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J.C. Briggs
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The Chinese Puzzle: Are unsolved murders in London linked to the Opium Trade? (Charles Dickens Investigations Book 8) Kindle Edition

by J. C. Briggs (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 386 ratings
Another thrilling puzzle for Charles Dickens and Superintendent Jones! Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Victorian crime mysteries, A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield…

Charles Dickens must unravel a mystery that stretches from the streets of London to the shores of Canton…

London, 1851

The Great Exhibition has opened, and everyone is flocking to see the wonders on display. But when a potential Chinese assassin manages to get up close to Queen Victoria, and then vanishes without a trace, the Prime Minister orders an urgent investigation.

Superintendent Sam Jones from Bow Street is put on the case to find the whereabouts of the missing man. And he discovers that Cornelius Mornay — a wealthy retired banker from Canton — also went missing on the same day.

As a former opium merchant, it seems that Cornelius had some powerful — and dangerous — connections.

The British government order Jones to keep his enquiries under wraps, so he enlists the help of his good friend Charles Dickens to infiltrate the seedier streets of London.

And when the body of Mornay is found washed up in Wapping, poisoned with opium, the plot starts to thicken.

Mornay is deeply connected to the Opium trade and the suspects are many. And when more murders occur, it seems this mystery could be connected to something larger than Dickens and Jones had ever imagined…

The Chinese Puzzle is the eighth urban mystery in J. C. Briggs’ literary historical series, the Charles Dickens investigations, a traditional British detective series set in Victorian London.

The Charles Dickens Investigations Series:
BOOK ONE: The Murder of Patience Brooke
BOOK TWO: Death at Hungerford Stairs
BOOK THREE: Murder by Ghostlight
BOOK FOUR: The Quickening and the Dead
BOOK FIVE: At Midnight In Venice
BOOK SIX: The Redemption Murders
BOOK SEVEN: The Mystery of the Hawke Sapphires
BOOK EIGHT: The Chinese Puzzle
BOOK NINE: Summons to Murder
BOOK TEN: The Jaggard Case
BOOK ELEVEN: The Waxwork Man
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  1. Book 8 of 11
    Charles Dickens Investigations
  2. Print length
    356 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    February 28, 2021
  6. File size
    2.2 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08TM5W7JY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 28, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.2 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 356 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1800552104
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 8 of 11 ‏ : ‎ Charles Dickens Investigations
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 386 ratings

About the author

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J.C. Briggs

J.C. Briggs

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I write historical crime fiction. My amateur detective is the great Victorian novelist, Charles Dickens. Dickens was fascinated by crime and murder. He went out with the London Police into the grim slums of London and visited the police stations to see how they all worked. According to a recent biographer, Dickens would have enjoyed being a detective. I gave him his wish. He makes a good detective - he is very observant, very clever at working out motive and following the clues with his partner, Superintendent Jones of Bow Street.

Victorian London is a great setting for a murder mystery - all that fog and very sinister alleys. It is fascinating to research the period from Dickens's own novels, the biographies and Dickens's letters. I like to know what he's up to in the periods of his life when the stories take place. All the books are based on something which really happened in Dickens's life. He set up a home for fallen women. I wondered what he would do if one of the girls was murdered and that was the idea for the first book.

When I'm not reading Dickens or writing Dickens, I give talks about him and other Victorian novelists and enjoy my garden in the Yorkshire Dales.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • m. fowler
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book with interesting mystery and characters
    Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Ms. Briggs has once again written a great story! The Chinese Puzzle is a well written plot with interesting characters. It is so like a Dickens story. I especially liked the interaction with dective Jones and his officers. It is sad to read of Dickens conflicts with his own family. His wife was a saint! This series is very adicting. I can't wait for the next book.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I really have enjoyed this series. I am bummed out about the fact that I finished this book! I look forward to the next book which cannot come out quick enough. This is the perfect book to just relax with and let your imagination take the lead. Thank you for writing a good book I read every page.
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  • LSN
    5.0 out of 5 stars Vey Well Written
    Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2021
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    Interesting story and, as usual, extremely well written. I have read all books in this series,
    and they just get better and better.
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  • K.m.b.
    1.0 out of 5 stars To many characters
    Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2021
    I've read other books by j.c.briggs and have enjoyed them but not this one just to many characters to keep track of which for me does not make for an enjoyable read. I finally quit after reading 60%.
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  • AnnieB
    4.0 out of 5 stars Well written and engaging historical mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2021
    The Chinese Puzzle is the 8th Charles Dickens investigation by J.C. Briggs. Released 28th Feb 2021 by Sapere Books, it's 336 pages (print edition) and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book (and the rest of the series) is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

