Charles Finch

Charles Finch (born 1980) is an American author and literary critic, notable for his series of mystery novels set in Victorian era England.

Life and career

Finch was born in New York City. He graduated from Phillips Academy and Yale University where he majored in English and History. He also holds a master's degree in Renaissance English Literature from Merton College, Oxford. He is the grandson of American artist and writer Anne Truitt. He lives in Chicago.

His first published novel, A Beautiful Blue Death, introduced gentleman sleuth Charles Lenox. The book was named one of Library Journal’s Best Books of 2007 and was nominated for the Agatha Award for best new mystery of 2007. The September Society, Finch's second historical mystery featuring the Charles Lenox character, was published in 2008. The Fleet Street Murders came out in 2009 and was nominated for the Nero Award. A Stranger in Mayfair, the fourth Lenox mystery, was released in 2010. A Burial at Sea, A Death in the Small Hours, and An Old Betrayal were released in November 2011, November 2012, and November 2013, respectively. All seven books are published by St. Martin's Minotaur, a division of St. Martin's Press.

Finch's first contemporary novel, The Last Enchantments, was published by St. Martin's Press in early 2014. He has written for The New York Times and Slate and regularly reviews books for The New York Times, New York Times Book Review, The Chicago Tribune and USA Today. He was a 2014 finalist for the National Book Critics Circle's Balakian award for criticism.