Jack Knave and Fool

By the fifth book in the Sir John Fielding series, Bruce Alexander has settled into the rhythm of the world he built and the cases he is going to tell. Jack Knave and Fool puts a murder backstage at the Drury Lane Theatre, and Sir John (the blind Bow Street magistrate) has to navigate a London theatre world full of celebrity actors and bad inheritances.

The pleasures are familiar but real. Jeremy, the narrator, continues to grow into his role as Sir John's assistant. The historical detail (the geography of Covent Garden, the working life of the Drury Lane company) is rendered with quiet care. The case itself is fair and resolves with a piece of misdirection I should have caught earlier.

Four stars. Not the strongest in the series, but a confident mid-period entry that will please anyone who has read the earlier four.