Montmorency and the Assassins: Master, Criminal, Spy?

Montmorency #3

by Eleanor Updale

Montmorency, the man who leads a double life as both a criminal and a gentleman, is back for his most thrilling adventure yet in the final installment of the Montmorency trilogy.

As the nineteenth century draws to a close, war is in the air, and influenza is sweeping the globe. After twenty years as a gentleman, Montmorency is glad to be free of Scarper, his wretched alter-ego. However, when Montmorency's young friend Frank finds himself caught in the middle of a murderous political plot, Montmorency may have no choice but to call upon none other than Scarper for help.

Follow Montmorency, Fox-Selwyn, Dr. Farcett, and a whole new generation of characters on their travels from London to Scotland, Italy and America.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Adventure, Teen

416 pages, Hardcover

First published May 20, 2005

About the author

Eleanor Updale studied history at St. Anne's College, Oxford, before becoming a producer of TV and radio current affairs programmes for the BBC. Her first children's novel, Montmorency, won the Silver Smarties Prize and the Medway Book Award.

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the first book in this series Thief, Liar, Gentleman?. Yes, the story stretches the limits of believability. An urchin with no education is readily accepted as a member of the upper classes in Victorian London. His transformation from callous thief to refined gentleman occurs overnight upon his attending his first opera. Yet, I decided to accept these improbable twists and go along with the story.

But the second book Montmorency On The Rocks: Doctor, Aristocrat, Murderer? took a turn for the worst. Instead of developing their personality, here the characters became even shallower. The plot is random, the reasons behind the characters' actions non-existent or contradictory with their previous behaviors.

The female characters even less developed that their male counterparts and that is to say something. There is no hint of any kind of sexuality on any of them, male or female, even though one of the females is a prostitute. And by the way, this is a YA novel, am I the only one to have a problem with that?

Apparently so. For the protagonists, even the aristocratic lord, accept her easily enough. And then, there is the bomb, at the end of the second book, that the said prostitute is pregnant. As I said, there is no hint of any relationship before, so the reader is left wondering who is the father of the baby.

The reader is not the only one wondering, for during this, the third book, the three male protagonists wonder too whether they are the father of the now 13 year old boy. Which means the mother was the lover of the three men. At least once. Yet, the four of them get along swimmingly. Really?

Then, there is Maggie, the doormat nurse, who does everything for her love interest, without asking anything in return. Her selfishness is irritating. Is this what we want our daughters to become?

Plus the story in this third installment makes even less sense than the previous ones. And the characters, aristocrats, anarchists, working classes and the new American industrialists are all clichés and poorly developed. And don't get me started with the contrivance of the reappearance in America of a secondary character from the first book.

Overall terribly disappointing.

[Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in the excellent historical thriller series, this is the last one I read. Longer series generally do not sit well with me for some reason. I either lose interest or they gradually decline in quality. Fortunately, neither was the case here. This book is every bit as good as the first two.

The plot of this one becomes much more political than the last two (not in the sense of being a manifesto, but it involves itself in political events of the time), which is a controversial turn but one I liked. The historical fiction aspects of the series were always some of my favourite parts, and they became more prevalent in this one.

Montmorency himself, on the other hand, becomes less prevalent. This was not a big problem for me, as my favourite character was Fox-Selwyn, but those who felt that the duality of Scarper/Montmorency was the main appeal of the first book probably will be a little disappointed in this one. Devoted fans of the series will probably also be struck by Fox-Selwyn's murder. This was hugely unfortunate, I think, from a character perspective, but it doesn't feel contrived or anything.

The espionage aspects of this book keep the plot moving and root it more firmly in the time period. I can't vouch for the fourth book (which I have not read), but this one is well worth your time if you enjoyed the first two.

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is set at least two decades later than the previous volume. It also takes place over two years. I suppose in real life this would be realistic for people investigating against anarchist plots in multiple locations on different continents, but it was a little odd to read, especially as they kept referring to people and events that occurred in the years between the books, that reader only gets glimpses of. Overall, it was quite different in feel from the previous books, which were also fairly different from one another. In this one I felt that the political story was more interesting than the characters, whose attempted emotional depths fell a little flat.

