50 books: lord john grey and the private matter
Title/Author: Lord John Grey and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon
Page Count/Book Type: 301
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
Back of the Book: The year is 1757. On a clear morning in mid-June, Lord John Grey emerges from London's Beefsteak Club, his mind in turmoil. A nobleman and a high-ranking officer in His Majesty's army, Grey has just witnessed something shocking. But his efforts to avoid a scandal that might destroy his family are interrupted by something still more urgent: The Crown appoints him to investigate the brutal murder of a comrade-in-arms who may have been a traitor.
Obliged to pursue two inquiries at once, Major Grey finds himself ensnared in a web of treachery and betrayal that touches every stratum of English society -- and threatens all he holds dear. From the bawdy houses of London's night world to the stately drawing rooms of the nobility, Lord John pursues the elusive trails of a vanishing footman and a woman in green velvet, who may hold the key to everything -- or nothing.
Page One: Chapter One When First We Practice to Deceive.
London, June 1757
The Society for the Appreciation of
the English Beefsteak, a Gentleman's Club
It was the sort of thing one hopes momentarily that one has not really seen -- because life would be so much more convenient if one hadn't.
The thing was scarely shocking in itself; Lord John Grey had seen worse, could see worse now, merely by stepping out of the BEeksteak into the street. The flower girl who'd sold him a bunch of violets on his way into the club had had a half-healed gash on the back of her hand, crusted and oozing. The doorman, a veteran of the Americas, had a livid tomahawk scar that ran from hairline to jaw, bisecting the socket of a blinded eye. By contrast, the sore on the Honorable Joseph Trevelyn's privy member was quite small. Almost discreet.
Even though I'm losing steam and interest in the Outlander series (it's just too much drama and I just don't care about Jamie and Claire) the thing that keeps me coming back is Lord John Grey. Initially he was introduced in Dragonfly in Amber as a minor character, and he ended up having a reoccurring role, and we get to see him essentially grow up in the series. His spin off novels (and novellas) fill in the gaps between the main books and I love them. It's Diana Gabaldon's first attempt at writing a mystery novel and it's a fairly weak attempt, but I am so invested in the characters that it was a quick and joyous read. Unlike Outlander where my favorite minor characters disappear for hundreds of pages, there's no one to take the spotlight from John Grey and his absolutely fantastic group of companions.
He's also a much more believeable character, fleshed out and with faults that her people like Jamie and Claire seem to be lacking. I love his sense of humor, and he's a gay lead character which is somewhat unusual, and ugh. I could read these books for days, guys. The only thing actually complicated about them is that it gets difficult to keep the timeline straight, since his novels work into the main story and you want to read them in order.
(I went to Diana Gabaldon's book signing to get these signed, and I was the only one there who thinks these are the best ever. I don't even care, I will Stan for this guy.)