The Vesuvius Club

A colleague lent me this delightful book called The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gattis. It is a rollicking spy thriller set in Edwardian England (except for the bits in Italy) involving the secret service, assassins and artists, drug use, vulcanology and other excitement. The hero, Lucifer Box, is quite the dandy with exquisite tailoring and the right waistcoat for every occasion. At one point he is upset because he has only a single hour to dress for an engagement.

It is very funny and quite naughty. I simply could not put it down until I'd finished reading it.

One point bothered me though: there's a character called Joshua Reynolds who is meant to be a famous painter but this says he died in 1792. Guess I'm being too literal again.