The Charles Lenox Mysteries is an immersive historical series set in late Victorian England. It follows Charles Lenox, an aristocratic amateur detective in London, who is fascinated with crime and assists his friends and Scotland Yard in investigating cases.

The books are well-plotted mysteries that lean towards the cozy genre rather than being gritty or psychological. Fans of the books love Charles Finch’s evocative descriptions of the period and the lead character’s charm. Lenox is a true gentleman, smart, kind, and principled who likes his quiet moments of contemplation and relaxing with a cup of tea and a good book as much as he enjoys applying new scientific techniques to solve crimes.

Charles Finch has written a prequel trilogy within the series that follows Lenox from his youth up to the events of A Beautiful Blue Death (Book 1). The internal trilogy begins with Woman In The Water (Book 11) and continues with The Vanishing Man (Book 12). These prequel books are sometimes numbered 01, 02, and 03 for clarity. Finch suggests that readers can start with the prequel trilogy or follow the original publication order. Fans recommend reading the Lenox series in order to fully appreciate the characters’ development throughout the books.