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Lord John and the Private Matter
Lord John and the Private Matter
Lord John and the Private Matter
Audiobook9 hours

Lord John and the Private Matter

Written by Diana Gabaldon

Narrated by Jeff Woodman

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

The epic, multivolume Outlander saga is the starting point for a brilliant new series that begins with the novel Lord John and the Private Matter. Filled with intrigue and mystery and starring one of the most popular Outlander characters, Lord John Grey, this fresh new tale is utterly captivating. In a richly drawn 18th-century London, Scottish exile Lord John faces a difficult situation. His cousin Olivia is engaged to marry the Honorable Joseph Trevelyan, but he has just observed something of a rather personal nature that, if confirmed, might put an end to any talk of marital bliss. Determined to investigate further, Lord John is distracted when the Crown calls for his services. A comrade in arms has been slain, and to complicate matters, the victim may have been a traitor. Now Lord John has not one, but two puzzling mysteries to solve.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 8, 2004
ISBN9781440781452
Lord John and the Private Matter
Author

Diana Gabaldon

DIANA GABALDON is the author of the award-winning, #1 New York Times best-selling Outlander novels, described by Salon magazine as “the smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance story ever written by a science Ph.D.” She serves as co-producer and advisor for the Starz network Outlander series based on her novels.

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Reviews for Lord John and the Private Matter