[Carter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book. This was the 3ed book in the series. This book was about a middle age man and he was a good criminal. He did bad things and illegal things but he was nice to everyone and respectful so no one thought he was a criminal. In the beginning of the book a lady named maggie died of a sickness and she was going to marry him. He was over in london and by the time the letter got to him she had already been dead for 3 weeks. This would be terrible to know that she had died 3 weeks ago and then not even get say goodbye or anything. They were going to get married also. Montmorency worked for a man by the name of Scraper who was a guy that always had someone he wanted to kill or something he wanted to steal. Montmorency's friend Frank got into some murder problems and now hes going to gave to ask Scarper for help. Montmorency is worried because he had just got away from Scarper and was free.

[Tales Untangled · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was quite intriguing how Updale made the workers plight so immediate. She showed how a young person could easily be swayed into a fanatic belief and behavior that reminded me of the current political climate with terrorists attracting young men today. It was insightful to see the class distinction present in Paterson, New Jersey, USA as well as in London, England and Florence, Italy. The plight of migrant workers is another current political and social problem that has been faced for generations and in many countries.

I was quite distressed that one of the main characters died ...

To read the full review go to http://talesuntangled.wordpress.com

[Dayna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in the Montmorency saga continues the tale begun in the second book. Montmorency & George head to Italy to trace some stolen museum pieces only to find themselves involved in stopping an underground plot to bring down the crowned heads of Europe. When George's nephew Frank finds himself involved in the murderous political plot, Montmorency, Farcett, Vi, and Tom travel to America with Frank. The ending is sad and the story has some unexpected plot twists. It sets up the fourth book very well. If you like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, you will thoroughly enjoy Updale's writing.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first montmorrency book had so much meat to it, so much story, yet not as much detail. It could have been much much longer. This book is the third book, and I’m afraid it suffers from a classic middle book syndrome - which is to say it’s the opposite of the first book. Less meat, way more details.

It’s just a bit of a slog, (comparatively) but the book is short enough that it still packs a decent punch.

[Shilo Quetchenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another exciting adventure, this time involving Italian anarchists and xrays. The writing is hard to get into at first -- it's a telling style -- but once it gets going it's easy to forget and just get wrapped up in the intrigue. It reminds me a bit of Sherlock Holmes.

[A.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another uneven book that picked up pace towards the end. The story lines are stretched geographically over a very wide area, and aren't always very connected with one another. Often reading these books feels like you're reading something that could be a lot better than it is.

[Hazel West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughts on the Overall Book: Wow, as I said in my review of "Montmorency on the Rocks" these books just keep getting better and better and this one definitely did not disappoint. It kept me guessing right to the end, and it took a completely different turn from where I thought it was going to when I first started it. I loved the story line of this one too. Not that the others weren't good, but the intrigue and the plots involving the Italian activists was really interesting because I have never really studied any of that history before. I also liked how the author portrayed them as radicals but yet, the reader could also be sympathetic to their cause even though they tended to go about things in the wrong way.

Characters: As always I loved the regulars: Montmorency, Lord George and Dr. Farcett. I still found Vi annoying, but she's not so annoying I can't stand her either. I really loved the addition of Tom and Frank in here (Vi's son and George's nephew). Frank ended up being one of my favorite characters in this book, and I liked the way he matured through the story and I look forward to seeing more of him in the last book.

Writing Style: I really like the way the author creates stories that are not necessarily action-packed, or at least not what would be considered action-packed in today's society, but yet the story is so very engaging and makes you want to read more. I believe the key is making characters the reader loves so much that we cannot stop reading about these people. The style is also rather classic so that the stories read rather like a Holmes story which only makes them all the better.

Problems/What bothered me: Nothing bothered me, this was a great book, however the ending nearly killed me because I was not expecting that. I'm not going to spoil it though.

Conclusion: 5 stars on this one. It was just so good from start to finish. These are truly amazing books and I hate that it took me so long to get to finally read them!

