Gone Before Christmas

Charles Lenox Mysteries #10.5

by Charles Finch

In Gone Before Christmas, this delightfully absorbing short Christmas story in the bestselling Charles Lenox mystery series, Lenox must find a soldier who ran into a cloakroom for his hat—and never returned.

Charles Lenox’s holiday preparations are interrupted when an officer vanishes at Charing Cross Station. Lieutenant Austen, by all accounts an upstanding member of the elite Grenadier Guards, disappears, and his friends, searching the cloakroom of the station where they had been waiting for their trains together, find only a spray of blood on the wall above a scattering of his personal items—his train ticket among them.

Scotland Yard is baffled. Has the Lieutenant, who had a hand in intelligence, been kidnapped by French operatives? Or is there some more personal grudge at work? The situation grows graver by the hour, and Lenox knows that he will have to work quickly and brilliantly to have any chance of discovering the missing soldier—and getting home in time for his own Christmas dinner.

Includes a sneak peek of The Woman In the Water, a prequel to the Charles Lenox series.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Christmas, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Short Stories

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

My name is Charles Finch - welcome! I'm the author of the Charles Lenox series of historical mysteries, as well as a recent novel about expatriate life in Oxford, THE LAST ENCHANTMENTS. I also write book reviews for the New York Times, USA Today, and the Chicago Tribune and essays in many different places.

Like most people on this website, I'm a huge reader. My taste is all over the place, though I tend to really like literary and mystery fiction. Some of my favorite writers: George Orwell, Henry Green, Dick Francis, Anthony Trollope, David Lodge, PG Wodehouse, Bill Bryson, Roberto Bolano, Jonathan Franzen, Shirley Hazzard, Leo Tolstoy, AR Ammons, Philip Larkin, Edgar Bowers, Laurent Binet, Laurie Colwin, Jane Austen, Arthur Conan Doyle, Philip Roth, Henrik Ibsen, Geoff Dyer, the list could go forever...

A bit about myself: I was born in New York City, and since then I've lived all over the place, in America, England, France...at the moment I'm in Chicago, where I just recently moved. I spend most of my time here writing, reading, walking my dog, and trying not to let my ears freeze off.

You can find me on Facebook (facebook.com/charlesfinchauthor) where my reader are always giving fantastic book reviews, or Twitter (twitter.com/charlesfinch) which I don't like quite as much, though it's okay. I'll also try to blog here. Please let me know what I'm doing wrong, since I have remedial goodreads skills...

Reviews

[Judy Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 80 page short story would be an excellent way for a new reader to be introduced to the leading characters in this series of mysteries. Taking place in December 1877 just a few days before Christmas and featuring Charles Lenox solving what comes very close to an 'impossible mystery'. While not specifically a locked room, this one comes close. Lieutenant Austen of the Grenadier Guards has simply disappeared from the army cloak-room in the Charing Cross train station. There is only one door in and no windows so where is Lieutenant Austen?

The flavor of the Charles Lenox mysteries is well presented in this story plus the atmosphere of Victorian England as are the ways of celebrating Christmas. History buffs will enjoy reading about the traditions of the Christmas tree and gift giving. All of the regular characters of the series are present here. The mystery is not very hard to solve, but considering how short the story is, that is really to be expected. Still, this is a good entry in the overall body of work.

At the end of this short story are the first two chapters of the Charles Lenox novel The Woman in the Water which will be released in late February of 2018. That story is a prequel that takes readers back to the first major case of Lenox and his valet, Graham. Reading the sample here will give you quite enough of a feeling for that book so you will know definitely whether you want to read it or not.

[LJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Sentence: The two brothers stood motionless upon the top step of a fine London townhouse, each with arms crossed, assessing a correspondingly motionless pair of trees propped against a railing.

Lt. Ernest Austen of the Grenadier Guards has disappeared. Charles Lenox is trying to establish his detective agency, the first of its kind, but having little luck. Even Scotland Yard is so baffled, they’ve agreed to have Lenox consult. Solving this case would give him credibility and recognition. But can he solve it?