Rating: 4.152941176470589 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Summary: Lord John Grey has just discovered an inconvenient secret. A surreptitious glance at the privy has informed him that the Honorable Joseph Trevelyan has got the pox - a problem, seeing as he's engaged to Lord John's cousin. However, before Lord John can find a way to stop the wedding without causing a scandal - or admitting how he came by his information - he's tasked by his military superiors to investigate the violent death of a fellow soldier... one suspected of being a traitor and a spy. His investigations will lead him into both sides of London society: both the posh and proper social circles dictated by his rank and his family, and the seamier underbelly of hidden and unspeakable desires.Review: Lord John and the Private Matter was a fun read, with an interesting and well-built mystery and plenty of 18th century atmosphere, as one might expect from Gabaldon. However, it lacked some of the charm of her Outlander series, and wasn't nearly as compelling... and I think that can be put down squarely to the lack of Jaime Fraser. I mean, I like Lord John as a character; I think his presence has added a lot of interesting wrinkles to the Outlander books, and it's fascinating to think about what it meant to be gay in a time and place when such a thing was practically unthinkable, let alone unspeakable. But as much as I like him, he just doesn't have the force of personality of Jaime and Claire, and it makes his story seem a little paler in comparison. The world is not exactly hurting for 18th century London historical fiction, and while this book is set apart to some extent by the issue of Lord John's sexuality, it wasn't enough to make it really a standout for me. I enjoyed reading it, for sure - Gabaldon's prose is mostly unobtrusive, and there are plenty of sly hints of humor to round out the mystery - and I'll certainly read the other Lord John books, but they're not something that's going to stick with me the way Outlander and its sequels have. 3.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Primarily of interest to those who are already familiar with Lord John from Gabaldon's other books, but it should appeal to those who want a light historical mystery. Lord John and the Private Matter actually comes after the short story "Lord John and the Hellfire Club" (which is included in Lord John and the Hand of Devils), which I didn't realize until part way through... although I wish I had, since there are apparently a number of connections between that story and this book.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Maybe it’s a case of bad writing, bad galleys, of bad narration or, any combination (or all) of the above, but there were several problems with this audiobook. A perfect example is the scene in which the Catholic widow and the Protestant mistress of a deceased soldier are arguing over the funeral rites. In the scene as delivered, the Catholic woman believes that her husband has been consigned irrevocably to Hell while the Protestant woman believes that her lover’s soul is in Purgatory, able to be helped by intercessionary prayers. Either DG got her dogmas mixed up; the typesetter separated lines that should have come from the same person (“pronoun trouble”) or, JW cast the wrong voices. Even after listening to the scene three times over, I could not decipher what went wrong. Later on in the book, the protagonist ruminates on the Catholic idea of purgatory, believing that as intercessionary prayers can assist the soul in limbo, so too can results from the departed person’s actions can have repercussions that would promote or demote the same soul. While I’m no theologian, I have been a Catholic for a long time, and I’m pretty sure that is NOT how it works! This little bit of theological misinformation I lay squarely at DG’s feet. JW’s character voices were sometimes sloppy: He sometimes lost the accent of the character he was reading and often lost the delineation between characters in dialogue. At other times, JW didn’t drop into “parenthetical voice” to indicate that the character was thinking rather than actually speaking, which made dialogues in the book difficult to negotiate.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I read this book only because I am having Jamie and Claire withdrawal and my Outlander books are currently loaned out to my sister. Lord John was not my favorite character in the series and I was hoping this book would make me see him in a new light. Well, it didn't turn me into a Lord John fan and I found myself skimming through some of this book just to get to the ending. As a mystery it was decent but not fantastic.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I truly enjoyed Gabaldon's early novels in the Outlander series, but felt she ran out of steam in the last two. This is a novel about one of her minor, but significant characters - Major Lord John Grey - a closeted gay aristocratic officer in His Majesty's Army. The story is a murder mystery/spy thriller that allows Lord John to plumb the various parallel worlds in London from the "Molly walks" where male prostitutes strut their wares to elegant aristocratic music soirées. The story is fun as Gabaldon uses a breakneck pace and tons of details (you can really smell London in June) to pull us in. This book is a fun read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Lord John introduces us to what Lord John Grey has been doing when we don't hear about him in the Outlander books. It gives a additional perspective into just who is Lord John. The book read more like a short story, than a novel. It was refreshing to read a book from Diana Gabaldon that was not 800+ pages. In her typical style, she provides more than enough historical fact to make the sotryline and the characters seem plausible.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have followed the "Outlander" series; enjoyed the first book enormously and then each subsequent one less than the one before. In this book, Gabaldon seems to have recaptured the flair for characterization that made"Outlander exceptional. Lord John Grey was a favorite character in the series for me. It pleases me to see him given his own venue. Note that character development is the strong suite in this book; the mystery itself is substantially weaker. Still, I enjoyed and would recommend it.