Recommended Audience: Same as the others, older teens and most likely a good number of adults would enjoy these. And of course any fans of Sherlock Holmes.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great read and good time consumer. I've taken so much time with it though :P. Partly because I didnt have time to read for a few days but also becuase it was boring in the middle. Everything was exciting in the first few chapters becuase its been more than ten years since we last heard of Montmorency and friends so it was nice to know how everything was going again. And they had a new mission too! It was to recover stolen artifacts belonging to a introvert collector. They even had to go to Italy to find out more about it! It was great though becuase they had also uncovered a new plot against the Italian monarchy. The excitement for me was shortlived though. *spolier alert* Every since Frank got in trouble for helping a riot take place, and was immediately taken to Tarimond to hide, the sequence of events just started dragging more and more. It seemed that everyone was just taking their time with everything when there was a huge international conspiracy brewing right under their noses.I didn't like that at all. It was as if Updale was just writing for the sake of writing. Thank God, it started picking up while nearing the climax. It was very relieving and I loved everything about it except when George and Maggie dies. *Depressed* That was heart-breaking and Updale's subtelty when conveying this information made me even feel even more depressed the whole night. I mean that in a good way though. And Montmorency is Tom's father!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Omigosh I wanted that so badly. I had lost all hope when he fell in love with Mary and almost married her. But it's all thanks to Vi and her fighting skills :)that he didn't! I love Vi!! And Cissie deserved every punch from her. Their catfight was my favorite from the whole book. But why did Montmorerncy sleep with Vi and not stay with her? What happened? Why didn't they stay together? I hope they become an actual family in the next book.I'm really glad I didn't quit reading before I finished it.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looking at the Goodreads rating descriptions (where two stars = "it was ok" and three stars = "liked it"), I had a hard time figuring out where I would put this book. It's one of those "it was ok ... but I liked it anyway!" sorts of books. I found it on the sidewalk and picked it up without having heard of the author or the series. It seemed promising—London! Italy! Intrigue! 1898!—but as I started reading, I was a little grumpy. Updale is sometimes too reliant on clichés or otherwise eye-roll-inducing language (a character is “flattened” by his wife’s death, another has “friends in high places,” at one point we hear how “the slightest flicker resonated” between two friends thinking of the same thing, at another moment we are told that someone “radiated grief from every pore”). I also felt like, more than once, characters’ emotions were over-explained.

Which isn’t to say there’s nothing to like in this book. The descriptions of Florence, with its red-tiled rooftops and its river and its bridges, the shops on the Ponte Vecchio, the church bells in the morning, are pleasing and made me want to plan a trip to Italy, and I was charmed by the teenage characters, like carefree Frank and his know-it-all brother, Alex. (The latter, when Frank is talking about how good Italian bread is and wondering why there isn’t bread like this in England, answers, quite seriously, that it’s because of the uniqueness of the Italian flour.)

The plot, which starts around the attempt by two men (one a former thief) to recover a stolen natural history collection but then moves wider, including, among other things, anarchism and assassination, is interesting and has room for lots of good detail, and by the end I definitely found myself wrapped up in the story.

Still: while this was a fun read, I don’t think I’m going to seek out the rest of the Montmorency books.

[Kathleen Fowler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading the third book of a series first cannot possibly result in the best possible reading experience, so that may have contributed to my disappointment with this one. There is also the fact that this book is meant for a YA audience, and I am by no stretch of the imagination a young adult. As a frequent reader and connoisseur of YA fiction, however, I feel justified in putting in my two cent’s worth.

My first objection is to the length of the book. The story seems unnecessarily drawn out, and drags at times. My second objection is to the occasional use of anachronistic vocabulary, the most egregious example of which is the word “snot” on page 93, which I found jarring in the Victorian context of the story. My third and most serious objection is to the lighthearted approval with which a 14-year-old character is provided with pornography. Granted, I can imagine some of you protesting that I object to era-inappropriate vocabulary, but then object equally to era-appropriate attitudes. While it’s true that denigrating women to the status of sex objects may have been an accepted aspect of the male-dominated Victorian culture, I fail to see how this scene is warranted in a piece of YA fiction. Especially since the values of this particular era are not uniformly taken at face value by the characters. For instance, the principle action of the book concerns one of the young protagonists, a member of the nobility, being drawn into an anarchist group by his outrage at the injustices to which the workers of the era were regularly subjected. He then finds himself in a moral dilemma because he disapproves of violence as a means to combat these injustices. Why not deal with the issue of the debasement of women in an equally thoughtful manner?

