He has written a series of mystery novels set in Victorian era England, as well as literary fiction and numerous essays and book reviews.
He also holds a master's degree in Renaissance English Literature from Merton College, Oxford.
[2] His first published novel, A Beautiful Blue Death, introduced gentleman sleuth Charles Lenox.
[5] The Woman in the Water, released in 2018, is a prequel presenting the beginning of Lenox’s career in detection.
[10][11] He was a 2014 finalist for the National Book Critics Circle's Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing, losing to Alexandra Schwartz of The New Yorker.