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Charles Dickens & Superintendent Sam Jones #9
Summons to Murder
Charles Dickens and Superintendent Jones investigate another shocking murder! Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Victorian crime mysteries, A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield …
Dickens investigates the death of a man embroiled in scandal …
London, 1851
Pierce Mallory, a gentleman journalist, is found dead in his lodgings with a gunshot wound in his head and a duelling pistol beside him.
Though the death is deemed a suicide, Mallory’s friends — including Charles Dickens — don’t believe that he would have taken his own life.
Dickens therefore returns to the scene of Mallory’s demise, along with Superintendent Sam Jones from Bow Street. On further investigation, they soon find evidence that Mallory was murdered.
A notorious philanderer, there are plenty of people who could have wanted Mallory dead — including abandoned lovers and jealous husbands.
And as Dickens and Jones dig further into Mallory’s personal affairs, it seems that there are more shocking scandals waiting to be uncovered…
Was Mallory’s murder a crime of passion? What secrets was he harbouring?
And can Dickens untangle the web of intrigue he left behind…?
Summons to Murder is the ninth urban mystery in J. C. Briggs’ literary historical series, the Charles Dickens investigations, a traditional British detective series set in Victorian London.
The Charles Dickens Investigations
BOOK The Murder of Patience Brooke
BOOK Death at Hungerford Stairs
BOOK Murder by Ghostlight
BOOK The Quickening and the Dead
BOOK At Midnight In Venice
BOOK The Redemption Murders
BOOK The Mystery of the Hawke Sapphires
BOOK The Chinese Puzzle
BOOK Summons to Murder
BOOK The Jaggard Case
Dickens investigates the death of a man embroiled in scandal …
London, 1851
Pierce Mallory, a gentleman journalist, is found dead in his lodgings with a gunshot wound in his head and a duelling pistol beside him.
Though the death is deemed a suicide, Mallory’s friends — including Charles Dickens — don’t believe that he would have taken his own life.
Dickens therefore returns to the scene of Mallory’s demise, along with Superintendent Sam Jones from Bow Street. On further investigation, they soon find evidence that Mallory was murdered.
A notorious philanderer, there are plenty of people who could have wanted Mallory dead — including abandoned lovers and jealous husbands.
And as Dickens and Jones dig further into Mallory’s personal affairs, it seems that there are more shocking scandals waiting to be uncovered…
Was Mallory’s murder a crime of passion? What secrets was he harbouring?
And can Dickens untangle the web of intrigue he left behind…?
Summons to Murder is the ninth urban mystery in J. C. Briggs’ literary historical series, the Charles Dickens investigations, a traditional British detective series set in Victorian London.
The Charles Dickens Investigations
BOOK The Murder of Patience Brooke
BOOK Death at Hungerford Stairs
BOOK Murder by Ghostlight
BOOK The Quickening and the Dead
BOOK At Midnight In Venice
BOOK The Redemption Murders
BOOK The Mystery of the Hawke Sapphires
BOOK The Chinese Puzzle
BOOK Summons to Murder
BOOK The Jaggard Case
386 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 22, 2021
About the author
J.C. Briggs
18 books60 followersJean Briggs taught English for many years in schools in Cheshire, Hong Kong and Lancashire. She now lives in a cottage in Cumbria, a non-metropolitan county in North West England.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 8, 2023
‘What’s that? A sound cracks the air.’
London, 1851. Pierce Mallory is found dead in his lodgings. There’s a gunshot wound in his head, and a duelling pistol beside him. The verdict is suicide. But Mallory’s friends, including Charles Dickens, think that Mallory was most unlikely to take his own life: while his personal life was quite scandalous, he was on his way to Constantinople. Dickens approaches his good friend Superintendent Sam Jones from Bow Street. The duelling pistol (one of a pair) is taken to the manufacturer, and it is quickly established that it had not been fired.
Who murdered Pierce Mallory and why? There is no shortage of people who might have wished Mallory dead: he leaves behind several abandoned lovers (some with children) as well as some jealous husbands. The more Dickens and Jones dig, the more scandals they uncover. With the help of the inestimable Scrap, answers are found. But others will lose their lives before this case is solved.
Ms Briggs brings 19th century London to life, with its huge social chasm between rich and poor and the relatively inferior position occupied by most women. There are secrets to be uncovered, past injustices and plenty of intrigue. While investigating, Charles Dickens finds ideas for his own stories while helping to solve crime.
