Last Nocturne by M.J. Trow Book Review

Synopsis

Private detectives Grand & Batchelor's latest case draws them into the arcane world of high art and high society in this compelling Victorian mystery.

London. May, 1878. Private enquiry agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor have been hired by the artist James Whistler to dig into the past of outspoken critic John Ruskin, with whom he has an ongoing feud. Not particularly optimistic of success, the two detectives are sidetracked from the investigation by the murder of a prostitute in nearby Cremorne Gardens. Her body posed on a park bench, a book on birth control sitting on her lap, Clara Jenkins is not the first young woman to have met a similarly grisly fate - and she won't be the last.

Could there be a connection between the Cremorne killer and their art world case? With the investigation heading nowhere fast, Grand comes up with a decidedly unorthodox plan to ensnare the killer. But even the best-laid plans have a nasty habit of going catastrophically awry ...

My Thoughts

Having enjoyed the previous six books in this series, I anticipated another great read. Unfortunately, although I found certain aspects of the plot entertaining, I struggled through this one.

Last Nocturne began interestingly enough - with a murder and the introduction of a rookie detective, Detective Constable William Barnes of the newly formed Criminal investigation Department. Barnes is attending his first murder, that of a prostitute in Cremorne Gardens, a place with a reputation for night time assignations.

Meanwhile, Matthew Grand and James Batchelor's new case takes them into the world of art. James Whistler is suing art critic John Rushkin for libel over a comment made about one of his paintings and has hired the enquiry agents to look into Rushkin's background. The rivalry between these two men and their legal battle is historical fact. I enjoyed this aspect of the book involving historical figures connected to the Victorian art world – other artists, gallery owners and artists' models. Eventually, their case is linked to Barnes's murder enquiry.

However, the two cases faded into the background due to an abundance of characters, fictional and historical. Apart from those already mentioned, they included a cross-dressing soldier and Grand's fiancée, Lady Caroline Wentworth, whose visits to the supposedly haunted Grosvenor Gallery causes fainting spells. I found these episodes irritating rather than funny. That Grand even had a fiancée came as a surprise, but given it was three years since the events of the last book, this is quite plausible.

Also, in those three years, Grand seems to have undergone a personality change, and not for the better. I disliked him and found him as annoying as Lady Caroline. Thank goodness Batchelor has sidelined romance until he has written his great novel, as romance definitely has had a detrimental effect on Grand.

For selfish reasons, Lady Caroline influences the future dynamics of the agency. And so the incredibly good-looking Alexander (Gan) Martin is employed, much to the delight of Miss Wolstenholme, the typist. Gan's entrance into the story brings with it another historical figure, Oscar Wilde.

The plan devised to unmask the killer resulted in a chaotic scene I likened to the mad dashes of the Keystone Cops. The silliness of it did make me smile.

While Last Nocturne wasn't a favourite, I'm not ready to give up on this series just yet. I'm hoping Grand and Batcherlor's next case will be more to my taste and that Grand's personality change is only transient.