Lord John and the Private Matter

Like many other "Outlander" fans, I've been reluctant to even attempt to read this second Gabaldon series which centers on a secondary gay character first introduced in "Dragonfly in Amber." I was discouraged not only by the average rating of 3.35, but by the sheer memory of THE homosexual encounter in "Outlander." I simply didn't feel like going through the same pain and suffering again. But then the 7th book came out ("An Echo in the Bone") and everybody was saying that you had to have read L [...]

I resisted reading any Lord John stories for a very long time, despite being a huge Gabaldon fan. I just couldn't get behind a gay lead, didn't understand the appeal or potential of this character. I didn't get it, without even trying it. Recently I saw Gabaldon at a sci-fi convention, and to get in the mood for it, I dug out this book, which I had snagged at a library discard sale for a buck or so.I get it now. He's delightful. Imagine a slight, blonde, aristocratic, rich, devastatingly smart a [...]

Gabaldon reacquaints readers with Lord John Grey. In Grey's first full-length novel set in 18th century London, nobility and the rabble cross paths, while whores and dukes solicit one another. Grey is an active soldier, living the good life, as Great Britain fends off France on three continents. Emerging from his club one June morning in 1757, Grey possesses a secret that may permanently damage his family, should the wrong person learn of its nature. As this plagues him, the Crown sends him to i [...]

Lord John GreyLord John Grey is a major in His Majesty's army . He is entrusted with searching for the answers to two murders and to a spy selling secrets. Lord John discovers a man by the name of O'Connell may have sold military secrets to an enemy spy. There are plenty of clues to all three crimes, but they're not coming together in a cohesive answer. Perhaps they are all separate crimes and not tied together. Will Lord John Grey discover the answers before it's too late?Diana Gabaldon has wri [...]

Very quickly:this was a good book (kind of?), but booooring. I like the writing and the research is incredibly well done, with no historical info dumping, but there was one issue that I just could not get past.I read books for the plot, obviously, but just as much, if not more, for the characters. Here, we don't get to know anything about Lord John. Anything. The focus is on the plot, with a generous helping of colorful side characters, but basically all I feel now that I'm done with the book is [...]

Audible deal of the day for $3.95!audible/pd/Mysteries-T

I really didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did, even harboring affection for Gabaldon’s Outlander books, and especially the character of Lord John Grey, whom I find to be adorable and heartbreaking.The Lord John Grey series is a spin-off of Outlander, following Lord John Grey, a character first introduced in Dragonfly in Amber as a sixteen year old boy who encounters Jamie and Claire the night before the battle at Prestonpans, but he’s most prominent (at least as far as I’ve r [...]

"d at the end of the room the musicians still played Handel, like the music of his life, beauty and serenity interrupted always by the thunder of distant fire."ETA, Reread Jan 2015: Just as good, if not better, the second time around. LJG is a most excellent protagonist. Outlander fans might skip the Lord John Grey series because, well, no Jamie Fraser. And while I admit I only gave the series a try because Jamie does share pov in The Scottish Prisoner (wonderful book, btw), I've continued the s [...]

Ok, why why WHY does Gabaldon insist on ANOTHER plot of gay men?Ok, yes, that sort of thought and leanings were around back then. But here's the thing. Even covert, they weren't so open about it! I mean, back then, that sort of stance really wasn't all that common. And if it was, men (or woman) took the upmost care to conceal it, or be very careful about to whom they revealed it on. I just think there is so much potential in this story, specifically to Grey, if it wasn't clouded by the sexual st [...]

*Sigh*I can't. I got about 60 pages in, but I just don't want to read any more. I'm bored of this story and it's nothing to do with the book. Gabaldon is one of my favourite authors, I love her Outlander series, but Lord John as a character isn't my favourite, and this sort of mystery genre just isn't for me. I am going to keep all the books in this series though, so that in a couple of years when I reread the Outlander Books, I will hopefully decide to try again, so maybe I'll enjoy them. But a [...]

I never would have picked this book up except that I am starved - starved, I say! - for English-language books here in Japan, and because I am so desperate for reading material, I will now read pretty much anything I can find that looks vaguely interesting, especially if it's cheap. This was on the ¥500 yen table at Tower Records, and looked like it was maybe not as crap as everything else offered for the same price. So I picked it up even though I have, like, negative interest in reading the O [...]

I read this book a couple years back and enjoyed stepping into the world of Lord John and his Georgian London. A cunning mystery and an opportunity to know John and those around him better made it a delightful read. However, for this, my second encounter, I chose to experience the story on audio with new to me narrator, Jeff Woodman. I'm happy to report that this story was better than ever as a result. His storytelling was amazing and matched well with the characters, tone of the book, and sitat [...]

I havent read anything else by Diana Gabaldon and I probably never will. When I read it, I didnt know much of the character's backstory - only that he had been a minor character in some other epic adventure. But it sounded intresting and as it turned out, it didnt dissapoint.I picked it up because I wanted to read about a lead that was gay - it was part of the pride festival theme and one of my favourite bookstores had gathered a bunch of their books with homosexual lead characters as a tribute [...]

I know this borders on the heretical, but I've been enjoying the Lord John series more than Outlander proper. In contrast to the larger-than-life Jamie Fraser, Lord John Grey is relatively diffident and self-effacing. His homosexuality adds a profound dimension to his character. Because the books are short (at least in Gabaldonian terms), there are few tangents and minimal plot clutter, allowing John's character to shine without the overwhelming presence of Claire or Fraser. Lord John is so very [...]

