"Wonderful homage to a notable writer"

In 1775 a saddened Lord Chief Justice William Murray asks a favor of Sir John Fielding, the magistrate of the Bow St. Court. William explains to John and his clerk Jeremy Proctor how Lord Francis Talley died. The aristocrat was completing work on a bill to blockade the four biggest American ports so the economic consequences will put an end to the Adams' nonsense when he left his office to take a walk. Halfway across the Westminster Bridge he suddenly leaped into the Thames; several witnesses willingly testified to that account of the suicide. William wonders why. John agrees to make discrete inquiries to learn what motivated Francis to kill himself.

John and Jeremy soon learn that Dr. Goldsworthy, is a newcomer in town whose patron is the widow of William's clerk. This leads the sleuths to wonder who would gain most by Lord Francis dying and soon realize that no member of the dysfunctional Lammermoor family grieves and some act euphoric celebrating the death of its patriarch Lord Francis.

Though the great mystery author Bruce Alexander passed away, his fans (including this reviewer) still have a treat as his wife and John Shannon completed his last Sir John novel and no one will know who wrote which part. The story line is fabulous as Jeremy is a sort of Watson looking back from near the end of the century writing about his salad days as a clerk sleuthing for his employer and mentor. Sir John and Jeremy remain true to their personalities from previous tales and the mystery of Lord Francis' death is cleverly designed. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT is a wonderful homage to a notable writer.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted March 12, 2005

Summary

A final gift from Bruce Alexander: a new book in his acclaimed mystery series about eighteenth-century blind London judge Sir John Fielding. Beloved by legions of fans and a staple of best-of-year book lists, the Fielding mysteries thrill readers with a pitch-perfect fusion of vivid characterizations, evocative atmosphere, and riveting plotlines. And now, for all those fans, here is one more. In Rules of Engagement, Sir John and Jeremy are confronted with a series of bizarre deaths on the streets of Georgian London in a mystery that tests even Sir John's legendary skills of deduction. When Lord Lammermoor, a close personal friend of the Lord Chief Justice's, plunges to his death from the heights of Westminster Bridge in front of a dozen witnesses, suicide is ruled as the most likely cause of death. But Lammermoor's fatal leap coincides with the arrival of Dr. Goldsworthy, a student of the famous Dr. Anton Mesmer and his studies in animal magnetism. Sir John's suspicions are piqued when it is discovered that Goldsworthy's patron in London is none other than the beautiful and austere Lady Lammermoor. Meanwhile, Jeremy's sleuthing uncovers a web of intrigue within the ranks of the Lammermoor family, and the deeper he investigates, the more suspects he uncovers who stand to gain from Lammermoor's death.