Benjamin Franklin Takes the Case
Benjamin Franklin Takes the Case is the first book in the Benjamin Franklin Mysteries series by Robert Lee Hall. This series is set in London in 1757, before the American War of Independence.
List of books in the Benjamin Franklin Mysteries series
- Benjamin Franklin Takes the Case
- Benjamin Franklin and a Case of Christmas [...]
- [...] at Drury Lane
- Benjamin Franklin and a Case of Artful [...]
- [...] by the Waters
- London Blood
Summary
Benjamin Franklin is in London as the representative for the colony of Pennsylvania. While in London, he takes in a young boy, Nicolas Handy, who works at a London printers' shop. Discovering [...] at the printers, Franklin and Handy must solve the case before the [...] continues. Also, Franklin and Handy have more in common than meets the eye.
In 1757, a young boy Nicolas Handy works at the printers shop of one Eben Inch of London. One morning, he discovers Mr. Inch's body outside, brutally murdered by an unknown person. Benjamin Franklin, who is at the shop to visit Inch, an old friend who contacted him, also finds the body.
After discovering the ill treatment of Nick, Franklin takes him back to the boarding house where he is staying, and promises Nick he will help him to solve the [...] and also discover the identity of Nick's mother. Their investigations take them through London with danger following them closely.
They discover secrets that cause the head of a large city gang to threaten them; people with hidden pasts, more [...], and blackmail. As they dig deeper, they are threatened by the gang leader, accosted in their carriage, bribed to leave the country, and spied upon. The trail leads from the Inch shop, to the home of a wealthy merchant, a troubled Lord, a few brothels, and to a warehouse. They soon discover plots to advance a mans' stature, and mistaken identity. Nicolas is kidnapped, and Franklin rescues him from the clutches of the villains.
Characters
Regular characters
NICOLAS HANDY: The illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin, and Rose Handy, Nicolas is a hardworking, likable young boy. Having a penchant for knowledge, Nicolas loves to read, learn, and explore London. He is the narrator or the series, usually writing either first hand accounts of his adventures with Franklin, or what Franklin and others experienced. Nicolas has an aptitude for sketching, which he uses to draw crime scenes, the body, and so forth. In the first book, Nick has a hard life under the iron rule of Mr. Pinch's wife, who dislikes him, and makes his life miserable. He is rescued by Franklin, and serves as his apprentice through the series, helping him with his experiments and solving murders. Nick has had few romantic relationships, though he is attracted to Polly Stevenson, and has liaisons with a house servant and a prostitute named Birdy Mather. Nick also occasionally works at a printers near the Stevenson house, setting type, which he is quite quick at.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: Benjamin Franklin is the mentor and father of Nicolas Handy. Having met Nick's mother in Boston, one Rose Handy, Franklin met with her for a time, till he and she gave in to their emotions. Sent off with Hexham, Rose went to London, where she gave birth to Nick before her death. Franklin met Nick at the Inch Print Shop, in Fish Lane, during his time in London. He is trying unsuccessfully to convince the sons of William Penn to pay taxes on their estate in Pennsylvania, which is taking money away from the colony. Contacted by his old friend Eben Inch, he rescues Nick from the cruel workplace, and helps to solve the [...] of his friend, and Nick's only friend. Franklin throughout the series is mentor, father figure, and educator of young Nick. Only a few are privy to his secret that he is Nick's father. Though reaching middle age, he is still vigorous and energetic, and can fight well with his bamboo cane, along with his knowledge of points on the body that are target zones to strike. His relationship with John Fielding is one of mutual respect, both realizing that both need the other in their pursuit of justice.
MRS. MARGARET STEVENSON: The landlady of the home that the Franklins and Nick stay at. She dotes on Franklin, but is quick to reproof him on his adventures, and ill care of his health. Through the series she is shown to be wary of Franklins' scientific IDeaS, and dismays at some altogether, but nonetheless, she still enjoys her time with the lodgers. However, she finds that her daughters pursuit of intellectual knowledge instead of doing housework is very exasperating. She and Franklin try to persuade their respective children to consider marriage, but fail. Her role is similar to Ms. Hudson of Sherlock Holmes, both are landladies of eccentric detectives, put up with them, and actually enjoy their company.
POLLY STEVENSON: The headstrong daughter of Mrs. Stevenson, Polly wishes to learn more AbOUT the world, and constantly reads books that she borrows from Mr. Franklin. Though her mother disdains this habit, feeling that knowing housework will gain her a husband more than smarts, Polly still believes in learning. Though her mother tries to push her towards William, Polly will have none of that. She finds Williams' attitude towards her learning to be annoying and wrong, and finds him a cold fish. Polly also wishes to know the tales that Benjamin and Nick have to tell when they get home during their exploits.
WILLIAM FRANKLIN: Son of Benjamin Franklin, William is in London with his father, going to read law and college while spending time there. William has a tenuous relationship with his father, and finds his actions puzzling. Towards Nick he is cold, rarely speaking to him, and wondering why his father took Nick in. He also upset Polly by commenting that her learning is not what she should be doing, earning him scorn at his unacceptance of her learning. In the sixth Benjamin Franklin Book, London Blood, we learn that like his father, William has had an affair, and the woman is with child. He and his father have heated words, and we find that she is sent off to have the child, who will be taken in, while she finds someone to wed. William does not usually participate in the [...] investigations of his father.
