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J.C. Briggs
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The Mystery of the Hawke Sapphires (Charles Dickens Investigations Book 7) Kindle Edition

by J. C. Briggs (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 362 ratings
Charles Dickens and Superintendent Jones must unravel two eerie mysteries! Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Victorian crime mysteries, A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield…

Dickens faces a decades-old disappearance, a brutal murder and a missing link…

London, 1851

On his deathbed, the sinister Sir Gerald Hawke asks a distant cousin — Reverend Meredith Case — to find Sapphire, his long-lost ward and heir to the Hawke family jewels.

Concerned for her welfare, Meredith vows to discover where Sapphire disappeared to.

Meanwhile, Felix Gresham — a young man with literary ambitions — is found murdered on the steps of a bookshop. As an acquaintance of the Gresham family, novelist Charles Dickens once again teams up with Superintendent Sam Jones to investigate the murder.

But in his quest for the truth, Dickens finds that those associated with Felix are reluctant to talk.

And when he is called on to assist with the search for the Hawke heir, he begins to wonder whether the two cases could be connected…

What became of Sapphire Hawke? What secrets did Felix take to his grave?

And can Dickens find the link between the two mysteries…?

The Mystery of the Hawke Sapphires is the seventh urban mystery in J. C. Briggs’ literary historical series, the Charles Dickens investigations, a traditional British detective series set in Victorian London.

‘Brilliantly crafted, with authentic (and uniquely named) characters, The Mystery of the Hawke Sapphires brings Dickensian London richly to life. Real evil lurks in the Hawke legacy, in contrast to the fragile humanity which shines through. Peppered throughout with understated humour, this superbly written murder mystery engrosses the reader in an ambiguous, but auspicious unravelling of truths’ — Coirle Mooney, author of My Lady’s Shadow


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 7 of 11
    Charles Dickens Investigations
  2. Print length
    338 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    January 26, 2021
  6. File size
    2.6 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08QV3KQ4W
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 26, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.6 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 338 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1800551688
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 7 of 11 ‏ : ‎ Charles Dickens Investigations
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 362 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.

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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • LSN
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written book!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I've read all the books in this series and it still holds its uniqueness to me. The characters are so well developed that you feel that we know them.Love these books!
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  • HelenH
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Evils That Men Do
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2021
    Format: Kindle
    Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Sapere Books for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review “The Mystery of the Hawke Sapphires.” All opinions are my own.

    “Is it only when I’m with Charles Dickens that I meet such odd people?” Superintendent Sam Jones asks himself this question in the course of “The Mystery of the Hawke Sapphires,” and readers will be echoing these sentiments as they scratch their heads at the goings-on in this, the seventh in the series of “Charles Dickens, detective.”

    There are plenty of evil men in this book, and we meet one at the beginning. (Following that prologue, which will clue you in to a BIG plot point for later, if you’re paying attention). The dead Sir Gerald Hawke’s legacy captures the entire book, a deadly presence that colors what everyone seems to do throughout; our characters (there’s a list at the back of the book) merely marionettes.

    There’s a murder at the start, as Mr. Dickens and Superintendent Jones search for a missing young girl and why people are being killed. And how these beautiful sapphires, worth so much, are connected with it all.

    Be prepared; this is a book of multiple narrators. That’s not always to everyone’s taste. Their use can move the story along, since Mr. Dickens can’t be everywhere, but it can also be confusing at times. Although such chapters do lend themselves to concealing secrets.

    There are many deaths throughout this investigation, from anger, from rage and from desperation. And envy. “Envy’s a deadly poison,” says Mr. Dickens, in “The Mystery of the Hawke Sapphires.” But by who and why, it takes a whole book to discover. And in between we, along with Dickens and Jones, are shown London and its environs, every dark inch of it. As in earlier books, this is a hallmark of the series, the ability of the author to use setting and description to place readers at the scene.

    Again, such secrets! But secrets have a way of revealing themselves when Charles Dickens is on the case. A murderer is called to justice. And Mr. Dickens’ magical way with words brings solace at last.

    A Note to the Reader gives us insight into how the author choose different character names. Also included is Historical Notes, which explains a bit more about the possibility of woman bookbinders in London at the time. And how research conjures up curiosity shops, and the facts of vaccinations. Appropriate to our times.
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  • T. Nozlo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun
    Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2022
    Format: Kindle
    I have read the first seven books in this series and enjoyed them. I will surely read the next two. I had one small issue with this book, however. I found it a little bit ridiculous to read Dickens called a " a coppers nark" on several occasions. I don't think that "narks" existed in 1850s England. This series has many grammatical issues and needs a better editor.
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  • Ronan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction done well
    Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2021
    Format: Kindle
    I really enjoyed this one. The writing truly captured the feel of Dickens' London. And the plot was quite intricate... it took a while for the various threads to merge but everything tied up well at the end.
    I am not a great fan of prologues... most often they reveal too much and point the reader in the direction to solve the mystery themselves which in my mind detracts from the whole point of reading a mystery novel? You don't want the answer too early? Of course in this sense it was the identity of Ms. Sapphire Hawke that was hinted at but still... I would have preferred it without the prologue.
    I loved the emotional ending - I honestly had tears in my eyes as Sapphire and Beth Screech's lives changed for the better at the end - very well written.
    I also appreciated the depth of research that had gone into the creation of this novel.
    It was a good read. And I will definitely go back and read the rest of the series!
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  • AnnieB
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very well written, engaging historical mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2021
    Format: Paperback
    The Mystery of the Hawke Sapphires is the 7th Charles Dickens investigation by J.C. Briggs. Released 26th Jan 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 believable 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.

    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.

    The dramatic arc, climax, and denouement are well controlled 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

  • William Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Yet?
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Another excellent and well researched tale in the fictional Victorian crime series. The main plot centres around the search for a young heiress who has been left valuable sapphires by her father, one odious Sir Gerald Hawke. However, there is also a sub-plot concerning the body of a man apparently murdered on the steps of a bookbinding shop run by two women.

    I call it a sub-plot but both are given equal billing here and the story weaves cleverly between the two throughout. But you never lose sight of one at the expense of the other. This yarn is brilliantly conceived and expertly held together.

    The author has created regular characters that you always look forward to meeting like old friends, but also introduces here a variety of diverse individuals amongst whom women figure very strongly. It is refreshing to read of their independence and not to have many of them reliant on male support, particuarly in an age when the beard and the moustache ruled heavily over the corset and the bonnet. Victoran stereotypes have been left behind and the tale benefits from that.

    The ending is surprising and unexpected in the sense that what we often think of as a modern issue was just as prevalent in the past but was presumably less well documented. And often for different reasons.

    The author's knowledge of Dickens and reseach of location and subject matter enhances the reader's enjoyment and you are transported to Victorian London with ease. Grime and elegant society are experienced in equal measure. A very entertaining and highly recommended book. Right; on to The Chinese Puzzle!
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  • Kim McMaster
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Mystery
    Reviewed in Canada on January 16, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I am addicted to this series. Easy to read. Love the characters.
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  • fictionreader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant series, great book.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Another brilliant book by J C Briggs, that teems with intrigue, mystery and murder. The plot centres around an inheritance of a sapphire necklace, but the trouble is, the heir is missing. Cue Dickens, who in between writing his novels and his articles for 'Household Words' must once again turn sleuth, with the assistance of his friend and policeman, Jones.. I've read some of the other books in this series and was. Waiting to find my favourite, the young urchin Scrap, amongst the characters. But about half way through i was delighted to find he appears and takes his place amongst the rest of the lively cast. I won't forget Screech's Steptoe-like yard, the stews of Lewkner's Lane, or the chilly Mrs Stonebridge. Every character is memorable and adds to the sense of Dickens's London.

    Told from multiple points of view, the reader is hurrying to piece together the clues and find out how the murder on the steps of a bookshop is linked to the missing heiress. Of course JC Briggs is always one-step ahead of us and the surprise ending ( which we should have seen coming) is satisfying and unusual.

    I think the author must know everything there is to know about Dickens, as the plot is so well-grounded in his world and life. If you haven't begun this series, you are in for a real treat. Highly recommend!
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  • langcliffe
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The next episode in the Dickens and Jones investigations series and another splendid read from J.C. Briggs. Scholarly researched and beautifully written the author conjures up the sights, sounds and smells of Victorian London to use as the backdrop of a thrilling murder mystery. The pace is fast and there are more than enough clues and red herrings to keep the reader gripped until the very end.
    I thoroughly recommend this excellent book.
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  • Maureen Horton
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing mystery!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have thoroughly enjoyed this whole series of mysteries. The plots are so intricate, the characters are extremely well drawn that I find it difficult to put down and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
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