One of the many things to love about Finch’s writing is his use of humor, whether it’s about life, death—“Death is the great spiritual adventure toward which all living things mush lean forward in hope and humility, in neither fear or anger.”--or Christmas trees--"Well," said Charles, signing, "I hope it may last the next three days, anyhow." "Until Christmas mornng." "Yes, then
it can slink of to some corner and die.".

It is always interesting learning about the customs of a period, and that they relate to Christmas makes them even more so. The tradition of Lenox; father, is quite progressive for the time. Yet one of the best things about a prequel is to learn more about the protagonists and their history.

Finch creates wonderful analogies—“France and England were rather like an unhappy couple out to supper at friends’: not presently at war, except in the sense that they were continually at war.” His descriptions are evocative—“There was evidence all over it of wealth, and ancient lineage—tapestries on the walls, enormous hunting scenes in oils, tables of marble…”. His use of language is a treat—“…he discovered that the next train was in ninety minutes. He set out to see the wonders of Ipswich for himself. When that was finished, he had eighty-seven minutes left…” It is elements such as these, along with learning bits of information such as how the term “butler” came to be, that makes reading Finch such a pleasure.

“Gone Before Christmas” is a lovely story for the holidays with just the right balance of seriousness and sentimentality.

GONE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Hist Mys-Charles and Edmund Lenox-London-1887) – VG+
Finch, Charles (eBook Novelette)
Minotaur Books – Dec 2017

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a short Christmas mystery. Charles Lenox must find a soldier who had vanished from a cloakroom while retrieving a hat. An intriguing little mystery. This one also has lots of Christmas spirit and made me very happy at the end.
Charles Finch is a wonderful author and this is a great historical mystery series. This one could be enjoyed alone even if a reader doesn't know the characters.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gone Before Christmas was wonderful, I loved being back spending time, albeit short, with Charles Lenox and company. I loved seeing Graham invited and include to Christmas dinner but no word on whether he prosed to his intended. Nevertheless, this great short story will juts tide me over until "Woman in the Water" next year. Thank you Mr. Finch for giving this gift to your readers.

[Lark of The Bookwyrm's Hoard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gone Before Christmas is almost a locked-room puzzle, with a victim who vanishes from a room with only one door. As puzzles go, it's a good one, although if you've read enough detective fiction, you'll spot the figurative loophole to the locked-room aspect. Since I do read a lot of mysteries, I figured out part of it fairly early on (how the victim got out of the room) but I anticipated neither the motive nor the whole solution. Nor did I expect Lenox's response, though in retrospect, it wasn't out of character. I enjoyed the chance to spend an hour or two of the holidays with these characters, whom I know so well from the books: Charles, of course; his 5-year-old daughter Sophia and his wife Lady Jane; his widowed brother Edmund; and both of Charles's partners, Polly and Lord Dallington. A quick but satisfying Christmas mystery.

[Marloes D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een spannend kort verhaal in typische kerstsfeer.

[ShanDizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I really appreciate the great relationship Charles has with his brother Edmond. And Dallington seems very happy in his married life. I look forward to the next story.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book, but it is likely because I read only one book in the series (a later installment which I also did not really like that much). I simply did not follow the action very well. Someone was missing, but that's about all I figured out.

[Grey853 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, but beautifully written, this is the story of how Charles Lenox solves the mystery of the disappearing soldier. Half the story deals with the mystery, the other half shows how his family is building up to Christmas. I loved how Charles realizes and appreciates how lucky he is not to have been born into poverty and service.

Most of all, I loved the ending.

[Pauline Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think Charles could write a bad Lennox story. This one is to fill the gap before his next full length Lennox story. Really enjoyed reading it.

[Valerie Campbell Ackroyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novella for those who like Sherlock Holmes

I haven’t read any other Lenox mysteries but, after reading this one, I will put the author, Charles Finch, on my “to be read” list. This book is very short, 71 pages, and the “locked room” mystery wasn’t that difficult to solve. There was a humanity to it, however, and a gentleness. I also enjoyed the peek into a Victorian Christmas a la Dickens—a kind of Christmas Day Scrooge epiphany kind of Christmas.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful Christmas novella is a gift from Charles Finch. Not only do you get a good mystery, you also get a lovely story about a Lenox family Christmas, complete with all our favorite characters. The best parts are Charles' gift to his brother Edmund and Dallington's gift to Polly. A most enjoyable interlude in the Lenox Mystery series!

