Lord John was intricately introduced in the third "Outlander" novel, "Voyager".

During "Voyager", he was assigned as the overseer of Ardsmuir Prison, where the dashing Jamie Fraser was held captive. When the men of Ardsmuir were dispatched to work in America, Lord John shrewdly arranged for Jamie to work as a groom for the Dunasays, a family closely associated with his own.

"The Private Matter" commences shortly after Jamie begins his employment at the Dunasay manor. Lord John is spending time at home, dutifully assisting his cousin Olivia in planning her wedding to Joseph Trevelyan, a judge. However, Lord John makes a startling discovery, and while delving into a murder investigation, he becomes embroiled in a far more convoluted situation than he had anticipated.

I have a profound enjoyment of the character of Lord John. Additionally, Ms. Gabaldon crafts an engaging and astonishing tale of betrayal and scandal. And although "The Private Manner" is well-written and captivating, I have a greater preference for the interactions of the Fraser/Randall/MacKenzie family and their diverse array of friends and enemies.

Like many other "Outlander" fans, I was initially reluctant to read this second Gabaldon series that centers on a secondary gay character first introduced in "Dragonfly in Amber." The average Goodreads rating of 3.35 and the memory of a homosexual encounter in "Outlander" discouraged me. I didn't want to experience the same pain and suffering. However, when the 7th book, "An Echo in the Bone," came out and everyone said I had to read the Lord John books to fully understand the story, I knew I had to at least give it a try.

Well, I'm happy to report that I really enjoyed "Lord John and the Private Matter." I understand where the low ratings might come from. This book is completely different from the Outlander books. It's a historical mystery with old-fashioned sleuthing, while the Outlander books are more of a smutty romance/adventure type. But what remains the same in both series is the high quality of writing, fantastic characterization, and well-presented historical details.

There's no passionate love story in "Lord John and the Private Matter," but it's filled with political intrigues and discussions of military affairs, which I loved. The subject of homosexuality is present throughout the story. It's always on Lord John's mind, and we follow him as he sleuths through brothels, male secret rendezvous houses, and chases transvestites. It was all new to me, as I know very little about the gay lifestyle, especially in 18th century London.

Gabaldon did a great job of making me appreciate Lord John as a man of honor and feel compassion for his plight. He's a lonely man who has to hide an important part of himself because his "preference" could get him executed.

In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written mystery. It started as a quest to find out if Lord John's future cousin-in-law had syphilis and ended with him solving two murders and uncovering a spy against England. I'm definitely going to read the rest of the books in this series.

P.S. Just a heads-up, there was one man/man sex scene involving Lord John, but it wasn't graphic at all. You just know what's going on.

I truly relished this book.

As described by Diana Gabaldon on her website, one will encounter "a valet, a traitor, an apothecary with a cure for syphilis, a bumptious German and an unscrupulous merchant prince"!

Lord John Grey's cousin Olivia is betrothed to Mr Joseph Trevaylan. Nevertheless, Grey uncovers something potentially unseemly about Treveylan and commences an investigation.

Simultaneously, he is also delving into a possible instance of espionage within his regiment.

This book offers an extremely vivid portrayal of London in 1758 - a historical mystery that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.

The detailed descriptions of the characters and the setting transport the reader back in time, making it a truly immersive experience.

It is a must-read for those who enjoy historical fiction and mystery novels.

Romance - 0, Mystery/1750's London - 100.

Just because it's spawned from the Outlander series, there's not a shred of romance in it.

Story, narration - Solid 4, if you've read Outlander. I think if you haven't it's closer to 3.5 because character development is stunted for Lord John Grey particularly because it assumed you know him. What I "learned" of his character in this book was quite good - noble, honorable, intelligent and at times a bit impulsive which was good and added something to the story. He also has a sense of humor.

Up through Voyager I always thought of Lord John Grey as an honorable love sick pup. Intelligent but could he use it? The answer is provided in this novel. The reason why I decided to give him a try was Echo (Book 7 of Outlander, I absolutely loved him in that novel).

This novel I would categorize as a historical mystery. I plan to continue reading as it was definitely good enough to continue. It takes the reader on a journey through 1750's London, filled with mystery and intrigue. The story is well-narrated and the characters are engaging. Although there is no romance, the mystery aspect keeps the reader hooked. Lord John Grey's character development is an interesting aspect of the book, as we see him grow and change throughout the story. Overall, it's a great read for fans of historical mysteries and the Outlander series.

It is a captivating story that revolves around Lord John Grey. Set in 1957 in London, shortly after he rescues Jamie from being dispatched to the colonies, it delves into a web of a series of murders and complex family affairs. To be quite frank, I have never truly had an affinity for John Grey in Outlander. I only embarked on reading this series because it is a necessary precursor for the subsequent Outlander books. In my humble opinion, Diana Gabaldon seems to have elongated the story to the furthest extent possible. This elongation, unfortunately, made it a bit of a challenge to persevere through. However, despite this, the story does hold certain elements that keep the reader intrigued and eager to uncover the mysteries that lie within the narrative.

I’ve read the Outlander series and was truly longing to prolong the adventure for a while longer.

This book, in comparison to the Outlander series, is penned with such a distinct tone and voice that it almost gives the impression of being written by a different author altogether.

Although I understand the concept that one has to be the hero in their own story, Lord John here sounds entirely different. He appears to be much more confident within this narrative.

This story reads more like a murder mystery rather than a historical romance. Independently speaking, it is indeed a good book.

