-grandfather, the 13th Duke, is taken from his private study. The matter is too delicate to confide to the police. The Duke insists on absolute discretion; he's not interested in recovering the picture, he just wants to know who took it. Unfortunately, another theft results in the death of the Duke's valet; and when the Duke is arrested on suspicion of murder, resulting in the very scandal he was trying to avoid.
After much ado, Finch finally gets the truth out of him: Dorset is convinced that the thief is after a much bigger prize: the hidden clue to the whereabouts of a hitherto "lost" play by William Shakespeare. The Dorset family has kept knowledge of this play secret for generations as they tried to unravel the mystery.
Unfortunately, the Dorsets have never been able to solve the riddle. Can Lenox recover the lost painting, find the elusive hidden clue, and solve the riddle?
Among other things, Finch presents a scathing look at how rigid Victorian class and gender structures perverted justice and warped lives.
Click HERE for a Q&A with the author from Criminal Element.com.
Click HERE for the review from Publishers Weekly.
Click HERE for the review from Kirkus Reviews.
Click HERE for a review from the Washington Post.
Click HERE for a review from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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