The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl

 

It is 1870 and the literary world is reeling.  Charles Dickens has died and the successful author was in the middle of a novel, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood.  James Osgood is the younger partner of Dicken's sole American publisher.  The firm had expected a huge boost in revenue with the rest of Dicken's novel but now face ruin without it.  The partners send Daniel Sand, a young employee to the docks to see if possibly Dickens had finished the novel and sent the rest of the installments.  When he is found murdered in the street, it is clear something must be done.

The partners decide that Osgood should travel to London and then to Dicken's home to see if he can find the missing installments.  He asks Daniel's sister, Rebecca, to accompany him as she is also an employee of the firm and he will need clerical help.  The two set off to London and encounter issues on the trip.

Once in London the issues continue.  It is clear that there are other individuals looking for the remainder of the novel.  Flashbacks of Dicken's last trip to the United States reveal the enemies he had to fight on a daily basis and it could be that these same people have now redirected their attentions to James.  Can he find the missing chapters and return safely to the United States?

Matthew Pearl is known for his novels based on historical fact.  Readers will learn not only about Dickens and his last novel but also facts about his lecture trips to the United States as well as the state of American publishing.  The opium trade is brought in as is the British rule in India.  Facts about Dicken's family and his house and finances are discussed.  The state of divorce in the United States in the 1870's is an interesting sideline.  This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction.