Lord Francis Powerscourt is a fictional
Victorian-
Edwardian
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
detective who has appeared in fifteen novels by the author
David Dickinson
David Dickinson MBE (born David Gulesserian; 16 August 1941) is an English antiques dealer and television presenter. Between 2000 and 2004, Dickinson hosted the BBC One antiques show '' Bargain Hunt'', where he was succeeded by Tim Wonnacott. ...
.
Background
Powerscourt is descended from Irish
aristocracy, his ancestral home is
Powerscourt House in
County Wicklow, Ireland. It is not clear whether he is properly
Lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
Powerscourt, i.e. a
peer in his own right, or Lord Francis Powerscourt, i.e. the younger son of a high-ranking peer.
Powerscourt's parents both died of
Influenza while he was a child. Powerscourt was educated at
Eton followed by
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...
. His early (and so far largely undocumented) career was with
army intelligence in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
where he served with distinction. It is during these early years that Powerscourt discovers his talent for detection.
His first wife and son drowned when their ship sunk in the
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
. Powerscourt later remarried to Lady Lucy Hamilton and fathered two children, Olivia and Thomas, as well as becoming step father to Robert, Lady Hamilton's son from her first marriage. Twins Christopher and Elizabeth (known by her second name of Juliet) were also born and first appeared in "Death called to the Bar".
Powerscourt is great friends with Lord Johnny Fitzgerald and Home Secretary and Prime Minister
Lord Rosebery
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1st Earl of Midlothian, (7 May 1847 – 21 May 1929) was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from March 1894 to June 1895. Between the death of ...
. Fitzgerald, who Powerscourt grew up with in Ireland, acts as an aide and
confidant to Powerscourt and assists in his investigations. Both Powerscourt and Fitzgerald have saved each other's lives during their army service together.
Books
All 15 books in the Lord Francis Powerscourt series have been published by
Constable & Robinson
Constable & Robinson Ltd. is an imprint of Little, Brown which publishes fiction and non-fiction books and ebooks.
Founded in Edinburgh in 1795 by Archibald Constable as Constable & Co., and by Nick Robinson as Robinson Publishing Ltd in 1983 ...
.
''Goodnight Sweet Prince'' (2002)
1892 - Investigation into the
blackmailing
Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fami ...
and murder of
Prince Eddy, the son of the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
.
''Death and the Jubilee'' (2002)
1897 - Investigation of a headless corpse found floating in the
Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
and the threat to
Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee
The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria was officially celebrated on 22 June 1897 to mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. Queen Victoria was the first British monarch ever to celebrate a Diamond ...
.
''Death of an Old Master'' (2004)
1899 - Investigation into the murder of a leading London art critic.
''Death of a Chancellor'' (2005)
1901 - Investigation into the murder of the
Chancellor of Compton Cathedral.
''Death Called to the Bar'' (2006)
1902 - Investigation into the murder of the leading
barrister Alexander Dauntsey.
''Death on the Nevskii Prospekt'' (2006)
1904 - Investigation into the murder of a British
diplomat in
St Petersburg.
''Death on the Holy Mountain'' (2009)
1905 - Investigation in Ireland of a series of
art theft
Art theft, sometimes called artnapping, is the stealing of paintings, sculptures, or other forms of visual art from galleries, museums or other public and private locations. Stolen art is often resold or used by criminals as collateral t ...
s from stately houses.
''Death of a Pilgrim'' (2010)
1905 - Investigation into a pilgrim killed in
Le Puy-en-Velay
Le Puy-en-Velay (, literally ''Le Puy in Velay''; oc, Lo Puèi de Velai ) is the prefecture of the Haute-Loire department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France.
Located near the river Loire, the city is famous for its c ...
, France. More deaths occur to pilgrims traveling to
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...
, Spain.
''Death of a Wine Merchant'' (2010)
Investigation into the murder of Randolph Colville, chairman of Colville Wines, at his son's wedding. His brother Cosmo is found standing next to the body, holding a gun, but refuses to say a word.
''Death in a Scarlet Coat'' (2011)
Investigation into the death of the
Earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...
of Candlesby found dead on his horse with a corner of his scarlet coat visible in the morning mist.
''Death at the Jesus Hospital'' (publication 2012)
Investigation into three men found with their throats cut. All are connected to the Silkworkers, an ancient City of London
livery company.
