Montmorency series

The Montmorency Series is a Victorian era crime genre focused on an ex-convict turned spy named Montmorency. The first novel in the series was released on April 1, 2004. The forth and latest book was released in March 2007. The series was writen by Eleanor Updale.

Characters

Main Characters

Montmorency/Scarper – A former convict turned aristocratic gentleman, and the protagonist of the series. Montmorency works legally as a British agent and illegally goes about his adventures as his alter ego, Montmorency’s vile manservant, Scarper. Scarper is a master of the London sewerage system and carries out his business using the sewers as a sanctuary and escape route. 3 years prior to the main storyline, Scarper was in a raid when he fell through a glass roof, nearly killed him if Robert Farcett wasn't there to save his life. After recovering and getting out of prison, Scarper raids his way across London. After meeting George Fox-Selwyn, Montmorency becomes a well-paid spy after the events of the first book. Scarper then disappears, Montmorency having no desire to rob people again, but keeps a pair of wadders for "just in case". After five years of being a gentleman, Scarper comes back to haunt Montomorency due to his fondness for a Turkish drug. Montmorency is then taken to Scotland to heal and meet Doctor Farcett again. He is hurriedly called back however, to solve a series of bombings in London. After twenty years, Montmorency has to help Frank escape from the anarchist who plan to take down members of the aristocracy. After his friend George dies, Montmorency seeks revenge.

Lord George Fox-Selwyn – A member of Bargles, an upper-class club, in which Montmorency currently resides. Fox-Selwyn is a wealthy aristocrat who is Montmorency’s first true friend, and introduces him to the lifestyle and society of the British aristocracy. Fox-Selwyn is also a British agent, albeit a secret and unpaid one. He is killed at the end of the third book, causing Montmorency to swear revenge on the killers.

Doctor Robert Farcett – The man responsible for saving Montmorency’s life in the first book. He is a brilliant physician/surgeon who is considered a rising star in the British medical community. He invented the Bodyscreener in the third book, an X-Ray machine. He fancies Maggie Goudie, but becomes insane after learning he caused her death.

Other Characters

Vi Evans - The mother of Tom, she is the daughter of Mrs. Evans and the tenant of the Covent Garden. Scarper realizes he is quite fond of her at the end of the first book. Vi becomes an important witness in the second book as she met briefly with one of the bombers. She finally reveals to Montmorency that he is Tom's father, preventing him from marrying someone else.

Maggie Goudie- Caretaker of the island Tarimond, she teaches the children and cares for the sick. She dies in the third book of excess exposure to radiation from Farcett's X-ray machine.

Duke of Monaburn, Edward Augustus "Gus" Fox-Selwyn - The older twin brother of Lord George Fox Selywn, he owns the family Scottish seat. He married a Scot, Lady Lorna Gillivrie, and is the father of Alexander and Francis Fox-Selywn. He goes on a worldwide trip around Europe arranged by his brother to take his mind off from his wife's death in the third book.

Lord Francis Fox-Selwyn - He's often called Frank due to dislike of his real name. He becomes involved with the anarchists in Montmorency and the Assassins as he unwillingly makes friends with some of them and gets involved with many activities.

Duke of Marquess, Alexander Fox-Selwyn - Alexander is the older brother of Frank, and is much more strict then his brother. He marries at the end of the third book, to the daughter of the Police Chief Inspector of Italy.

Montmorency

Gentleman by day, thief by night. London England, 1875. On a rainy night the worst was about to happen to Montmorency or maybe yet the best. He fell through a glass roof while fleeing from the police and had life threatening injuries, but luckily a brilliant young surgeon saved his life and gave him a second chance to live. Doctor Robert Farcett was a surgeon mainly for people who were arrested, like Montmorency who was detained and sentenced to three years in prison.

During his sentence Montmorency had become a chief exhibit at medical and scientific gatherings across the city, for his severely damaged body. It's at one of these gatherings that he came across Sir Joseph Bazalgette, who is the planner and supervisor of the ongoing London sewer project. From that moment on, this new system would make a drastic change in Montmorency's life.

Montmorency realizes that the sewers are the perfect escape route for his daring robberies. He had one problem. He needed a thief. A thief with knowledge, capability, and secrecy to accomplish any given tasks. He formulated a genius idea of having two different yet coequal identities. This way no one will discover the true identity of the thief. The thief will go by the name of Scarper, and he will serve the extravagant and wealthy, Montmorency.

After three long years of waiting in prison his new life had just begun. A life where he doesn't have to worry about having his secret identity revealed. Scarper accomplished many robberies without ever being caught. He robbed many people including Dr. Farcett. As Scarper stole, Montmorency became wealthier. But on the other hand Montmorency has done good deeds unlike Scarper; Montmorency saved a man by the name of Fox-Selwyn from a carriage accident. He grew a relationship with Fox-Selwyn and they became friends, and Fox-Selwyn gave Montmorency a job as a spy for the British government. His first assignment was to break in to the Mauramanian embassy and prevent European war, which earned him a permanent position in the British government. Eventually he frees himself from Scarper and returns all the stolen goods that remain in his possession.

