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Sholto Lestrade Mystery #4
Lestrade and the Leviathan
The year is 1910, and Superintendent Sholto Lestrade's lot is not a happy one. He has a number of vicious murders to solve, including those of a man hanged in a church bell tower, a cross-Channel swimmer, and his old sparring partner, Dr. Watson. Meanwhile, anarchists are threatening the peace of Europe, the whole of Scotland Yard is looking for "Peter the Painter," and a bloodthirsty cabbie lies in wait for the Assistant Commissioner. To top it all off, Lestrade gets roped into helping with the coronation of King George V. Lestrade is never frazzled, however, as he guides the Yard in unraveling these baffling mysteries.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
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About the author
M.J. Trow
149 books119 followersMeirion James Trow is a full-time teacher of history who has been doubling as a crime writer for seventeen years. Originally from Ferndale, Rhondda in South Wales he now lives on the Isle of Wight. His interests include collecting militaria, film, the supernatural and true crime.
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November 23, 2010
Did you ever feel foolish because you missed an inside joke? It was right there in front of you all of the time, but you just kept missing it. You might have been laughing with those who were laughing, but you discovered that you had only caught a portion of the humor? Such is my feeling as I complete the fourth volume in the Adventures of Lestrade series, Lestrade and the Leviathan. In the first three volumes, I was tremendously amused by the characterization of Lestrade as smarter than the “great detective” Sherlock Holmes and the conceit that the great detective’s reputation was overblown. I chuckled at the way Lestrade would bristle each time someone would refer to his rather ignominious descriptions in the Holmesian canon. The revisionist history was delightful.
I also smirked with an air of superiority as the M. J. Trow introduced famous authors, important politicians, and theatrical celebrities into the mix. The historical atmosphere was present in a vivid way, but there was always this playful introduction of the real within the fiction that amused me. Yet, I seem to have missed something important. As competent as Lestrade is within this series, I never noticed until this volume how often he misunderstands some trivial or isolated bit of conversation by virtue of his limited education. I had noticed his resentment of those public school graduates with their impeccable intonation and diction, but I hadn’t really taken to heart the number of times Lestrade answered foolishly to some observation or pronouncement by this advantaged class. I appreciate Trow’s characterization even more after finally (who is the dense one, our protagonist or this reviewer?) grasping this subtle juxtaposition of this turn of the 20th century (for so it is by the time of these adventures) “Columbo” with his annoying responses and the upper class who overlook the obvious clues ferreted out by Lestrade’s persistence.
My favorite part of these volumes is that they are comprised of a series of murderous vignettes to be solved by the overworked Lestrade. Some of the vignettes tie together and some are incidental (or appear to be). One never quite knows how much attention to pay to each individual account, so there is a realistic underpinning between the carefully constructed plot and the careless assemblage of “webs” we might see within several months of detective work. I use the term webs because a basement full of webs is not necessarily an architecturally crafted construction (in fact, very likely not), but there is often considerable overlap between them. Trow gives us both the deliberately crafted construction and the verisimilitude of non-integral cases.
I also confess that I was completely taken in by the murderer in this case. I chose my suspect early on and held onto that conviction until the final revelation of the murderer. I didn’t think Trow had it in him to fool me so utterly completely, but the clues were there and I was delighted with the denouement.
Trow brings back Winston Churchill, but adds in one of my favorite characters from the era—the old admiral himself—Jackie Fisher. We meet Rudyard Kipling again in a logical and natural coincidence that advances the story perfectly. Dr. John Watson plays an important, but unexpected, role in this volume and Lestrade faces seduction by one of the most famous spies of the era. Another surprising character is William Thomas Stead, considered by many to be the father of British journalism. Of course, those who know history will find it ominous that the closing of the novel sees Stead ready to depart on the Titanic’s maiden voyage.
Lestrade and the Leviathan was satisfying in terms of mystery, “history,” and humor. For me, it was the best of the series thus far. It won’t be long before I review the next.
I also smirked with an air of superiority as the M. J. Trow introduced famous authors, important politicians, and theatrical celebrities into the mix. The historical atmosphere was present in a vivid way, but there was always this playful introduction of the real within the fiction that amused me. Yet, I seem to have missed something important. As competent as Lestrade is within this series, I never noticed until this volume how often he misunderstands some trivial or isolated bit of conversation by virtue of his limited education. I had noticed his resentment of those public school graduates with their impeccable intonation and diction, but I hadn’t really taken to heart the number of times Lestrade answered foolishly to some observation or pronouncement by this advantaged class. I appreciate Trow’s characterization even more after finally (who is the dense one, our protagonist or this reviewer?) grasping this subtle juxtaposition of this turn of the 20th century (for so it is by the time of these adventures) “Columbo” with his annoying responses and the upper class who overlook the obvious clues ferreted out by Lestrade’s persistence.
My favorite part of these volumes is that they are comprised of a series of murderous vignettes to be solved by the overworked Lestrade. Some of the vignettes tie together and some are incidental (or appear to be). One never quite knows how much attention to pay to each individual account, so there is a realistic underpinning between the carefully constructed plot and the careless assemblage of “webs” we might see within several months of detective work. I use the term webs because a basement full of webs is not necessarily an architecturally crafted construction (in fact, very likely not), but there is often considerable overlap between them. Trow gives us both the deliberately crafted construction and the verisimilitude of non-integral cases.
I also confess that I was completely taken in by the murderer in this case. I chose my suspect early on and held onto that conviction until the final revelation of the murderer. I didn’t think Trow had it in him to fool me so utterly completely, but the clues were there and I was delighted with the denouement.
Trow brings back Winston Churchill, but adds in one of my favorite characters from the era—the old admiral himself—Jackie Fisher. We meet Rudyard Kipling again in a logical and natural coincidence that advances the story perfectly. Dr. John Watson plays an important, but unexpected, role in this volume and Lestrade faces seduction by one of the most famous spies of the era. Another surprising character is William Thomas Stead, considered by many to be the father of British journalism. Of course, those who know history will find it ominous that the closing of the novel sees Stead ready to depart on the Titanic’s maiden voyage.
Lestrade and the Leviathan was satisfying in terms of mystery, “history,” and humor. For me, it was the best of the series thus far. It won’t be long before I review the next.
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