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Hopefully, the reason I didn't love this book was because I don't care for mysteries, or because Lord John isn't nearly as interesting a character as Jamie and Claire are. I think Gabaldon needs lots of space to write her novels...this was almost too short to be entirely coherent. The mysteries were confusing, and her detailed descriptions of disease and dead bodies were frankly disgusting. I was also left wondering throughout the book if Lord John acts as a true gay man would, or if Gabaldon just wrote him as she would a female character, except a man. Not entirely recommended, but you should read it if you intend to read her other Lord John novels, which get (slightly) better.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Interesting murder mystery starring a more minor character from the Outlander series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great adventures by lord John. This book kept me tied over until A Snow of Breath and Ashes came out two years later.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this historical crime novel, and have become fond of the character Lord John Grey. I love the historical details Gabaldon employs, and also the humor. After enjoying a novella also involving Lord John, this was not at all disappointing!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Follows Lord John from the Outlander series on an investigation involving stolen military documents, a brothel and a molly house, syphilis and it's possible cures, cross dressing and murder. It's rich in detail, and John Grey is my favourite character from the Outlander books. The plot is convoluted but comes clear in the end. I liked the subtlty of eye contact and guarded words, but it was also nice seeing John get an uncomplicated lay when tempted by a pretty man. :) Plus he's not being totally emo about Fraser.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book is an outlier of sorts in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Rather than focusing on the main characters of the series, Jamie and Claire Fraser, this book concentrates on Lord John Grey, a secondary character first introduced in Dragonfly in Amber, the second book in the Outlander series. Lord John is a British soldier who despite finding himself on the opposite side of the Jacobite uprising from Jamie, nonetheless falls in love with him.None of that really matters in this book, however, which has only a scattered handful of references to Jamie. The book concerns Lord Grey's turns as amateur detective, as he tries to figure out who killed a sergeant from his regiment, who may or may not have been a spy.If you enjoyed Lord Grey's appearances in the Outlander series, you probably will enjoy this book. The character stays true to his previous appearances, and it's interesting to learn more about him than we know from the Outlander books. But I really only read the Outlander books for Jamie, and his absence here made this an enjoyable but forgettable diversion for an evening. Hey, I've read worse ...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book had a much more casual tone than the Outlander novels, but I found it pretty enjoyable. Lord John is a novice "investigator" at best, but his fumbling (such as finding himself accidentally sailing off to India) mostly serves to endear him further to the reader. However, if you have a problem Lord John’s sexual orientation, this book is not for you.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Just unnecessary. And one of those mystery novels where you don't care about the mystery.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    For those smitten with Diana Gabaldon's epic novels about Jamie and Claire but need something to whet their appetites in-between tomes... well, this series seems to have been designed for just that purpose. Lord John and the Private Matter takes up Lord John Grey as its focal point, a character that first appeared in Dragonfly in Amber as an overenthusiastic English lad on the eve of Culloden who later became an important figure in Voyager as the man assigned to run Ardsmuir, where Jamie was imprisoned. At Ardsmuir, John fell in love with Jamie, a love/fondness that has endured despite the passage of time, even if it is from afar without any hope beyond their friendship (helped a bit, perhaps, by the fact that John assumed the role of father to Jamie's biological son). In this particular novel, we focus our attention entirely on Lord John Grey and a bit of mystery afoot in London. The book starts in June of 1757 and takes place in a relatively short period of time. While Lord John and the Private Matter was published after Drums of Autumn and before The Fiery Cross, as far as the Outlander series timeline is concerned, it's after Lord John's stint running Ardsmuir. John has deposited Jamie (convicted Jacobite supporter) in Helwater to serve as a groom (as opposed to him being shipped to the Americas)... so as long as you have read Voyager, this small volume will not spoil anything else in the Outlander series. For those who are unfamiliar with the Jamie and Claire novels, I would say that familiarity with those novels is not *required* to understand the plot of this novel (and probably its sequels), but I couldn't quite imagine the allure of reading this series unless you were a fan of the other. Those looking for a good mystery novel could probably come up with a better item elsewhere to fit the bill and should leave this series to the devoted Gabaldon fans. The true appeal lies in a better acquaintance with Lord John and a glimpse of other beloved Gabaldon characters in the wings. It's a perfectly serviceable mystery novel -- though one where it's not entirely possible for the reader to figure it all out on ones own, even if one can guess as to the vague outline of responsibility fairly early on. In an author's note, Gabaldon admits that this novel grew out of the intent to write a short story -- though relatively speaking, given the size of Gabaldon's other novels, I think this might qualify as a short story. Clearly the Lord John novels are meant to be consumed as quick delights and I think the mystery format is more than sufficient for its purpose... it gives one the perfect framework to encompass a small adventure and leave it there, as opposed to building in complications that have a substantial effect on events in the other series. Lord John and the Private Matter focuses