Lord John ese gran picaruelo. Me gusta

Lord John w wersji solo nie do końca spełnił moje oczekiwania. Został on wplątany w prowadzenie śledztwa, które w jakiś sposób wiąże się z kradzionymi wojskowymi rozkazami i ślubem jego kuzynki Olivii z mężczyzną podejrzanym o francuską chorobę. Początkowo nie mogłam ogarnąć o co chodzi. Może też dlatego, że John zupełnie nie pasuje mi na detektywa. Zdecydowanie wolę go w sytuacjach ściślej powiązanych z główną serią książek czyli Obcą i jej bohaterami oraz w [...]

Nearing the end of my Outlander journey I realised, as I started An Echo in The Bone (#7) that there where things (and characters) alluded to within the first chapter that I was completely in the dark about. With trepidation I remembered warnings and a general consensus by other Outlander readers/fans that I should read The Lord John books before I reached this point but, honestly? I thought I'd be able to 'wing' it; I was wrong. With a screeching halt I had to temporarily abandon my love affair [...]

Ten years ago I devoured the first 4 books of the Outlander series, and then as sudden as the Outlander fever had taken me, it had also left me. I couldn’t get into the fifth book. I think I sort of got satiated with Jamie and Clare’s saga. Well they are hefty books, and I had to take a break from them. I haven’t started up since, but I will, soon, because I just adore Diana Gabaldon’s storytelling and I think that Jamie and Clare’s adventures are amazing and I’ve enjoyed them immens [...]

Not entirely a success - this book is neither meaty, complex and id-pleasing (like Gabaldon's Outlander series) nor witty and smart (like a successful mystery novel), and ends up mediocre. I think part of the problem here is that Gabaldon's strength is in the epic full of anguish, love, and sex, and this book has none of the first two, and the third is entirely off-stage. She's stuck in part due to the fact that Lord John Grey, the protagonist here, is a secondary character in the Outlander book [...]

Aw, I should probably give it three, but I love Lord John. I was severely dissappointed, however, with the pages upon pages where the "bad guys" justld us what-all had been going on the whole time. It was done as well as such an info-dumping monstrosity could be done, with a bit of tension in the background and explanations for why they'd do this, and how it was all going down.But still. I expect more from Gabaldon.But if four stars is "really liked it" over "liked it," then it's true. But I adm [...]

After reading the first 3 books in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, and Voyager), this first book in the Lord John Grey series really did not meet my expectations. I'd actually give this closer to 2.5 stars if I could. It really didn't have the action and drama that I was expectingry anticlimactic. The plot of the story is interesting - Lord John Grey, by order of the Crown, is investigating the murder of a member of his regiment thought to be a traitor - a spy f [...]

Lord Grey first appears in Dragonfly in Amber the third book in Outlander series as an important minor character. I haven't read Outlander and I doubt I will. The book was OK but not so good as I expected. Story is interesting but it isn't page turner, main character is likeable enough but other characters are flat. Of course the mystery is revealed by "baddy" in the end. And I have no idea why so many readers shelved this story as "romance". All that said, I do plan to read Lord John And The Ha [...]

I love Lord John. I love Diana Gabaldon. But I didn't love this book because (lately) I'm not into mysteries, and this book is above all else a historical mystery novel. The Outlander series has romance, epicness (is that a word?), wars, and a huge cast of characters. The Lord John universe is much more contained and focused. It is probably fun for DG to switch gears.The mystery itself is pretty convoluted. Lord John is one of the best secondary characters of the Outlander universe and it was ni [...]

I've always liked Lord John so I don't know why I waited so long to read this book. Lord John and the Private Matter was chock full of intrigue and the trademark Diana Gabaldon's wit and vivid portrayal of a time past. You almost feel like you're living there because Ms. Gabaldon doesn't shy away from showing the smelly and the nasty.I can't say I loved the mystery - some of the stuff got really complicated - but I liked Lord John's turn of phrase and his complicated life as a gay man during thi [...]

As in her other well-known series, this author takes the time to set the stage for the time period. Her attention to detail is outstanding and rich with descriptions. I've always liked the character of Lord John and this story was interesting in that we got to see him solve a mystery, often taking the wrong steps and making those 'if I had known' statements, shows him being all too human. Though the story moved slowly, I didn't find anything lacking and looked forward to finishing the tale.All i [...]

It was nice to get acquainted with John Grey. It will bring more to the story as I continue the Claire and Jamie story.

I enjoyed this insight into a complex, man of honor and duty, Lord John Grey. And what a tangled tale this was to be sure. Luckily for me I enjoy a slow, almost languorous, plot layout in my historicals I was glad to give me reading brain a respite whilst taking things in at the same "hmmmming" pace as our stalwart Major Grey. Lust, dishonor, pride, social conventions, murder, famiky duty, scandal, love, classic greed, wraps a fine mystery around society norms, treason, and a man's true nature.A [...]

Coming off of reading three of the Gabaldon time travel books, and meeting John Grey in the book three, I was hoping more would be shed on his life and background and not be a historical mystery, where the other characters are more developed than the title character. With that being said, the story and time period detail was good, but just a bit of disappointment with John Grey.

More like 4 and a half stars, really. Very enjoyable read, even if the resolution of the murder mystery and "private matter" proved to be a bit problematic at the edges, and best not too deeply thought about. But I absolutely loved the whole atmosphere of the book, which strangely enough reminded me of the pleasure I found when reading Wodehouse's Jeeves books. I know, I know, completely the wrong era and book genre, but still, this Lord John book has that English upper class feel to it, with al [...]

I love Diana's writing and Outlander and I've loved John Grey in the Outlander series. So I'll happily read the John Grey series and like them enough to keep reading. That in mind, this one got just 3 stars because it felt a little more along the lines of a mystery, which didn't thrill me. There are plenty of mystery sub-plots in Outlander, which add some intrigue and seem like they are situations that fit in the historical period and places easily, and Claire and Jamie just happen to be a part [...]