I will pass on this series.

[Sidneyom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like reading books that are very unique and have interesting plotlines? Do you like the concept of a character that can be a low-class man, and also a noble gentleman? Do you like books based on Shakespearean form of writing? Not only this is a mystery novel that makes you think, it also has some thrilling parts where you find yourself on the edge of a chair.

This book takes place around late 1800s and the setting is in Europe, so it fits the Shakespearean form of writing. This book is actually really interesting to read because the character development was so unique in its own ways. There is a man who can be a really bad criminal with shaggy clothes to a upper-class gentleman who always wear formal attire. There is also a boy, who is rebellious and causes disaster by coping with the low-class Italians and later becomes the spy. I think you can relate this book to the society today, where there are different perspectives to a democratic way of thinking and Republican way of thinking. It also shows the emotional side of the book when he feels guilty for killing an innocent man for his own crime and mixture of feelings when he turns into a low-class man from a nobleman.

Overall, the characters were well developed, with unique perspectives on some problem. Since this is the third book in the series, it must be good because I normally never make it to the 3rd book in a series. This third book wasn't one of the best in the series, it did make me think about the whole situation. Although the ending didn't have a resolution because one of the main characters died and the rest were promising a revenge which leads to the next book in the series.

[Boots LookingLand · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am an unabashed fan of the Montmorency series, but i approach each one slowly and with trepidation, fearful of being disappointed. Updale has yet to disappoint, however. this third installment is as intricate and delightful as its predecessors. perhaps even more so: the plot is wonderfully cluttered and yet economical. everything serves a distinct purpose so that the jigsaw of events all lend themselves to an operatic conclusion (literally!)

all that said, i will temper my enthusiasm with two small observations. first, i feel like Montmorency himself gets a little overwhelmed by the supporting cast. this isn't a problem because the support cast is so darn loveable, but when i was done, i realized that M really didn't have the lion's share of the action and that feels a bit lopsided.

second, i wish Updale had ended this book with the happy conclusion rather than the cliffhanger ending she instead chose. let it be a testament to her storytelling that i found the ending far too sad to be satisfying (so i have naturally leaped right into the fourth book), but i think this installment would not have suffered from ending sooner and allowing the shock of the ending be the opening of the subsequent story.

so there you have it: a few paltry criticisms of an otherwise rollicking good read!

[Decendant_of_Darkness · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in Montmorency books series is ,Montmorency and the Assassins, by Eleanor Updale. Montmorency is still doing detective work after 20 years. This time he is on the trail of anarchists. But puts frank, lord George Fox-Selwyn nephew, to do the undercover works since he can understand Italian, and some of the anarchists are either Italian or living with Italians. Since frank is still a teenager he still gets into trouble by helping out the anarchists instead stopping them. He gets so caught up by what they are saying that he starts to agree with them, even though they are trying to stop the rich aristocrats, but he is one. He tries to blend in, get their confidence, he even gets a job. This book deals more than frank than anybody else.
The theme of this book is don’t trust anyone you just have met. For example, in the book the anarchists trust Frank with all their secrets, and their plans, and the end nothing works out. They were stupid to trust someone they just met, and not even ask him about his background. The point of this book is not to trust people you just met.

[Garry · Rating 1 out of 5]

More accurate to say: STOPPED reading. And I don't do that very often. And yes, I'm instantly going from FIVE stars to ONE star with one book in a series. Not what you would expect, but this is a real fall off in quality and the features which make the first two so enjoyable are now gone.