''Death of an Elgin Marble'' (publication 2014)
The
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
in
Bloomsbury is home to one of the
Caryatid
A caryatid ( or or ; grc, Καρυᾶτις, pl. ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "ma ...
s, a statue of a maiden that acted as one of the six columns in a temple which stood on the
Acropolis in ancient Athens. Lord Elgin had brought her to London in the nineteenth century, and even though now she was over 2,300 years old, she was still rather beautiful - and desirable.
Which is why Lord Francis Powerscourt finds himself summoned by the British Museum to attend a most urgent matter. The Caryatid has been stolen and an inferior copy left in her place. Powerscourt agrees to handle the case discreetly - but then comes the first death: an employee of the British Museum is pushed under a rush hour train before he and the police can question him.
What had he known about the statue's disappearance? And who would want such a priceless object? Powerscourt and his friend Johnny Fitzgerald undertake a mission that takes them deep into the heart of London's Greek community and the upper echelons of English society to uncover the bizarre truth of the vanishing lady...
''Death Comes to the Ballets Russes'' (2015)
London, 1912, and the famed
Ballet Russes have come to London to perform. Anticipation is high, for Diaghilev's troupe is renowned throughout Europe.
At the end of their famed performance of Thamar at the
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Ope ...
, the Georgian queen stabs her prince to death and throws him into the river. But life mirrors art when the prince is found truly dead, stabbed through the heart in the
orchestra pit
An orchestra pit is the area in a theater (usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage) in which musicians perform. Orchestral pits are utilized in forms of theatre that require music (such as opera and ballet) or in cases when incide ...
below stage. But the corpse is not the dancer in the programme. It is his
understudy
In theater, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to a ...
. Powerscourt is summoned to investigate. But who was the intended victim ? the understudy, or the star of the Ballets Russes?
And the Ballets Russes are not the only Russian visitors in London this season.
Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...
, Europe's most dangerous revolutionary, has sent some bank robbery money to be changed into pounds. There are stolen jewels from St Petersburg to be sold. And there are other darker forces abroad too and Powerscourt has to look death in the face before he can solve the mystery of Death at the Ballets Russes.
''Death Comes to Lynchester Close'' (2016)
Lord Francis Powerscourt is visited at home in London by the Bishop of
Lynchester who wants his advice about the suspect for the death of an aged
parishioner. Powerscourt advises that
discretion
Discretion has the meaning of acting on one's own authority and judgment. In law, discretion as to legal rulings, such as whether evidence is excluded at a trial, may be exercised by a judge. Some view discretion negatively, while some view it ...
rather than
accusation
An accusation is a statement by one person asserting that another person or entity has done something improper. The person who makes the accusation is an accuser, while the subject against whom it is made is the accused. Whether a statement is i ...
is the best way forward, but this is just the start of his association with the diocese of Lynchester.
The death of the parishioner has left available a property in the cathedral close which traditionally the church rents out to a suitable tenant. Four worthy candidates are nominated...and then one of them, the retail king of the south of England, is found dead in the house, poisoned by
strychnine. So once again Powerscourt is summoned by the bishop as this time there is no doubt of foul play.
But there are many suspects from which to choose - there are the other candidates who want to live in that very desirable property...or could it be more complex than that? Very soon Powerscourt uncovers a trail of greed, deception and death which goes straight to the heart of the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
itself.
''Death at Melrose Hall'' (2017)
A night of dancing that ends with the mysterious disappearance of a
stable-boy - and Lord Francis Powerscourt is summoned to investigate.
Spring 1914, and Jack Harper, current owner of Melrose Hall, has thrown a party for his eldest, Andrew, who is turning twenty-one. But the following morning there is no sign of Richard O'Connor. More than just a stable-boy, Richard acts as the legs of the paralyzed Jack Harper, pushing him around the estate in his wheelchair and sharing with him an affinity with the family's stable of
thoroughbreds
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are con ...
.
The police aren't interested in the disappearance of a servant so Powerscourt is summoned. And then a body is discovered in the
tackroom of one of the farms on the estate. Richard O'Connor has been shot through the head - but why would anyone want to shoot him? And what of Richard's unique ability - he can tell which horse is going to win the race. Did that lead to his death? Or was it the arrival of gangs at the local races, keen to enlist Richard into their
crime syndicates?
References
{{Authority control
Fictional private investigators