DR. FOTHERGILL: A friend of Franklin, he appears on and off as a doctor and advisor to Franklin. In the first story, he warns Franklin to keep in bed, after one of Franklins' frequent air baths causes him to catch a sickness, and later bandages the two up when their coach is knocked into a shop during an attack on Franklin, Nick, and Peter. In the second book he attends the party which Franklin and Nick also attend, during which the host dies.
JOHN FIELDING: Known as The Blind Beak of Bow Street, he is magistrate for a large portion of London, and co-founder of the Bow Street Runners. Fielding is the capable head of London's only police force. While appearing helpless due to his blindness, Fielding is smart, quick and intuitive. In fact, he has heightened his senses so well, he can tell the approximate weight of a person, their mannerisms, and can remember a person's voice for a long time. Though being the only true head of law in the city, he realizes Franklins' methods may help cut down on the crime, and is willing to ignore minor actions, as long as they get results. He appears through the series as a major help to Franklin, and has Franklins' views on cleaning up crime in the city.
PETER: One of the African servants that work for the Franklins, Peter is a dedicated, hardworking individual. He serves as coachman, servant, back-up, spy, and errand runner for Franklin. He is an expert coach driver, and can hold his own in a fight, as in the sixth story, where he defeats three toughs by himself. Peter is the more outgoing of the servants, having a better disposition than King.
KING: The other African servant of the Franklins, King is quiet, and is moody. Most of his time is spent with the horses, and he is Williams' servant. In the first book, Franklin says he would send him back to Africa, but cannot because he would not fit in, having come from a mixed-race family, and lived among white people for so long.
Minor characters
EBEN INCH (printer): Mr. Inch is the first victim of the story, found on the lawn by Nick one morning. Inch was the only kind person to Nick at the printers, and treated him well. He formerly had rough life, being bullied and tricked by Hexham, then found himself bullied by his domineering wife. Though he was ill treated, Inch had a friend in Franklin, who had worked with him years earlier. Eben is murdered by being hit hard, then knifed violently, before almost being scalped. Eben is found to be in possession of incriminating documents about Hexham, though his wife worms them out of him, knowing she could use them against Hexham later if the need arose. He bore a resemblance to Nicolas Handy, and is found to have been mistaken by his killer for Nick, who was supposed to be killed.
MRS. INCH: The domineering wife of Eben, she treated Nick ill. She is considered to be a prime suspect in the [...] of her husband, and secretly trades in girls for prostitution with Ms. Couch and the Hexhams. Mrs. Inch planned to have her daughter marry Hexham's son, but he refused, sending her into a rage. She was later murdered by the people she tried to cross, and is found dead in her room, with a knife in her chest.
MATILDA INCH: The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Inch, she is cruel and ugly, and taunts Nick during his time at the print shop. After both her parents are dead, she is taken in by Eben Inch's sister, who takes pity on her after talking to Franklin. She was supposed to marry the son of Hexham, but his father changes his mind.
BUCK DUFFIN: The taunting, callous, brute of an apprentice at the Inch print shop, he proves to be a bully, a spy for Mrs. Inch and Mrs. Hexham, and is part of the plot to [...] Nick, though of this, he is unaware, but still participates.
JARED HEXHAM: A trader in goods and girls, Jared Hexham is a crook and disliked merchant. Having worked with Franklin and Inch years before, under a different name, Hexham fled to America after a run in with the law. Now the head of a shipping company which deals in Indian and other girls to be sold in London, Hexham is a first class crook. Though mostly competent, Hexham is aided by his wife, who assists him in his schemes. He has made an enemy for himself of Quimp, a London gang leader and criminal mastermind. He has embarrassing evidence about Lord Bottom, which he uses to try to get the marriage of his son and Bottom's daughter. He is later murdered and scalped by The INDIAN family of his coachman.
MRS.PRUDENCE HEXHAM: The criminal mastermind of the story, she has committed much [...] and crime. She had Nick's mother poisoned, had her Indian coachman try to kill Nick, but he failed, [...] Inch instead. She and her daughter both murdered Mrs. Inch, and had the coachman die in the stables in a fire, to silence him. She did this to keep her husband in the high point of society, and will do anything to keep him there. She later plans to kill Nick after kidnapping him, but is thwarted by Franklin, while she and her daughter discover Mr. Hexham murdered. They later are imprisoned and prepare to face trial for their crimes.
BERTIE HEXAMAM and LYDIA HEXHAM- They are the spoiled and unpleasant son and daughter of the Hexhams. Bertie spends his time on the town, drinking and going to brothels. He is supposed to marry the daughter of Lord Bottom, and Tilda Inch, but Tilda is forgotten, and Bottom's daughter also escapes marrying him. Lydia is like her mother, and helps her to commit the crimes that they use to establish their influence in the city and society.
LORD BOTTOM: A kind man, who has some secrets of which may present problems for him. He has only his daughter since the death of his wife, whom he loves and cares for. Bottom unfortunately has been blackmailed by Hexham, who holds information on some indiscretions Bottom committed with prostitutes, and the collection of erotica in the secret room of his home. Bottom asks Franklin to bring down Hexham, to save his daughter and him from RUiN and disgrace. He treats his servants as best he can.
THE INDIANS: A family of Indians from America, who live in London. The mother works for Lord Bottom, who treats her well. She has two children, a daughter sold into a brothel by the Hexhams, and a son who is a coachman for the Hexhams. The son dies when caught in the stable that is afire, and whom she vows revenge for. The daughter helps her mother in the [...] of Jared Hexham. Both flee London, not to be seen there again.