To begin with, this book is set twenty years down the road from the last book. And that means we live a different world in terms science, technology, etc. And that, simply put, is one that is less interesting. Additionally, a YA series notable for its absence of YA protagonists -- and was interesting BECAUSE of that -- now has two, three YA protagonists. And to top it all off, the writing gets sloppy. Rule #1 -- to the point of overly constricting cliche -- is "Show, Don't Tell." In this book, Update adopts a Tell and then Tell some more. And this when she is truly capable of interesting, "showing" that fully conveys what her "telling" shares in a clunky, painful, and distracting way.

I MAY give #4 a try, but this was disappointing.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be just as good as the previous two in the series. It contains just the right amount of action. To be honest, I was a little dismayed when the focus was mainly set on Frank, but I didn't allow myself to stop reading just because of that one factor. Instead, I enjoyed the book for what it was; an amazing book.

Just as we thought that Scarper was gone, he returns in another form, Frank. A bad influence as always, Scarper takes Frank under his wing and creates a new personality out of him, one that bothers his father and those around him. Instead of behaving responsibly like his brother, Frank disguises himself as a more common citizen and finds a common life more captivating than a wealthy one. Along the way, he joins a group of anarchists in rebelling against the government, much to Montmorency's and his family's dismay. When Frank is involved in an attack, he is hunted by policemen/officials. To help right the wrong he has done, he goes undercover as a double agent to prevent the anarchists from assassinating another important figure.

[Nick Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have recently finished reading Montmorency And the Assassins.This book is about a man named Montmorency who is facing troubles throughout the world and with his friends.Montmorency recently was released of scarper,which is his wretched alter ego.Later in the story,Montmorency’s young friend frank,finds himself in the middle of a murderous political plot,leaving montmorency no choice but to ask help from scarper.this part of the book confused me because montmorency tells in the story how he disliked scarper,but later turns back for help from scarper himself.


The main setting in this story takes place all around the world in countries and cities known as london,scotland,italy, and america.the main characters are montmorency and frank.Montmorency is a man who is being what is sort of like a butler to a man named Scarper,Montmorency is also one of the smartest characters known in this book.The other character in the story is Frank,who is montmorency’s younger friend.Throughout the story frank has to deal with knowing he is in the middle of a murderous political plot.

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this installment much more than the first two books in the series. I think it was the addition of the younger character Frank. This a YA series and until now there had never been any young adult characters.

But the fact that this is really Frank's story does take away a little bit from the fact that Montmorency is the title character. It felt almost like Montorency's sole purpose in the novel was just to play mentor to this young protege.

Anyway Frank gets mixed up with the wrong crowd and ends up having to go into hiding to avoid jail or worse. Montmorency goes with him and together they work to bring down a terrorist ring. Like the other books in the series the plot is more complicated than that but things do make sense at the end.

On a final note I just have to say that I love how the author maintains the consistency from book to book. There are no contradictions or redundancies that I could find.

[Wizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book. It never ceases to amaze me when a book from the back shelves of the library completely enthralls me.
I love a good ending, especially one that you could not possibly be expecting. It shows a low sense of sentimentality, which always makes a story more interesting.
One tiny issue (and I really mean tiny) is that some of the smaller plots were a little predictable, but this does not take anything away from the fact that I read this book almost constantly (obviously not in lessons...) for around three days. I can't see myself ever forgetting this story, it's characters or anything else about it and I desperately do not want "revenge" to be the last. My only consolation in this is that I am still yet to read the first story. Five stars, I could not have enjoyed it more!

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much has really changed. The plot really slowed. It has put a lot of descripton into the scene, but really, their just in the middle of the ocean. Since then though they have met a rich stock investor named blake harrington. Blake really racks on montmorency and the rest, but montmorency has also gotten an interest in a permanant stay in america, after meeting mary, an abslolutely buetiful, and intelligent woman. Mary, unlike cissie in Montmorencys early stages, is Actually perfect comparitevely. Vi and tom try to make him notce their dislike of their attraction, and yes, montmorency is actually interested in mary, but montmorency doesnt seem to notice. It describes her buetifully, and i have the best hopes, and sincerely hope that they do get married. Vi and tom may not like it, but i believe it would be for the best, considering what is to come as ive heard, from the fourth book.