[Donna Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is December 1877, when Detective Charles Lenox’s brother Edmund muses: “Death is the great spiritual adventure toward which all living things must lean forward in hope and humility, in neither fear nor anger.” This was said while they were trying to decide which of their two Christmas trees was the most dead.

Meanwhile a missing Lieutenant from the famed Grenadiers has disappeared. “Under British law the husband and wife are one person—and that person was the husband.”Lenox must solve the missing person case by Christmas in order to celebrate with his family. Alas, this very sweet Christmas is noteworthy for all the special gifts, for all the deserving people.

[Jen St · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice Christmas mystery for those already familiar with the Charles Lenox series. If you haven't already read some of the full-length books, I wouldn't start with this one because it doesn't provide all the character "refreshers" for new readers.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 - a short christmas story, with a conventional plot, but with a warm christmas atmosphere - it reads quite fast

[Kate Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little "extra" story (#10.5 within the Charles Lenox mystery series by Charles Finch), was the perfect book for the final days of Christmas. There's a missing lieutenant of the Queen's Grenadiers, presumed dead, and the curious details surrounding the disappearance. There's anger, bitterness, loss, love, and hope. The kindness of strangers is ever a poignant lesson. There is also the comfort and joy of family.

As a novella, this mystery is not as complex as the usual novels within this series. However, it is no less enjoyable and its message of tender kindness is an excellent reminder to us all.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little novella which skewers a clergyman, and shows sympathy for several pairs of newly-weds.

[Lavins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one cute, heartwarming book as most of them are in this series.

[Julie Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little Christmas mystery. I never tire of the brotherly banter between Charles and Edmund.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story from a favorite author and favorite character! Very enjoyable!

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short entry in the Charles Lenox series, very expressive of seasonal feeling.

[Dorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Christmas short mystery with my favorite Victorian era detective. I really enjoyed this and loved the ending.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet and satisfying tale.

We catch up with known family and friends, and are treated to a simple and satisfying mystery as well. For longtime readers of the Lennox series, make sure to enjoy this holiday gift.

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief respite into the world of Charles Lenox. It's Christmas and while holiday festivities are being planned, Charles is assisting Scotland Yard in solving a murder.

[Staci Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like having tea and toast and reading a good Lenox Mystery.

[Madelon · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Gone Before Christmas, we learn about the holiday customs of the Lenox family. And, I'm happy to say, there are no murders in this one. Instead, we have a missing person: Lieutenant Ernest Austen of the Grenadier Guards. The many-threaded mystery, intertwined with all the social aspects one expects, is maintained.

The Grenadiers are an elite force in the British military. After dining at a small restaurant called Olivetti’s in Charing Cross, Austen enters the army cloakroom at the train station to retrieve his belongings, accompanied by his breakfast companions—Price, Curbishley, and Boothby. They all exit the cloakroom when Austen exclaims that he’s forgotten his hat. He returns—and is never seen again. On the wall is a non-lethal-looking spray of blood, and Austen’s belongings remain. There is only one door for entry and exit.

The case is solved when a clever misdirection is uncovered, one that has led all investigators astray. The Scotland Yard man in charge of the inquiry, Inspector Larchmont, is convinced that French spies are behind the Grenadier’s disappearance. He couldn’t be more wrong.

During his rapid investigation, Lenox travels to Austen’s home in Ipswich to speak with his family. His father, Reverend Austen, is an unforgiving retired vicar who wants nothing to do with his son—including speaking to Lenox about him. A wasted trip in frigid weather? Not entirely.

I have long believed that a divided family is no better than having no family at all. I had to choose who in my family fit the bill and who didn’t. Once that choice was made, my life improved. This Christmas story hit a little close to home.

