An Experiment in Treason (Sir John Fielding Mystery, 9th)

The Fielding mysteries are a magical combination of period ambiance, vivid characterization, and intriguing plotlines. In the ninth of Alexander's acclaimed novels, Sir John Fielding, the blind eighteenth-century London judge, and his young assistant Jeremy, investigate the mystery surrounding a packet of letters that has been stolen from the London residence of a prominent official- and that turns up in the colony of Massachusetts. Why are the contents so compromising? Why has a suspect in the theft turned up dead? And what should Sir John do about his feeling that Benjamin Franklin himself is somehow complicit? While the political tensions rise, Sir John searches for answers and finds that justice isn't always served by the letter of the law. "Wonderful!" (The New York Times Book Review)