With a stroke in the mind, the pen of Charles Dickens was
stilled forever on June 8, 1870 right in the middle of
writing his fifteenth book, THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD. How
did he plan to end it? Will we ever know?
Few clues were left in that regard, but that did nothing to
still the speculation and debate that continues to ensue
over the centuries, resulting in many scholarly works and
discussions. To further that debate, The International
Society of Droodists, are having their 17th Triennial
Conference of the United States Chapter (Western Sector) at
the famous Hotel Elliott in Astoria, Oregon. Not only does
this distinctive and famous hotel perfectly suit the theme
of the conference, it is relatively near the picturesque
village of Dickens Junction and many conference
participants are looking forward to visiting this friendly
community with a tradition of upholding many of the values
and traditions inspired by none other than Charles
Dickens!
Bettina Law, the Conference Chair, and Simon Alastair,
owner of Pip's Pages, a wonderfully stocked bookstore in
Dickens Junction and the grandson of that community's
founder, are busy doing the last minute touches before
getting ready to greet their delegates. Some are famous
Dickens scholars (Buckminister Drabb and Dean Minor) and
others drawn by their love of Dickens, including the famous
American actress Jennifer Wren, a Dickens blogger Daniel
(Quilpy) Quill, a hypnotist, Mr. Morgan Gregious and Osma
Dilber, an elderly Junxonian lady dedicated to preserving
Dickensiana and owner of a famous ruby ring, the Heart of
Helsinki.
Things move along as most conferences do and heated
discussions occur about Bucky's claim regarding Dickens'
Number Plan Six and the Forster Fraud. People are
discussing the entertainment and where to go for dinner.
In the midst of all this, tragedy strikes. Then, as
Detective Boggs is in the midst of this complex
investigation involving death and thefts, another murder
occurs. Who could possibly be behind this?
Meanwhile, despite his own concerns about what might be
happening in his relationship with his love partner the
handsome Zach Benjamin, Simon feels duty bound to
investigate what is happening and to help save his beloved
community's reputation. It has to be someone connected
with the conference, but who?
Christopher Lord's THE EDWIN DROOD MURDERS is an intriguing
read on its own as a stand-alone book; however, fans of THE
CHRISTMAS CAROL MURDERS are sure to be thrilled with the
opportunity to revisit the fictitious town of Dickens
Junction, Oregon in this second book of Lord's Dickens
Junction Mystery Series.
Whether one is a Dickens fan or not, there is lots to
enjoy in Lord's new mystery as the conference organizers
strive to hold things together while lots of plotting and
literary wittiness goes on behind the doors in the Hotel
Elliott. Will they have to cancel or not?
Lord's characters are quirky and intriguing and tend to
have the most unusual names (I would like to know how he
comes up with them); yet, they all come across as human and
authentic in their motivations as you get to know them more
deeply as the story develops and the plot thickens.
Having a conference theme is a great vehicle for Lord to
introduce many diverse characters while still moving the
storyline along for some of the Junxonians. I especially
enjoyed the surprise visit of George Bascomb, Simon's
good longstanding friend, in the story and his drool
advice. The story line is also nicely balanced between what
is happening at the conference with Simon's pondering over
just how much commitment and delicious meals can he expect
from Zach now that this hunky journalist has moved nearer
to Simon. While this is a gay romance, the relationship
issues are universal and readers will connect well to this
dilemma. There are also changes in the future for Miss
Tox, Simon's lovely cat, so you will definitely want to
find out what will be happening in this household in
Dickens Junction! So, get that glass of wine, sit back and
savour this new entertaining, imaginative and inventive
mystery!
The Droodists have arrived in Dickens Junction. Local
bookstore owner Simon Alastair has his hands full in his
role as co-chair for the latest convention honoring Charles
Dickens's uncompleted novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. A
movie star, a pesky blogger, dueling scholars, a stage
hypnotist, and an old family friend (among others) all have
claims on Simon's time. In addition, some Droodists are
clearly more-or less-than they appear, including a
mysterious young man by the improbable name of Edwin Drood.
When a priceless ring and a rare Dickensian artifact go
missing, Simon and his reporter-partner Zach Benjamin learn
that someone will do anything-including murder-to obtain an
object of desire.
The Edwin Drood Murders is the new entry in the Dickens
Junction mystery series that began with The Christmas Carol
Murders, a book that New York Times thriller writer Chelsea
Cain called "a love letter to both Dickens and to the small
town amateur detectives who've kept the peace in hamlets
from River Heights to Cabot Cove."
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