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The Gentleman Detective #1
The Gentleman Detective
Norwich 1898.
Colonel Bainbridge has spent more years than he cares to consider as a private detective, but age is creeping up on him and the unexpected death of his business partner and fellow detective, Houston Fairchild, has left him wondering if it is time to hang up his magnifying glass. Then his niece, Victoria Bovington, bursts onto the scene complete with her own ideas about what the future might hold for them. Victoria is wild and a little reckless, and she has this idea she could become a private detective. Despite his best efforts, Bainbridge finds himself stuck with his niece. His personal problems fall into the background when a pugilist dies unexpectedly, and an innocent man is accused of his murder. Distracted by trying to save a friend from the noose, Bainbridge finds himself allowing Victoria to tag along as they investigate the murky world of street fighting and match fixing. Can they determined who really killed the boxer Simon One-Foot just as he was on the brink of a brand new career as a legitimate pugilist or will a man who has done no wrong end up swinging for a crime he could not have committed?
Colonel Bainbridge has spent more years than he cares to consider as a private detective, but age is creeping up on him and the unexpected death of his business partner and fellow detective, Houston Fairchild, has left him wondering if it is time to hang up his magnifying glass. Then his niece, Victoria Bovington, bursts onto the scene complete with her own ideas about what the future might hold for them. Victoria is wild and a little reckless, and she has this idea she could become a private detective. Despite his best efforts, Bainbridge finds himself stuck with his niece. His personal problems fall into the background when a pugilist dies unexpectedly, and an innocent man is accused of his murder. Distracted by trying to save a friend from the noose, Bainbridge finds himself allowing Victoria to tag along as they investigate the murky world of street fighting and match fixing. Can they determined who really killed the boxer Simon One-Foot just as he was on the brink of a brand new career as a legitimate pugilist or will a man who has done no wrong end up swinging for a crime he could not have committed?
263 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 5, 2021
81 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 23, 2023
2½ stars. The colonel is mourning the recent loss of his partner and friend in the agency but abandons that mystery to take up a new one for a friend. Meanwhile his headstrong and foolish niece moves in mostly because the Colonel cannot say no, and decides she'll be a detective as well. She has no respect for anyone, particularly not her uncle who she treats as a somewhat stupid brother.
I liked the details of having a car very early in their design (where do you get fuel?) and the mystery was fairly well developed, but the Colonel while being good with people is a pretty terrible investigator. He's fat, lazy, pompous, and has none of the characteristics of a military gentleman except thinking that means he has to let people walk all over him out of fear of offense. The painfully predictable liberated-before-her-time niece is a walking bundle of slogans, but at least is not without flaws or weaknesses.
I liked the details of having a car very early in their design (where do you get fuel?) and the mystery was fairly well developed, but the Colonel while being good with people is a pretty terrible investigator. He's fat, lazy, pompous, and has none of the characteristics of a military gentleman except thinking that means he has to let people walk all over him out of fear of offense. The painfully predictable liberated-before-her-time niece is a walking bundle of slogans, but at least is not without flaws or weaknesses.
March 7, 2021
First in a new series from the author of the Clara Fitzgerald books. Really liked the relationship between Colonel Bainbridge and his niece Victoria and I am sure this will develop into a very entertaining partnership. I wasn't very interested in the plot but it was an adequate vehicle for the two detectives to introduce themselves and Inspector Dougal, whom I imagine will feature in further novels.
Unfortunately, Ms James has recently taken to using very annoying Americanisms which tend to grate with me, as do the anachronisms, spelling and grammatical errors, and her tendency to frequently misuse 'shall' in place of will. Without these irritations, it would have been 5 stars rather than 4.
Unfortunately, Ms James has recently taken to using very annoying Americanisms which tend to grate with me, as do the anachronisms, spelling and grammatical errors, and her tendency to frequently misuse 'shall' in place of will. Without these irritations, it would have been 5 stars rather than 4.
April 8, 2021
Early days in this new series..
.. and it's more of an introduction to the characters and their motivations than a great case itself.. although it is laying down groundwork for a future book.
In this we meet Colonel Julius Bainbridge, a curmudgeonly bachelor and detective who resides in Norwich and has recently lost his colleague, the American, Houston Fairchild in a shooting at a bank. Pinkerton trained the pair worked and shared a house together for many years and shared all their cases, so Julius is struggling to understand why Houston had lied about where he was going.
