The Price of Murder

The Price of Murder (2003) Bruce Alexander

The Price of Murder is the last, complete Sir John Fielding book written by Bruce Alexander. The body of a child is pulled from the river, and it is believed to be the body of a young girl reported as missing by her mother several weeks earlier. Meanwhile, Clarissa is pushing Jeremy to announce their engagement, while Jeremy (quite rightfully) protests that they cannot possibly get married until he is able to pass the bar work as a barrister.

The mystery is a good–although disturbing–one. The abuse and death of a child is a hard thing to read about, and even the minor details of the death disturbed me out of proportion to their few lines of text. It also contains an interesting look at horse racing in the late 1700s. When I think of horse racing, I think of the even and sanitized tracks I’ve seen on TV. However, the tracks described here were little more than rough paths that could serve as a danger to an unwary jockey and horse.

As with previous books, the strength of this story lies not in the mystery but in the fascinating historical details, given in the investigation of the crime, and in the person life of Jeremy. The time is romantic, but not overly romanticized. There is crime and poverty, and Jeremy always describes long travel as uncomfortable. It’s interesting to read about this time period–but the writing always serves to remind me that I wouldn’t want to live back then.

As the last, complete book written by Bruce Alexander, this actually serves as a good conclusion to the series. No threads are left hanging, and many threads are wrapped up. I’ve read the reviews of the last book, and am unsure whether I want to read a book started–but not finished–by Bruce Alexander. I’ll think about it for awhile, and then get back to you.
Rating: 8/10

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