Felix Grey and the Descendent is a detective novel, the first in what promises to be a series featuring Felix Grey. The story is set in London, 1904, and Felix Grey is the second youngest Prime Minister in history. Felix is a progressive and was quite popular when elected a year or so ago, but increasingly he is facing challenges from both the Conservative Party and trade unions. In the midst of this political turmoil, two prominent lords are kidnapped by a sinister man wearing an eye patch. When a cryptic calling card is left behind, Felix finds himself drawn into his own secret investigation of the kidnappings.
While I think it is a bit silly to imagine that a Prime Minister could somehow juggle his political career and private investigating, I did enjoy the story. Mario Theodorou manages to assemble an interesting cast of characters who no doubt will return in future stories: Humphrey, who is Felix’s steward and has practically raised him; Commissioner Thompson of the Metropolitan Police; Amelia Woodruff, the Oxford Professor from Texas; and Alfred, the printer’s apprentice who seems to know how to fix anything and can move stealthily through the streets. There are also trade union leaders and various lords who will probably resurface in the future, and we know that a villain or two might still be on the loose when this story ends.
Theodorou also creates an imaginative plot that is supported by a good amount of factual historical detail. The Conservatives are concerned about maintaining the Empire and military strength. The trade unions are angry that worker safety and rights are not advancing. In fact, there have been a series of serious factory incidents that have led to death. The newspapers have a field day with all of this information and Felix finds himself facing a vote of no confidence. Thus, while trying to track down leads in the kidnappings, Felix must also try to win back support from his base.
The information about unions, social unrest and politics seems pretty accurate for the time, and Theodorou brings in an interesting bit of history at the end to explain the kidnappings. This is not what you would call a gritty, realistic crime novel, but it was entertaining and a quick read at just over 200 pages. Read it at the beach.