The Custom of the Army

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Genre: Historical, Mystery, Novella

Rating: C+

I’m not entirely sure the purpose of “The Custom of the Army.”  The pretense of the plot is as such: While attending an electric eel party (which involves connecting as many people as possible then having one brave soul touch an electric eel) Lord John Grey enters into a scuffle over a lady’s honour, which results in a duel.  The next day it is revealed that the man with which Grey duelled is dead, his father demanding that Grey be tried for murder – and the lady’s father demanding that Grey enter into a marriage for the sake of his daughter’s honour.  Rather conveniently at the same time a letter appears requesting that Grey serve as a witness to the court martial of one Captain Charles Carruthers, in Canada.  Deciding that the wilderness of Canada is a much safer place than London society, Grey very quickly decides to flee the country.  This journey gives Grey the opportunity to reunite with his new cousin-in-law, last seen in Lord John and the Private Matter, and partake in the British Conquest of New France.

When I say the pretense of the plot, however, I really do mean the pretense.  The reason for which Grey goes to Canada in the first place are rather flimsy and quickly forgotten.  As is common with the Lord John series, matters are for the most part nicely wrapped up by the end of the story, but I found that I wasn’t really happy with the resolution.  It just seemed a bit too forced, too rushed.  Almost as though Gabaldon had intended to write a much longer story, but realized that for this anthology she could not do so.  As such, rather than really developing the plot she just kind of winged it, wrapping everything up like an afterthought, or like a present that you buy at a gas station on the way to Christmas dinner.  The characters in the story are, as always, excellently written, but the story is lacking.  Where “Custom” does succeed, however, is as an in between.  It provides a good connector between its predecessor, "Lord John and the Haunted Soldier" and its successor, The Scottish Prisoner.