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!