Montmorency On The Rocks

While in Turkey on a Government assignment with his friend Lord George Fox-Selwyn, Montmorency develops a dangerous addiction to a drug he purchased in Turkey. While under its influence, he relives his past criminal exploits as the thieving Scarper. Meanwhile, Dr. Robert Farcett, the man who literally rebuilt the mysterious Prisoner 493 (who’s never been heard from since), accidentally kills one of his patients on the operating table in an unnecessary operation. With both men deep in depression, their only connection, Lord Fox-Selwyn decides to reunite the two men once again.

He decides to invite his two friends to his family castle in Scotland, owned by his brother Gus, hoping Farcett can cure Montmorency of his addiction, and that Montmorency can make Farcett feel confident as a doctor again. On the way there, Montmorency suffers from withdrawal and Farcett resigns from his job.

As the three friends spend time in Scotland, two bombs explode in London and Lord Fox-Selwyn is called back to England by the Home Secretary (formerly the Foreign Secretary and his old boss). Montmorency, who is still too weak to return home, escorts a young maid named Morag from the castle home after the death of her 5-month-old brother. While on the girl’s home island of Tarimond, Doctor Farcett uncovers a secret that has been killing an entire generation of the island's children.

Upon returning to London, Montmorency assists Fox-Selwyn in apprehending the bomber, with some help from Doctor Farcett and Vi, the daughter of his old land-lady, the only people Scarper was nice to. It's up to the heroic trio to arrest the bomber and stop mysterious deaths of the children.

Montmorency And The Assassins

This is the third book in Eleanor Updale's series and takes place twenty years after the events of the first book.

Montmorency and his friend Lord George Fox-Selwyn are on a leisurely assignment, searching for missing scientific specimens in Italy. They discover them to be hidden at La Specola, an Italian museum. The curator helps them with their quest. They are also visiting George's brother and nephews, Frank and Alexander. Events lead one to another, and eventually an anarchist plot is revealed to be in its most dangerous stages.

Meanwhile Dr. Farcett is busy working on Tarimond with Maggie on his new x-ray machine. Vi and her son Tom live on Tarimond, where Tom wonders about who his father might be. (The book hints at various people who could be Tom's father, including Montmorency, George, Dr. Farcett, and even George's butler.) All of them help Montmorency and George try to stop the anarchists' terrible plan. Frank, also in Florence with his family on vacation, is swept into the anarchists plot when one his friend Guido pushes him to help him in one of the attacks. One of the anarchist safe havens appears to be centered in Paterson, a city in New Jersey, America. Montmorency, Farcett, and company go to America. Farcett, however, leaves right before a message concerning Maggie. The letter describes how she became sick and succumbed to a mysterious illness, later revealed to be radiation poisoning. A man named Bayfield houses Montmorency and company in their stay. Montmorency has a brief courtship with one of Bayfield's wife's friends. It ends when it is revealed that Montmorency is Tom's father. The anarchist plans in Italy and Britain end in failure. However, each of the characters is scarred emotionally. Farcett receives news of Maggie's death, right before he was about to set off to Tarimond to propose to her. Tom still does not know that Montmorency is his father. When Montmorency is receiving his congratulations from Lord Astleman, the man who sent the two to get his missing experiments, Lord George Fox-Selwyn is mysteriously missing. When Astleman is opening two new experiments, the second is revealed to be George himself. He was shot and delivered to Astleman by none other than the curator of La Specola. He was working with the anarchists all along. Montmorency, in the last chapter of the book, vows revenge on Fox-Selwyn's murderer.

Montmorency’s Revenge

The fourth book in the series was released in March 2007, and takes place about a year after the events of Montmorency and the Assassins. In this book, Montmorency heads to London to seek out those responsible for the death of Lord George Fox-Selwyn, with George's nephew, Francis, taking on the disguise as Jack Scarper. Meanwhile, Robert Farcett, who has become obsessed with cleaning after the death of Maggie Goudie on Tarimond, is sent to an asylum to become better under the guise of Francis Fox Selwyn, to throw off the terrorists. He is accompanied by Vi and her and Montmorency's son Tom, who finally learns the truth about his real father. They go to America, where they track down Moretti in a library, where Moretti accidentally kills himself. Afterwards, Montmorency asks for a hand in marriage.

Reception

The books recieved positive reviews for the most part, also recieving several rewards.

Translations

The novels have been translatedinto several languages most recently, Brazilian,

Awards

• Montmorecny and the assasains was chosen as the best book for teen age by the New York public libray system.
• The Nestle Smarties Silver Award
• The Blue Peter Prize for ‘The Book I couldn’t Put Down’
• The Medway Award
• The Southern Schools Book Award.

External links

• Eleanor Updale's website