You will like Lord John in New York until the last page.
High Point: The Williamsons created one adventure after another as the hero tracks down his sweetheart.
Low Point: The ending reads like a back-page newspaper article.
Authors: C.N. & A.M. Williamson
Publication Date: 1918
Genre: Mystery
You will like C.N. and A.M. Williamson’s Lord John in New York until the last page.
Originally published in 1915, the novel reads as a comic book story. The protagonist, an amateur detective, pursues the love of his life through adventure after adventure. As he unravels her secrets, the London-based aristocrat travels to New York, France, Egypt and back to London. Along the way, the Williamsons place Lord John in a number of side mysteries that, little by little, help him track his sweetheart as he attempts to rescue her from mysterious nefarious forces.
Until the conclusion, the book is full of rich descriptive narrative and dialog as the levels of suspense ebb and flow. The climax, unfortunately, reads like a brief newspaper article buried deep in the back pages—no suspense, no dialog, just a three-paragraph description of the conclusion.
I have the impression the Williamsons simply got tired, bored, or to be generous, perhaps had a hard deadline which precluded a refined finish. Whatever the reason, you’ll wonder if the destination was worth the effort of the journey.
Movie/TV Adaptation
Lord John in New York (1915)
Sources For This Book
Free eBook (Project Gutenberg): Lord John in New York
Free Audiobook (LibriVox): Not available
Available to Purchase: AbeBooks, Biblio, Thriftbooks