on two particular intrigues that (not so surprisingly) end up being quite entwined despite their very separate origins. After stealing a quick peek at another fellow's member while using the facilities, Lord John realizes that the man to whom his young cousin is engaged appears to have the pox... and for this reason, he needs to find a way to end the engagement with the least amount of scandal attached to either party. Simultaneously, John's services as a military man are enlisted to solve the murder of a soldier... but more particularly to learn whether or not said solider was a spy and if he sold particular information to a foreign government. Like most mysteries, the plots quickly become entwined and along with a host of secondary characters, John solves the case and saves the day.It may not have the length of her other work, but Gabaldon still keeps a quick pace to this novel. I found that I didn't particularly care much for any of the supporting roles, but if one likes Lord John, then I suppose he's quite pleasant enough to carry off the novel without much support. I hope that the next two in this trilogy (for at the moment, I'm under the impression that there are only three Lord John novels, but goodness knows there might be more forthcoming) are graced with some guest appearances from characters we already know. I imagine they will if Gabaldon knows her audience -- and Gabaldon certainly seems to be a writer who can deliver a novel to please her fans.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was hesitant as what could possibly live up to the ‘big books’ so was delighted to drop into these books with the same wrap-around way.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Meh...not for me.I read the first five books of the Outlander series quite a few years ago, and I had forgotten who Lord John Grey was. Perhaps if I had remembered, I would never have read this book, but, then again, I probably would have, since I consider Diana Gabaldon one of my favorite authors. Lord John was the young English soldier who lost his lover, Hector, at the Battle of Culloden and subsequently fell in love with Jamie Fraser.This book is nowhere near as good as the Outlander series, and I was put off by some of the language and crude epithets. I have read in other reviews that the Lord John series gets better, so maybe I will persevere...maybe not!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    London, 1757, brothels, molly-houses, a dead soldier, spies, an Irish apothecary, treason, adultery, a woman in a green dress (or is it a man?), an escape upon the high seas, and a gay man as the lead character....how could I not read this book! Lord John has made a shocking discovery while using the privy at a gentleman’s club. The man his cousin is betrothed to has a sore on his “private member”. Shocked and worried about a resulting scandal in his family, Lord John makes it his mission to confront the Honourable Joseph Trevelyan. However, being a major in His Majesty’s army, Lord John is called upon to investigate a fellow soldier’s death and possible act of treason. Investigating both matters at once, Lord John is led from “the drawing rooms of the nobility” to the seedy streets of London and a molly-house he frequented in his not so distant past. He finds himself in the midst of treachery and murder where two mysteries suddenly entwine themselves, both of which he is determined to solve. Diana Gabaldon is an amazing author whose research is so impeccable that she sweeps you into the adventure with her rich, vivid descriptions. Those who loved the Outlander series will surely enjoy the plights of Lord John, although you will miss Jamie and Claire. However, since Lord John is in love with Jamie, he does think of the Scottish hunk in several spots throughout the book. Here is one such thought: “Grey took comfort in the imagined vision – a long-legged man striding over the high fells of the Lake District, face turned up toward sun and scudding cloud, wind blowing through the richness of his auburn hair, plastering shirt and breeches tight against a lean, hard body.”(pg.14) Yes, my Lord, I miss him too! It was interesting to get a closer look into the character of Lord John, a gay man who always acts honourably and with a strong loyalty to his family and country. Always the gentleman, he is described as a lean, handsome man, whose sense of humour is revealed in his banter with others and with himself throughout the book. However, there is another side to this nobleman, which we find out as we enter the seedier parts of London’s night life where pieces of his past are revealed. True fans of Diana Gabaldon’s style, depth and wit will be rewarded with a great story where seemingly separate events are intricately and cleverly woven together. If history mixed with a mystery is your thing, you will not be disappointed with this tale.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this book a gread deal: brisk, uncliched plot; good research; vivid setting. (Although I do not know what whale oil smells like.) My copy was not billed a murder mystery, but this book is. (It also isn't billed as humor but there are sly funny touches.) In addition I liked the protagonist -- in too many mysteries I simply travel along with the sleuth because that's the viewpoint character. (I've read far too many cozies with Jennyanydots narrators who were practical and domestic -- but whom I didn't care to spend a series with.) I came to the book knowing nothing about the author or her time-traveling Romance novels (which this is a spinoff of.) Those aren't my cup of tea, but I liked this book a lot.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A page turning, fairly fast pace 18th century spy/murder/thriller. The main character is an aristocratic, army major who happens to be gay, which gives him a real leg-up in knowing the darker secrets of historical London. Just a fun read reminiscent of the first Outlander books.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Meticulously researched like Gabaldon's longer works, but less satisfying as a story, especially since the mystery is not so much solved as explained by the culprit.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    As with the others in this series, it filled out the character of Lord John and made the story line even more enjoyable...Well narrated and as a listener , one is left with the feeling of 'more please'