Goodnight Sweet Prince: The Mysterious Death of Eddy, Prince of Wales

by David Dickinson and David Dickinson

Book Overview

It is 1892, the fifty-fourth year of Queen Victoria's reign. Lord Salisbury serves as prime minister, Cavalleria Rusticana is the hit of the London season, and the Prince of Wales is embroiled in yet another scandal. Alexandra, the popular and much-adored Princess of Wales, has long suffered the disgraces of her husband and now worries over the dissolute behavior of her son. Victor Albert--Eddy to his family--apparently takes after his father. That...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786709456
• ISBN13: 9780786709458
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers
• Length: 314 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.7" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Great historical mystery

Very good mystery regarding the English Royal Family, one of my favorite subjects to read about. Lots of historical information as well as a well written mystery, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading, and am awaiting delivery of another book in this series. Anyone who enjoys mysteries will like reading this book.

Taste in books is very subjective.

And what one person likes another thinks is rot. But I very much like this book and the subsequent one I have read. I vowed I was not going to start another "series" of English mysteries. I already have about seven different authors going. But I have ordered the third in this series. I especially like the character development in this series, not just of the main characters, but of the supporting ones as well. I never am any good at figuring out "who did it", so the characters, the environment and the quality of the writing are very important to me. But most important is whether or not I actually like and come to care about the characters. And I would love to be friends with the people in this story.

Colorful bunch

British royal family was always a colorful bunch. In comparisson with their ancestors, today's Windsors are a pretty tame group. Prince Eddie, the grandson of Queen Victoria was very often a subject of speculation and rumor. Some even suspected him of being Jack the Ripper. In this fictional account, the untimely death of Prince Eddy is not influenza but murder. Is it truth or not nobody realy knows anymore, but it is quite possible. The first in a series of novels featuring Lord Francis Powercourt is a very good read. Mix of facts and fiction makes a very pleasent dish.Very enjoyable.

Interesting, Different

Goodnight, Sweet Prince was different in that it is a fairly well-done work of historical fiction, somewhat of a rarity these days. I found the premise, that Prince Eddy was murdered instead of dying from influenza as the official report stated, both intriguing and plausible. The romance between Lord Powerscourt and Lady Lucy was a charming sidenote to the main story. And, most importantly, I feel Dickenson manages to write realistic dialog for 19th century characters, giving the reader the sense of really being there, observing the story first-hand.

Great characters and mystery--royals acting badly

In 1881, Victoria is Queen and Empress and proper British society is at its very height, yet all is not well. Investigator Lord Powerscourt is brought into a strange case involving blackmail of the Prince of Wales himself. England's heir has followed in some of the unfortunate traditions of royalty and his son, Prince Eddy, may be even worse. When Prince Eddy is found dead and the Prince of Wales decides on a cover-up, Powerscourt is called upon to find the killer in a murder that the English Royals simply cannot admit occured. Author David Dickinson offers a delightful combination of engaging characters (the romance between Powerscourt and Lady Lucy is very well done as is the time-table toting butler) and compelling mystery. As Powerscourt digs deeper into the murder, he finds that Prince Eddy had much to account for and that the list of people with motives is long indeed. Powerscourt's investigative abilities and the reader's enjoyment are enhanced by his insights into society and humanity. The scandals of the Royals have made history from the days of Shakespear until today. Dickinson reminds us that even in the glory days of the British Empire and Victoria, power and corruption add up to a dangerous combination--dangerous both to the royals themselves, and to everyone who comes in contact with them. GOODNIGHT SWEET PRINCE is a joy to read. Highly Recommended.