Lord Francis Powerscourt
Encyclopedia
Lord Francis Powerscourt is a fictional Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

-Edwardian
Edwardian period
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period in the United Kingdom is the period covering the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910.The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 and the succession of her son Edward marked the end of the Victorian era...

 detective created by the author David Dickinson who has, as of 2011, appeared in ten novels, with an eleventh due out for publication.

Background

Powerscourt is descended from Irish aristocracy, his ancestral home is Powerscourt House
Powerscourt
Powerscourt may refer to:*Viscount Powerscourt, title in the Irish peerage*Powerscourt Estate, County Wicklow, Ireland**Powerscourt Golf Club, on the estate*Powerscourt Waterfall, the highest waterfall in Ireland, near the estate...

 in County Wicklow, Ireland.

Powerscourt's parents both died of Influenza while he was a child. His first wife and son drowned when their ship sunk in the Irish Sea. Powerscourt later remarried to Lady Lucy Hamilton and fathered two children, Olivia and Thomas, as well as becoming step father to Robert, Lady Hamilton's son from her first marriage. Twins Christopher and Elizabeth (known by her second name of Juliet) were also born and first appeared in 'Death called to the Bar'.
Powerscourt was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....

 followed by Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

. His early (and so far largely undocumented) career was with army intelligence in India and Afghanistan where he served with distinction. It is during these early years that Powerscourt discovers his talent for detection.

Powerscourt is great friends with Lord Johnny Fitzgerald and Home Secretary and Prime Minister Lord Rosebery
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, KG, PC was a British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister. Between the death of his father, in 1851, and the death of his grandfather, the 4th Earl, in 1868, he was known by the courtesy title of Lord Dalmeny.Rosebery was a Liberal Imperialist who...

. Fitzgerald, who Powerscourt grew up with in Ireland, acts as an aide and confidant to Powerscourt and assists in his investigations. Both Powerscourt and Fitzgerald have saved each others lives during their army service together.

Books

As of 2011, ten books have been published in the Lord Francis Powerscourt series. All have been published by Constable & Robinson
Constable & Robinson
Constable & Robinson Ltd. is an independent British book publisher of fiction and non-fiction works. Founded in Edinburgh in 1795 by Archibald Constable as Constable & Co. it is probably the oldest independent publisher in the English-speaking world still operating under the name of its...

.

Goodnight Sweet Prince (2002)

1892 - Investigation into the blackmailing and murder of Prince Eddy, the son of the Prince of Wales.

Death and the Jubilee (2002)

1897 - Investigation of a headless corpse found floating in the Thames and the threat to Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

Death of an Old Master (2004)

1899 - Investigation into the murder of a leading London art critic.

Death of a Chancellor (2005)

1901 - Investigation into the murder of the Chancellor of Compton Cathedral.

Death called to the Bar (2006)

1902 - Investigation into the murder of the leading barrister Alexander Dauntsey.

Death on the Nevskii Prospekt (2006)

1904 - Investigation into the murder of a British diplomat in St Petersburg.

Death on the Holy Mountain (2009)

1905 - Investigation in Ireland of a series of art theft
Art theft
Art theft is usually for the purpose of resale or for ransom . Stolen art is sometimes used by criminals to secure loans.. One must realize that only a small percentage of stolen art is recovered. Estimates range from 5 to 10%. This means that little is known about the scope and characteristics of...

s from stately houses.

Death of a Pilgrim (2010)

1905 - Investigation into a pilgrim killed in Le Puy-en-Velay, France. More deaths occur to pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Death of a Wine Merchant (2010)

Investigation into the murder of Randolph Colville, chairman of Colville Wines, at his son's wedding. His brother Cosmo is found standing next to the body, holding a gun, but refuses to say a word.

Death in a Scarlet Coat (2011)

Investigation into the death of the Earl of Candlesby found dead on his horse with a corner of his scarlet coat visible in the morning mist.

Death at the Jesus Hospital (publication 2012)

Investigation into three men found with their throats cut. All are connected to the Silkworkers, an ancient City of London livery company.
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