However, this Lord John seems to be completely at odds with the Lord John I was first introduced to through Jamie’s perspective.

It’s quite interesting to see the different facets and interpretations of the same character in different storylines.

It makes one wonder how the author managed to create such a divergence in the portrayal of Lord John.

Perhaps it’s a deliberate choice to add more depth and complexity to the character.

Overall, while this book offers a unique reading experience, it also makes one reflect on the various ways in which a character can be presented and understood.

It's really great to read something from John's perspective because he was/is one of my favorite heroes in the Outlander series. Those books completely captivated me and this one also has that lightness of reading, although it definitely doesn't belong to the easiest ones. Maybe it's not some outstanding masterpiece, but it is a good read.

The story of John adds another layer of depth to the overall narrative. His character is complex and interesting, with his own set of challenges and experiences. Reading about his thoughts and feelings gives us a better understanding of the world he inhabits and the people around him.

Even though this book may not be as highly acclaimed as some of the others in the series, it still has its own charm and appeal. It's a worthy addition to the Outlander universe and a must-read for fans of the series.

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 and witty professional soldier, a Major in Her Majesty's service in 1757, who finds himself up to his impeccable chin in murder, mayhem, and mystery. It's like both William Powell and Myrna Loy (of the old Thin Man movies) rolled into one character, with a touch of television's Monk thrown in.

Fun! He is so particular about his clothes and appearance and there's this running subconscious dialogue interspersed with the bigger external picture unfolding in his head that goes something like this: "Ah, ha, so the Scanlons have flown the coop which must be a big clue!...and I seem to have lost a button on my waistcoat." He is always picking at a loose thread, flicking lint on his shoulder, noticing every detail around him. You can just picture his futzing.

He is also very adept at the dry one-word reply – indubiously, quite, likely, mayhaps. I really enjoyed it, and should have had more trust in her unbelievable writing talent. Interestingly, the one "sex scene" involving Lord John was very well-done, compelling, and poignant and definitely germane to the story. He simply loses himself, tastefully fades to black, and whispers "Pretend…I am not here." And I truly believe he wishes it were so.

Contrast his fastidious personal quirks with his loathsome outward duty, and you've got a very entertaining setup. He is the only one in the room who will sink his fingers into the mushy scalp of a corpse for a clue or carry around the reeking blood-soaked remnant of a garment with which to confront the bad guy. Then there's his fiercely protective little side kick, a ragamuffin English boy who follows him around and insists that he be his valet. The little boy is just as comical, giving "me lord" the steely eye as he makes him drink MANY egg whites as a poison antidote and tries to mend his endlessly destroyed clothes.

I can't wait to read more Lord John. Undoubtedly.

Lord John is doing very well. However, the plot is needlessly complicated. It seems that there are too many twists and turns that don't really add much value to the overall story. It could have been presented in a more straightforward manner to make it easier for the audience to follow.

Perhaps the author was trying to be overly clever or create a sense of mystery that ended up being more confusing than engaging. As a result, the readers or viewers may find themselves getting lost in the convoluted plot and losing interest in the story altogether.

It's important to remember that simplicity can often be more effective than complexity when it comes to storytelling. A clear and concise plot that focuses on the essential elements and characters can have a much greater impact on the audience. In this case, it might be beneficial to simplify the plot and let Lord John's character shine through more clearly.

This book is written in a very exciting and also funny way.

However, I could only distinguish a few characters, which sometimes led to confusion.

Nevertheless, I thought it was great that Lord John could develop his own story independently of Jamie and Claire.

I had not expected that it would be a mystery!

It is very interesting to see how the author creates a new plot line for Lord John, who has always been a supporting character in the previous books.

The story is full of twists and turns, and I found myself constantly on the edge of my seat.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction and mystery novels.

3.5 stars

Ok so, let me begin by addressing one aspect of her writing that I'm not too fond of. It's the way she insists on inserting all the research she's done right into the narrative. For instance, having a character in their head explain to the audience during a conversation what a "widow's walk" is. Ms. Gabaldon, we're not that dumb. We can figure it out from context clues. Thankfully, it didn't happen overly often, but just enough to make me think, "Ok ma'am, just put a historical dictionary or note at the back of the book."

The second part I disliked was the strange chapter where the gay protagonist gets, I don't know, aroused (not in that sense exactly, just something like "oh it's Jaime's accent mmm") or reminded of someone he loves because of a 14-year-old sex worker's Scottish accent. Ms. Gabaldon, you really didn't have to write that at all. Please just stop. Anyway, they use the word "wh*re" a lot, which I expected. I don't think they would use any other term to describe sex workers and such in the 1750s. But just as a heads up (they have to go to bordellos for investigation reasons and so on).

As for the rest of the book, I actually liked it! It was a decent, run-of-the-mill mystery novel. I like Tom Byrd and von Namtzen, and I'm absolutely迫不及待 to read about Johnny's fight with the electric eels in another book <3.

I never ever thought I would give my favorite author a one star rating, but here it is!

This book was extremely dull and boring to me. It seemed to lack the excitement and charm that I had come to expect from this author. A lot of people recommended reading this series before reading Echo in the Bone, but no thank you!

I hope Echo in the Bone isn't like this one. I was really disappointed with Gabaldon's latest offering. I had high hopes for this book, but it just didn't deliver. The story dragged on and on, and I found myself losing interest halfway through. I'm still a fan of Gabaldon, but this book was definitely a miss for me. I'll be crossing my fingers that Echo in the Bone is a better read.