Review: Short Story That Doesn't Do Justice to Series Detective
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2013
AN EAST END MURDER features the popular Victorian detective Charles Lenox, but it doesn't do him justice.  It is a short story, not a book (as the product photo with the "series dust jacket" design implied to me).  The story evokes the period atmosphere wonderfully well, but Lenox solves the murder far too quickly.Using only a few observations, Lenox makes an intuitive leap that fingers the murderer; and after the arrest offers only speculation to explain the motives behind the crime.  Lenox fans like myself will probably enjoy the story, but it's not a very satisfying story on its own account.Because this is an overpriced short story (about $1), I rate it at 2 stars ("I don't like it") on the official Amazon scale.  Less than half of the "estimated 48 pages" are devoted to AN EAST END MURDER; the remaining pages are devoted to a sample of a Charles Lenox novel, A BURIAL AT SEA.  Macmillan should offer this promotional piece to fans free of charge.