An intriguing plot redeems in part Finch's otherwise disappointing 12th Charles Lenox mystery (after 2018's The Woman in the Water), the middle of a prequel trilogy. In 1853, Lenox, who has set himself up as a private investigator, is retained by the Duke of Dorset to look into the theft of a painting from his London home. Oddly, the duke, who declares that the artwork is of little consequence to him, wants Lenox just to identify the thief. The detective is even more startled to learn that the burglar made off with a family portrait while leaving behind something much more valuable, what the aristocrat claims to be "the only existing oil painting from life of the writer William Shakespeare." A kidnapping and a murder follow, both of which may be related to a rumored lost Shakespeare play. Some interludes, including the Wodehousian banter between Lenox and his valet, Graham, fall flat, and the characterization isn't up to the standard of earlier entries in the series. Hopefully, Finch will return to form next time. 75,000-copy announced first printing. Agent: Elizabeth Weed, Book Group. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

*Starred Review* In London in 1853, detective Charles Lenox, 26, is thrilled to be retained by the Duke of Dorset, one of the highest-ranking persons in the country, after a portrait is stolen from his study. When the duke is subsequently kidnapped, in what Lenox finds is a ruse, the two have words, leading to the duke's denouncing Lenox publicly at the city's most prestigious men's club and Lenox's social standing instantly plummeting. But since the duke still needs help, he makes amends, revealing that the portrait has clues to a treasure, and Lenox is back on the case. Before long, he has a related murder to solve, as well as a puzzle about an inmate at Bedlam. This sequel to a prequel (The Woman in the Water, 2018) continues with Lenox's earliest detecting adventures and Lady Jane's efforts to find him a wife, plus a laugh-out-loud passage from Lenox's 12-year-old cousin, Lancelot, conversing with the duke. Fans of the series, which set the earlier Lenox novels in the 1860s, will know what's coming in the detective's personal and professional life, but that in no way decreases the pleasure of this account of his earlier life. Finch's nimble prose, edged with humor, makes this twelfth in the Charles Lenox series a pure delight.--Michele Leber Copyright 2019 Booklist