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The Price of Murder is the final novel in the Sir John Fielding series, finished by Bruce Alexander's widow Judith Aller from the manuscript he was working on at his death. Continuation novels rarely justify themselves, and this one earns its place. The transition is almost invisible: the prose carries the same calm of Alexander's previous nine books, the dialogue voices are right, the historical period is handled with the same care.
The case involves an apparent murder during a Bow Street operation, with implications going back into Sir John's own past as a magistrate. Jeremy is older here, and his closing-chapter retrospective on Sir John's career carries genuine weight. The reveal is honest rather than ingenious.
Four stars. A graceful ending to a quietly excellent series. Best read after the previous nine.
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