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 Lord John And The Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon (Lord John series, Book 1) Lord John Grey, a major in the British army in 1757, must investigate the murder of a sergeant who may have been passing military secrets to the enemy (the French). Grey is also trying discreetly to prevent a wedding between his innocent cousin and her fiancé who turns out to be infected with syphilis. This second problem leads him to the gay underbelly of London – a place with which Grey is somewhat familiar since he is secretly gay. His investigations lead him to the rather obviously named Lavender House, a gentleman's club for, as Grey puts it to his suspicious valet, "gentlemen of a particular sort." This conversation concludes a lively scene in which Tom the valet has followed Grey secretly into a bad part of London in an innocent attempt to protect him. Poor Tom, lurking in an alley to watch over Grey, is flabbergasted when another man approaches and tries to grope him. Intervening, Grey scares the man off. Tom indignantly blurts out what happened, demanding to know why someone would do such a thing. Grey sends him home with cab fare and continues on to the Lavender House where the young lords within circle round him (page 127) " ... half-curious, half-wary, thoroughly intrigued." In this time period, these men must be very careful because being gay is a capital crime, punished by the hangman at the gallows. The Lord John books are a spin-off series from the author's time-travel romance books, the Outlander series, starring Jamie and Claire. Lord John Grey himself is one of the more interesting characters from the Outlander world: good-looking, young, refined, an aristocrat – and also a soldier and a combat veteran. Maybe only 20% of the book involves Grey in the gay world – including the visit to the Lavender House where he looks as if he might have a brief fling before the author closes the door on the scene! Poor Grey has not been involved with another man since the death of his lover nine years ago when they both served in His Majesty's army at the Battle of Culloden in Scotland, putting down the Highland uprising. So we don't get any sex scenes, though we do get much obsessing by Grey over Jamie Fraser from the Outlander books -- and, as Jamie is thoroughly uninterested in Grey, the obsessing goes on a little long for me. However, we do get a vivid sense of the outsider perspective that a gay man like Grey would have in that time period, having to watch his every move. We also experience 1857 London in fascinating detail: the dress, food, entertainment, slang, and customs. It never slows the book's pace, but instead immerses us in Grey's world as if we're watching a movie. One of the author's strongest talents is writing outstanding dialog, full of energy and wit, and always historically accurate. Fans of British and historical novels will enjoy this novel as much as I did here at ObsidianBookshelf.com.
Relevant Links: Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (Book 2) by Diana Gabaldon Lord John and the Hand of Devils (Book 3) by Diana Gabaldon The Phoenix by Ruth Sims Captain's Surrender by Alex Beecroft Lord John and the Private Matter (Book 1) is available on Amazon through this link:
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