Julius is grief stricken and contemplating giving up when his niece Victoria Bovington arrives with a motor vehicle and plenty of sarcasm to bring him back from the brink of quitting. While Julius is trying to escape his thoughts Victoria is trying to escape her mother and marriage to Sven who's been meeting another young lady behind her back. When Sven gifts her a motor vehicle she takes it and flees to her uncle hoping that he will allow her to stay and become a detective herself.
It's a bit weak in places, especially the dialogue, as they hunt down the real killer of street fighter Simon One-Leg in an attempt to save the digitally enhanced Franklin Ward from the gallows. Franklin, having six fingers on each hand spent years as part of a freak show, now helps out at a friend's public house being of little skill and experience. He didn't throw the fatal punch that killed Simon but who did and why are Simon's friends so desperately trying to avoid the truth coming out? I hope that it improves with future books in the series.
.. and it's more of an introduction to the characters and their motivations than a great case itself.. although it is laying down groundwork for a future book.
In this we meet Colonel Julius Bainbridge, a curmudgeonly bachelor and detective who resides in Norwich and has recently lost his colleague, the American, Houston Fairchild in a shooting at a bank. Pinkerton trained the pair worked and shared a house together for many years and shared all their cases, so Julius is struggling to understand why Houston had lied about where he was going.
Julius is grief stricken and contemplating giving up when his niece Victoria Bovington arrives with a motor vehicle and plenty of sarcasm to bring him back from the brink of quitting. While Julius is trying to escape his thoughts Victoria is trying to escape her mother and marriage to Sven who's been meeting another young lady behind her back. When Sven gifts her a motor vehicle she takes it and flees to her uncle hoping that he will allow her to stay and become a detective herself.
It's a bit weak in places, especially the dialogue, as they hunt down the real killer of street fighter Simon One-Leg in an attempt to save the digitally enhanced Franklin Ward from the gallows. Franklin, having six fingers on each hand spent years as part of a freak show, now helps out at a friend's public house being of little skill and experience. He didn't throw the fatal punch that killed Simon but who did and why are Simon's friends so desperately trying to avoid the truth coming out? I hope that it improves with future books in the series.
January 22, 2022
This seems like a good start to a new series from Evelyn James. The gentleman detective and Victoria are good characters... and this helped a rather thin plot move well. I look forward to more in the series.
One negative... just as in her other books, the over use of 'shall' for 'will' is annoying. Novels written in the early 1900s show she is not right in the overuse of the word 'shall'.
One negative... just as in her other books, the over use of 'shall' for 'will' is annoying. Novels written in the early 1900s show she is not right in the overuse of the word 'shall'.
March 8, 2022
A proof of guilt.
A short but satisfying first investigation for a former military man and his niece. I have removed a star because I was disappointed at the lack of multiple suspects and the relatively straightforward conclusion. I liked the interaction of the detectives and will now read the next case.
A short but satisfying first investigation for a former military man and his niece. I have removed a star because I was disappointed at the lack of multiple suspects and the relatively straightforward conclusion. I liked the interaction of the detectives and will now read the next case.
March 4, 2021
Great New Series
This new series by one of my favourite authors is great. Looking forward to the next book, will be good to see how the relationship between Colonel Bainbridge and niece grow into a working partnership. Hope there will be many more to come.
This new series by one of my favourite authors is great. Looking forward to the next book, will be good to see how the relationship between Colonel Bainbridge and niece grow into a working partnership. Hope there will be many more to come.
April 4, 2021
A nice start to the series
Very well written. Intriguing right from the beginning, straight into the mystery. A fiesty young girl teams up with her detective uncle to find a murderer after a friend is falsely accused. A good read.
Very well written. Intriguing right from the beginning, straight into the mystery. A fiesty young girl teams up with her detective uncle to find a murderer after a friend is falsely accused. A good read.
dnf
March 8, 20251898. Colonel Bainbridge and his annoying niece Victoria investigate when Franklin Ward is arrested for the murder of boxer Simon one-foot. I found the characters especially Victoria too annoying to finish.
July 9, 2025
This was a good start to a new series from Evelyn James. The plot was simple but drawn out nicely through the book. The characters are easy to follow, though I suspect that the Colonel's niece, Victoria, could become annoying. Time will tell.
July 19, 2021
Nice one
A neat and tidy tale of murder.
Simple plot but written well. Characters good and look forward to reading more from this author
A neat and tidy tale of murder.
Simple plot but written well. Characters good and look forward to reading more from this author
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October 16, 2024DNF and not rated. I decided early on that I didn't care for the characters and didn't want to take it any further.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews