The Blue and the Grey: A Grand & Batchelor Victorian mystery

M.J. Trow

I have to admit that I have never been a fan of the American Civil War era in books.  For whatever reason, I much prefer mysteries that take place in the Victorian England.  This book may have changed my mind, just a little bit.  There are parts of the story that take place in England and have all the trappings of a Victorian mystery, but I found myself more drawn to the action that took place on American soil.  I enjoyed the transplanted American in London details.  World travel was much more uncommon back then, so the experience for Grand must have been nearly overwhelming.  

The first few chapters, describing Lincoln’s assassination, were well written.  Having recently visited Washington D.C., I found myself remembering the street that contains both the theater and the boarding house that are now so famous in history.  All of the activity that surrounded Lincoln's assassination, the murders and attempted murders of other in the cabinet, was an education to me.  I must have learned about it in school, but I was taken by surprise reading about it in this novel.  They mysteries in the book were interesting and kept me wanting to read to find out who was responsible.  An education inside a novel that you can't put down, hooray for M.J. Trow!