    This is a very well written and plotted historical mystery series with three dimensional characters and a Dickensian vibe. I've really enjoyed these historical mysteries set in the middle of the 19th century in London and environs. Charles Dickens is clever, loyal, dogged, and practical and his friendship and cooperative investigation with superintendent Sam Jones makes for engaging and entertaining reading. The plots are always convoluted and well engineered, full of twists and surprises. The story itself is written around a framework of real historical events and people and so well entwined that it's not always apparent where reality shades over into fiction. Each of the mysteries works well as a standalone and this one is no exception.

    Whilst an entertaining read, I did find myself struggling sometimes with the plethora of secondary characters and keeping all the lawyers, clergy, hostlers, drudges, shopkeepers, and servants straight was taxing. I found myself having to check back in the story to remember which family was which. It's a relatively minor problem though, and considering the high quality of the writing, worth the occasional confusion. Having read the book as an ebook, it was not a problem to check who was who with the search function.

    The dramatic arc, climax, and denouement are well written and immersive.

    Overall, it's a good read and a quality example of the historical-person-as-amateur-sleuth sub-genre. Four stars.

    Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Déborah
    5.0 out of 5 stars Top notch
    Reviewed in France on April 6, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I gave this book 5 stars as it richly deserves. Its literary and brilliantly conceived and written. If you are at all a fan of Dickens and historical fiction you will love it!
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  • William Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Opium Tale
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 10, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Another excellent book and coming so quickly after the previous adventure. I found the references to the opium trade particularly interesting. No Misuse of Drugs Act in 19th Century Britain! And the involvement of the East India Company was a bit of a revelation to me. The Colombian drug cartel of their day? Albeit entirely legal.

    The story revolves round the murder of a prominent ex-banker with Chinese associations who, it transpires, was not all he seemed and the Government become involved due to a possible connection with an assassination attempt on the Queen at the Great Exhibition. Jones is ordered to investigate but discretion is 'encouraged' so there is always a slight feeling he has one hand tied behind his back. Victorian gentry must not be inconvenienced.

    We are then transported into the seedy underbelly of central London via Wapping and Kent (with a brief stop in theatre land!) as Jones and Dickens, along with members of two police forces, interview a variety of back street characters. But the murderer always seems to be one step ahead.

    The research undertaken for the book must have been painstaking and the historical notes at the end are absolutely fascinating. Hopefully it was a labour of love. It was certainly worth it, as each character introduced to us bristled with a reality rarely found in your average murder mystery.

    Incidentally, Scrap (erstwhile urchin rescued from the street and occasional self-appointed Deputy Sheriff) has no more than a cameo role in this story but when he is allowed to become briefly involved he makes quite an impression!

    Highly recommended. For lovers of historical crime fiction, wonderfully researched and also refreshingly absent of what are increasingly intrusive modern phrases and Americanisms.
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  • canis
    4.0 out of 5 stars There was no Duchess of Devonshire in 1851
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I've read most of this series and been impressed by the research. That being the case I was surprised that the author mentioned a Duchess of Devonshire. The 6th Duke who died in 1858 and held the title from 1811 never married. Certainly both previous Dowager Duchesses were dead by 1851, so who is this mysterious Duchess? Certainly not the wife of the Bachelor Duke. Poetic licence, maybe?
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  • SARAH ADAMS
    5.0 out of 5 stars The best book in the series so far.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2021
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    This book was the best one of the series so far, I am hoping there will be more! The insight into the life of Charles Dickens and the details of his real life, wife, children, friends and connections has inspired me to learn more about the man himself! The plot is detailed and fast moving and the research the author has done is obvious on every page!
    I found when I got to nearly the end of the book I started reading slower to make it last!
    I have read these in order, but each is a stand alone very good read as well!
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  • Alfie3
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This is the 8th book in this series and I have read every one. The author takes you back to the nineteenth century as though you were living in the time. I like the way she relates the fictional characters to Charles Dickens and intertwines them together. She has obviously researched the era and brings everything to life. If I have any criticism it is that there seem to be too many characters and I have difficulty in placing them all. That said I cannot wait for the next book.
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