This is the ninth book in this series by Ms Briggs. I have read and enjoyed eight of them (and will search out the one I have missed). While this novel can be read as a standalone, I heartily recommend this well-written mystery series set in Victorian England.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
London, 1851. Pierce Mallory is found dead in his lodgings. There’s a gunshot wound in his head, and a duelling pistol beside him. The verdict is suicide. But Mallory’s friends, including Charles Dickens, think that Mallory was most unlikely to take his own life: while his personal life was quite scandalous, he was on his way to Constantinople. Dickens approaches his good friend Superintendent Sam Jones from Bow Street. The duelling pistol (one of a pair) is taken to the manufacturer, and it is quickly established that it had not been fired.
Who murdered Pierce Mallory and why? There is no shortage of people who might have wished Mallory dead: he leaves behind several abandoned lovers (some with children) as well as some jealous husbands. The more Dickens and Jones dig, the more scandals they uncover. With the help of the inestimable Scrap, answers are found. But others will lose their lives before this case is solved.
Ms Briggs brings 19th century London to life, with its huge social chasm between rich and poor and the relatively inferior position occupied by most women. There are secrets to be uncovered, past injustices and plenty of intrigue. While investigating, Charles Dickens finds ideas for his own stories while helping to solve crime.
This is the ninth book in this series by Ms Briggs. I have read and enjoyed eight of them (and will search out the one I have missed). While this novel can be read as a standalone, I heartily recommend this well-written mystery series set in Victorian England.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
December 29, 2021
I am glad that I am ending my year with a book by J C Briggs. I've not always been successful in getting the books but am very appreciative to Sapere Books for sending this on to me.
1851 London - Detective Sam Jones and Charles Dickens are good friends. They also know a kind of fatalistic feeling that they are working against great odds. Especially when one of the aristocracy is involved. London is not kind to the poor and helpless, the system of law and justice is weighted heavily in favour of the rich, the famous and the powerful.
Depicting London at its worst one could be forgiven for thinking that this is not part of the developed world even in 1851 - the primitive way of living, the squalor and dirt and illness found in the slums of London cheek by jowl to the houses of the rich and famous was in itself upsetting to read about. The callousness and indifference of those who had it all to those who worked for them and came from the lower economic and social classes was immense and hard to even read about.
Here the two men have to find a murderer of a friend of theirs. Pierce Mallory was found with a gunshot wound to his head, deemed as a suicide but Dickens knows that this is not the case. Uncovering a story of bigamy, murder, cruelty (forcible incarceration of a wife in an asylum) and using his wits and cleverness to acquire more and more wealth our suspect is a legal luminary much respected and feared by his peers and a member of the aristocracy to boot. Getting him acquitted is not going to be an easy task.
The story is both of the historical and mystery murder genre and covers both in great detail. The plot is complicated the suspects and victims are many but the story weaves a good tale to keep the reader engrossed.
1851 London - Detective Sam Jones and Charles Dickens are good friends. They also know a kind of fatalistic feeling that they are working against great odds. Especially when one of the aristocracy is involved. London is not kind to the poor and helpless, the system of law and justice is weighted heavily in favour of the rich, the famous and the powerful.
Depicting London at its worst one could be forgiven for thinking that this is not part of the developed world even in 1851 - the primitive way of living, the squalor and dirt and illness found in the slums of London cheek by jowl to the houses of the rich and famous was in itself upsetting to read about. The callousness and indifference of those who had it all to those who worked for them and came from the lower economic and social classes was immense and hard to even read about.
Here the two men have to find a murderer of a friend of theirs. Pierce Mallory was found with a gunshot wound to his head, deemed as a suicide but Dickens knows that this is not the case. Uncovering a story of bigamy, murder, cruelty (forcible incarceration of a wife in an asylum) and using his wits and cleverness to acquire more and more wealth our suspect is a legal luminary much respected and feared by his peers and a member of the aristocracy to boot. Getting him acquitted is not going to be an easy task.
The story is both of the historical and mystery murder genre and covers both in great detail. The plot is complicated the suspects and victims are many but the story weaves a good tale to keep the reader engrossed.
August 6, 2022
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Summons to Murder is the 9th Charles Dickens investigation by J.C. Briggs. Released 22nd Dec 2021 by Sapere Books, it's 386 pages (print edition) and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book (and the rest of the series) is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.
This is a engagingly well written and plotted historical mystery series with three dimensional characters and a commendable Dickens vibe in the situations, settings, and characterizations. I've enjoyed these historical mysteries set in the middle of the 19th century in London and environs. Fictional sleuth Dickens is clever, loyal, dogged, and practical and his friendship and cooperative investigation with superintendent Sam Jones makes for engaging and entertaining reading. The plots are always convoluted and well engineered, full of twists and surprises. The story itself is written around a framework of real historical events and people and so well entwined that it's not always apparent where reality shades over into fiction. Each of the mysteries works well as a standalone with a self contained mystery, plotline, denouement, and resolution.
