Montmorency Series
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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 written by Eleanor Updale.
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[edit] Characters
[edit] 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 waders 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.
[edit] 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, at the end of which he marries an Italian contessa.
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.
Marquess of Rosseley, 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.
[edit] Montmorency
London England, 1875. The story begins with Montmorency falling through a glass roof while fleeing from the police, into a meat grinder below. He would have died if not for the interference of Doctor Robert Farcett. Farcett hoped to prove himself as a Doctor by working on Montmorency's complex wounds, and continued to work on the thief after he was imprisoned, and given the temporary name "Prisoner 493".
During his sentence Montmorency had become a chief exhibit at The Scientific Society(as it's name suggests, The Society was a place for medical and scientific gatherings). It's at one of these gatherings that Montmorency 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. However, Montmorency also had high hopes for living as a gentlemen, mainly by selling the expensive items he could steal via the sewers. Since rich people don't normally smell like sewer water or go about in ratty clothes, he found himself in need of an accomplice - A fellow thief with knowledge, capability, and secrecy to accomplish any given tasks. He formulated a genius idea of having two different yet coequal identities - Scarper and Montmorency. That way no one will discover the true identity of the thief. Scarper, the thief, would pose as a servant to the extravagant and wealthy Montmorency.
After three long years of waiting in prison, Montmorency was released from jail. It's notable at this point that all communications between Dr. Farcett and Montmorency ceased after his release from jail.
Scarper accomplished many robberies under the name 'Scarper'(including burgaling Doctor Farcett), and was never caught. During this time, Scarper rented a room in the slums to stash the particularly valuable goods. The place he stays is run by Vi Evans(who would later become one of Montmorency's close friends). Meanwhile, Montmorency rents a room out at The Marimion Hotel for his wealthier self.
The robberies committed by Scarper made the papers. Eventually they picked up a man named "Freakshow", a friend of Montmorency's from his prison days, and pinned Scarpers thievery on him. He was hanged for Scarpers crimes, and became a great source of guilt for Montmorency from then on.
Montmorency saved a man by the name of Fox-Selwyn from a carriage accident outside the Marimion. He and Fox-Selwyn hit it off immediately and they became friends, and after a bet forces him to put all of his criminal skills to good use(breaking into the Mauramanian Embassy to spy for information - "I bet you I could get in!" Turning it into a gambling matter had finally gotten his companions attention., Fox-Selwyn gives Montmorency a job as a spy for the British government. His first assignment was to break in to the Mauramanian embassy and listen for information that could 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, resolving to be an honest man.
[edit] Montmorency On The Rocks
While in Turkey on a Government assignment with his friend and partner 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, as well as the incredible guilt caused by letting "Freakshow" hang for Scarpers crimes.
Meanwhile, Dr. Robert Farcett, the man who practically rebuilt Montmorency after his near-fatal fall, accidentally kills one of his patients on the operating table in an unnecessary operation(gall bladder removal). 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. By bringing both men to the open air of Scotland, Farcett will be able to cure Montmorency of his addiction, and gain his confidence back. On the way there, however, Montmorency suffers from severe 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, instead joins Farcett in escorting 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. Montmorency reveals his criminal past to George as well.
It is up to the heroic trio to arrest the bomber and stop mysterious deaths of the children.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 at the end of the previous book, assisted by George's nephew, Francis, taking on the disguise as Jack Scarper. Meanwhile, Robert Farcett, has become obsessed with cleaning after the death of Maggie Goudie on Tarimond. To assist Robert Farcett and protect Francis, Robert is sent to an asylum to be treated 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, Montmorency. After being attacked by one of the arsonists Montmorency is left near death and recovers slowly as the arsonists responsible for several assassinations and Georges death flee to America. They go to America, where they track down Moretti in a library, where he accidentally kills himself. Afterwards, Montmorency asks for a hand in marriage. The end of the story is left at a cliff hanger.
[edit] Reception
The books received positive reviews for the most part, it has been recommended by educators and critics for a teen age audience, although some reviews recommended it for adults.
[edit] Translations
The novels have been translated into several languages most recently, Brazilian,
[edit] Awards
- Montmorency and the Assassins was chosen as the "Best Book for Teenagers" by the New York Public Library.
- 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.
[edit] New Books
Ms. Updale is trying to publish a book.