Gone Before Christmas forces Lenox to do some serious soul-searching before arriving at—in his estimation—a just solution. The Christmas spirit is strong in this one, as the joys of the season eclipse all.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gone Before Christmas by Charles Finch is book #10.5 of the Charles Lenox mystery series set in December 1877 in Victorian London. This novella illustrates beautifully how intuitive, kind and compassionate Charles Lenox is: his resolution of the missing Grenadier Guards officer, his tiny yet priceless gift to brother Edmund, and his thoughtful, timely gift to business partners John and Polly.

Fave Quotes:

As a detective, he enjoyed puzzles that were clean and strange, uncomplicated except for one enormous complication.

Beef suet, a common unguent for the control of flyaway hair among the less refined classes.

As was the custom all across England, St. Nicholas left the Christmas presents at the Lenox house (many rather large, in their boxes, their tissue paper, their string) amidst the branches of the trees. If there were any that positively wouldn't fit they were placed beneath the tree--but that was considered poorish form.

France and England were rather like an unhappy couple out to supper at friends': not presently at war, except in the sense that they were continually at war.

Why, at the coldest time of the year, did they return to the warm parts of each other, the parts they could forget in the haste and noise so much of the time, when they were lesser friends, lesser brothers, lesser partners to each other?

He wondered how he would be remembered twenty years after his own death.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lieutenant Allen Austen of the Grenadiers was the son of the Reverend Ernst Austen. Austen married beneath himself and was disowned by his Reverend father... for he married his childhood friend and the daughter of the Austens' washer woman. His commission was bought by his beloved mother's family entailed portion but that was all, so the young couple were actually destitute... for the Reverend, despite his pious honorific, was a mean cold and miserly Scrooge who mistreated his dead wife and was unkind to strangers, as a chilled and hungry Lenox painfully found out in the course of his investigations during that snowy cold December morning in 1877 in Ipswich. Lenox was called in to aid the Yard in looking into the mysterious disappearance of Lieutenant Austen at the Charing Cross Station... Austen's work was covert so he was believed to be kidnapped and tortured by the French. After his death, his commission would then be auctioned off and the proceeds would go to his widow... thus, solving at least the problem of her penury, a poor exchange for her tragic loss but the money would help. Or so, as the redoubtably acute detective deduced... and then he put his plans into motion. A heart~warming Mystery with deeply felt glad tidings for beloved familiar characters and for newly met ones.

[James Garman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quick, concisely written mystery starts out with two brothers, Edmund and Charles Lenox, together at Charles and his wife's Lady Jane's, house shortly before Christmas to decide which of the two trees they have found will go to which brother. Edmund, who is serving in Parliament ends up leaving the more sickly tree to his brother with the jibe that Charles is better at bringing trees back to life.

Then begins the mystery of an officer in the military who has gone missing. Scotland Yard has decided that since Charles is a good PI, he might be of help so off he goes to the train station where Austin disappeared. While following up on the case, he even goes to the family home of the Austin clan and finds a very bitter angry father who wants nothing to do with his son, calling into question the suggestion that Austin was, indeed on his way home to see his family.

The mystery is indeed solved, and Charles finds it in his heart to help everybody have a happy Christmas, including his own family. This is a light fanciful Christmas "mystery" to encourage the heart to swell with cheer.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story set around the holidays. Charles is fighting with his brother over who gets the better Christmas tree when he is called in to help with the case of a missing member of the Grenadier Guards. Lt. Austen was last seen at the train station, going into the private Guards room to retrieve his hat. He was well liked and no one can point to any enemy. Charles goes to visit his father, a vicar, who disowned him after he married one of their maids. His father is well-off but a cold human being who does not even offer Charles a drink. Charles begins to see what is happening and has to decide what to do about it. He figures out that Lt. Austen is faking his own death so that his widow may sell his Guards appointment and they will have money to live on as they go abroad to start a new life. If he resigns, the post will revert back to his father and he will sell it and not give any of the proceeds to his son. Charles allows the young couple to continue with their deception and counsels them on how to succeed. He has Mrs. Austen identify a body that washed up in the Thames to complete the ruse. A nice, quick mystery for the holiday season.