Four stars.
Overall, it's a good read and a quality example of the historical-person-as-amateur-sleuth sub-genre. With 9 books extant in the series, and a 10th due out in 4th quarter 2022, it'll be a good choice for a long weekend's binge.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Summons to Murder is the 9th Charles Dickens investigation by J.C. Briggs. Released 22nd Dec 2021 by Sapere Books, it's 386 pages (print edition) and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book (and the rest of the series) is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.
This is a engagingly well written and plotted historical mystery series with three dimensional characters and a commendable Dickens vibe in the situations, settings, and characterizations. I've enjoyed these historical mysteries set in the middle of the 19th century in London and environs. Fictional sleuth Dickens is clever, loyal, dogged, and practical and his friendship and cooperative investigation with superintendent Sam Jones makes for engaging and entertaining reading. The plots are always convoluted and well engineered, full of twists and surprises. The story itself is written around a framework of real historical events and people and so well entwined that it's not always apparent where reality shades over into fiction. Each of the mysteries works well as a standalone with a self contained mystery, plotline, denouement, and resolution.
Four stars.
Overall, it's a good read and a quality example of the historical-person-as-amateur-sleuth sub-genre. With 9 books extant in the series, and a 10th due out in 4th quarter 2022, it'll be a good choice for a long weekend's binge.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
March 31, 2023
In volume 9, an acquaintance of Dickens, and a friend of his friend, the novelist, Thackeray, is found dead, apparently a suicide, in a derelict house due for demolition. Thackeray requests that Dickens ask Superintendent Jones to take a look and, with the assistance of a gunsmith, it soon becomes apparent that the man was shot using a totally different type of gun than the duelling pistol found by the body. Soon a complex enquiry is underway, involving forged wills, women incarcerated in lunatic asylums, various types of poison, and young men ruined by a powerful and rich lawyer and his henchman.
Dickens himself is endangered and also young Scrap, the street boy whom Dickens and Jones have befriended and who often goes undercover for them. There is one scene of flooding by the Thames which graphically illustrates why the Embankment was built, and is an absolute tour de force of vivid action and description, with a strong emotional undertow. A thoroughly enjoyable five star read.
Dickens himself is endangered and also young Scrap, the street boy whom Dickens and Jones have befriended and who often goes undercover for them. There is one scene of flooding by the Thames which graphically illustrates why the Embankment was built, and is an absolute tour de force of vivid action and description, with a strong emotional undertow. A thoroughly enjoyable five star read.
December 20, 2021
1851 London. Friend of Dickens, Pierce Mallory, has been found shot. The initial verdict was suicide but on further investigation murder is proven. As his lifestyle provides many suspects will it be possible for Superintendent Jones and Charles Dickens to find the guilty party, and the motive.
A well-plotted and entertaining historical mystery. This well-written story with its cast of varied and likeable characters is another good addition to the series. The book can easily be read as a standalone story.
A well-plotted and entertaining historical mystery. This well-written story with its cast of varied and likeable characters is another good addition to the series. The book can easily be read as a standalone story.
December 30, 2021
The best yet!
I have loved all these Charles Dickens Investigates books but this one surpasses all those that went before. The author brings mid Victorian London to life in a way only Dickens himself could do. As always a cast of wonderfully convincing characters, a twisting plot worthy of Mr D himself and a satisfying outcome....eventually after much trial, tribulation and suspenseful moments. The regular characters become more endearing with each book. Thank you J C Briggs for another wonderful read.
I have loved all these Charles Dickens Investigates books but this one surpasses all those that went before. The author brings mid Victorian London to life in a way only Dickens himself could do. As always a cast of wonderfully convincing characters, a twisting plot worthy of Mr D himself and a satisfying outcome....eventually after much trial, tribulation and suspenseful moments. The regular characters become more endearing with each book. Thank you J C Briggs for another wonderful read.
March 10, 2022
Another J.C. Briggs book that is a joy to read. Fast paced with enough twists and turns to keep the reader intrigued. I've mentioned before how well these Dickens books are researched and this one is no exception but it's the authors passion for their subject and their ability to write a story that bring the characters and places to life. Victorian England is superbly presented in all its dark glory and the reader can well imagine the sights, sounds and smells.
This book is definitely one to add to the reading list.
This book is definitely one to add to the reading list.