[Lady Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Montmorency never disappoints! This time around twelve years have passed and Vi and Tom (whom she was pregnant with at the end of the last book) are settled on Tarimond. George, Robert, and Montmorency float back and forth between the island and London. George's brother, Gus, lost his wife to the influenza and decided to take himself and his boys, Frank and Alexander, on a trip through Europe to shake themselves out of a funk. The trip will change everyone's lives as Frank gets involved with international anarchists, Robert plans medical revolution, Montmorency and George have a case and Gus finds love again.

The adventures in this one take our characters around the globe, and many characters return from the previous stories. GREAT!

[Casey Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is a bit better than the first two because of it finding the right tone for the story. The humor is good and fits in with the dark plot of the story (the end decides to go really dark and pull a twist though). The only aggravating part about it though is its time jump, seriously, 20 years? Woah, still pretty good though. You should probably like this one if you were disappointed in the first one's lightness for such a story, but still enjoyed the humor. Deeper meaning? People really just aren't always as they seem, theres always something under the surface thats absolutely horrid or quite good, even then they have a core that acts the same way, people have layers, like onions! (imsorrysosorrywhywouldihowcouldi). Also: Dramatic irony! Its here.

[Casseus Holt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The general trend of the exposition was adequate to give away story, and yet capture the thoughts of the characters. Much applause should be given to the author for capturing the excitement of many event transpiring, including but not limited to Edison, the conspiracy, and many events transpiring within the 'evil' plot of this journey.
Additionally, the environment of dissatisfaction within the main antagonists' hearts do line up with many history lines accurately which is most arguably the main driving force in many politics of the era.
My reason for giving the score as is is merely for taste and preferences. The skill is not so profound that I would warrant it five stars, but nonetheless. The author is very effective in her exposition.

[Bekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Updale manages to weave an exciting, elaborate tale, only to end up never fully explaining or finishing it, really. And when I've lived and breathed along with the characters for 403 pages, this is a serious complaint. It's almost as though she ran out of time and just sort of jumbled together an ending. She raises some social questions, explores some injustices, introduces opposing viewpoints, but by the end she ignores it all and leaves you hanging. If you really liked the previous two books, then go ahead and read it, I suppose. But it's definitely not worth a reread.



Rated PG-13 for violence & some mature themes.

[Anna Tatelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I found myself irritated at how much of this novel revolved around Frank (it's not that I don't find him interesting . . . I'm just more interested in the characters that have been with us since book one!), not to mention just how many freaking plotlines there were, there is still enough of the series original charm -- well-crafted characters, the dual nature of London and surrounding areas, and a delightful writing style -- to keep me happy. Even despite the huge tragedy at the end (keeping this spoiler free, don't worry) that, even though I hadn't read this book in years, had still burned its image into my mind's eye from all those years ago.

[Pathik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in Montmorency books series is ,Montmorency and the Assassins, by Eleanor Updale. Hot on the trail of anarchists across the globe. Montmorency is bussing himself more than ever. In this book, we see a resurgence of Montmorency's old alter ego in his close friend George. A stunningly captivating book, the series dabbles in many historic events and includes possible references to the first world war. Even though it is the third book in the series, one does not need to read the previous two books to understand the plot as the first few chapters sufficiently deal with this.

[Cinnapatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent installment in this series. Lots going on, lots of political action, plotting, and still the character development continues. Some of the characters take a voyage to America in this book! Exciting! In the foreword the author acknowledges how some events are fiction and some are not. So, this is kind of like an historical fiction. Awesome!

We find out who Tom's father is in this book. Good job in keeping me guessing!

On to what I think is the final book. I wonder how it will all wrap up.

More emotions, more depth of character, more development. Hooray!

[Bryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had a tough time with this series, and I think the problem was reading them all in a row. If I had read one, waited a while, and then come back they would have seemed fresh and engaging, but all in a row they're sort of maddening.

The characters are so broadly written, it's difficult to get fully immersed and despite several intense story lines, I did find myself flipping forward to just get to the end already on a few of the books.

So good, especially for fans of Sherlock style stories or good historical fiction that hits that late Victorian era.