March 19, 2022
Absolutely love this series of Victorian mysteries. Great characters, mainly Superintendent Jones, Charles and of course Scrap, but the lesser players too are so well written, you feel you almost know them. Well written, they bring Charles Dickens and Victorian London to life. I really hope there are a lot more of these books planned. They are a really good length, full of twists and turns, something to really enjoy on cold wet evenings. Or even in the garden on a summer day. Very entertaining. Hope there's a new one out very soon
December 23, 2021
Wow!
Terrific series and this is another winner! Superintendent Jones and Charles Dickens investigate an apparent suicide that is actually a murder to solve. Each piece of evidence leads to more complications. This is a very intricate, involved plot that implicates many highly placed individuals. The root is 30 years in the past with a major figure hiding his identity, family, marriage, child, bigamy, and several murders to protect himself! Enjoy!
Terrific series and this is another winner! Superintendent Jones and Charles Dickens investigate an apparent suicide that is actually a murder to solve. Each piece of evidence leads to more complications. This is a very intricate, involved plot that implicates many highly placed individuals. The root is 30 years in the past with a major figure hiding his identity, family, marriage, child, bigamy, and several murders to protect himself! Enjoy!
February 1, 2022
Classic murder mystery.
Every book in this series is worth an easy five stars. Dickens and Jones and regular characters, Scrap, Rogers, Feak and Stemp are a delight to meet again. Each case is complex to unravel and this one is no exception. The author is a master at setting a scene and brings Victorian London vividly to life as if you were present yourself. Very highly recommended to all fans of Victorian crime fiction.
Every book in this series is worth an easy five stars. Dickens and Jones and regular characters, Scrap, Rogers, Feak and Stemp are a delight to meet again. Each case is complex to unravel and this one is no exception. The author is a master at setting a scene and brings Victorian London vividly to life as if you were present yourself. Very highly recommended to all fans of Victorian crime fiction.
July 6, 2022
Dickens investigates anothe
Once again Dickens is trying to resolve a mystery, this time involving the dead man’s “family”. The lot is complicated and much like those of one of his novels and the characters call to mind ones from novels, which is to be expected in a historical fiction. The language resembles Dickens language, and his novel flow. The story is excellent and the conclusion is reasonable. Altogether an admirable read.
Once again Dickens is trying to resolve a mystery, this time involving the dead man’s “family”. The lot is complicated and much like those of one of his novels and the characters call to mind ones from novels, which is to be expected in a historical fiction. The language resembles Dickens language, and his novel flow. The story is excellent and the conclusion is reasonable. Altogether an admirable read.
February 8, 2022
Riveting
Every book in this series has captured my mind. Full of wonderful descriptive prose. Curious characters who are set in a murky victorian world who seem timeless. Dickens and Jones show human kindness; filled with intelligence and great bonhomie partners in these beautiful intriguing mysteries.
Every book in this series has captured my mind. Full of wonderful descriptive prose. Curious characters who are set in a murky victorian world who seem timeless. Dickens and Jones show human kindness; filled with intelligence and great bonhomie partners in these beautiful intriguing mysteries.
January 2, 2022
Fantastic series
I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole series. Brilliantly descriptive and evocative of the times. I'm sure Charles Dickens would have been very happy to give his approval to these well thought out stories
I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole series. Brilliantly descriptive and evocative of the times. I'm sure Charles Dickens would have been very happy to give his approval to these well thought out stories
March 4, 2025
To many characters to keep track of. The appendix help but disrupting
To many characters to keep track of. The appendix help but disrupted my reading. I finally printed the pages to keep them at hand.
To many characters to keep track of. The appendix help but disrupted my reading. I finally printed the pages to keep them at hand.
February 4, 2022
Bleak House!!
This story in this book is so like Dickens Bleak House! Jarndyce &Jarndyce all over again. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Praise indeed for JC Briggs!
This story in this book is so like Dickens Bleak House! Jarndyce &Jarndyce all over again. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Praise indeed for JC Briggs!
July 18, 2022
A tough job awaits Dickens and Jones in this book, where they continually find they are thwarted in their undertakings.
It starts with the possible suicide of an acquaintance of Dickens and Thackeray. Thackeray thinks there is something not right about the verdict and knows that Dickens will look into it. Which he does with Superintendent Jones and they very quickly learn they are looking at murder. I liked that bit, where they visited the gunsmith and he puts them right.
Still, it is a long slog for them and their foe feels very secure.
Great series.
It starts with the possible suicide of an acquaintance of Dickens and Thackeray. Thackeray thinks there is something not right about the verdict and knows that Dickens will look into it. Which he does with Superintendent Jones and they very quickly learn they are looking at murder. I liked that bit, where they visited the gunsmith and he puts them right.
Still, it is a long slog for them and their foe feels very secure.
Great series.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews