Review: Grave Circle

Grave Circle' is set in a university. The wife of a member of the faculty vanished years before the story begins, leaving her husband and young son behind. Everyone had assumed at the time that she had left voluntarily; with or without one of her many lovers, but eventually, her remains are discovered during renovations of the former family home. This occurs just as Hiawatha Musing arrives from his mid-western university to give a lecture on Ezra Pound at Clare College, and visit his sister Antigone, a science professor there. The siblings investigate the mystery, convinced from the beginning that the widower cannot be the murderer.

The investigation reveals the small scandals and rivalries of the academic community; the rumours and back-biting, the intense consciousness of class evident in the staff/faculty divide, the careful attention to the style of furnishing of the faculty homes and university buildings, and the rather literary approach to motivation and personality. The choice of sibling detectives, one a professor of science and the other of literature, appears to intended to contrast and highlight the differences between the disciplines. This distinction could have been elaborated, but the disdainful just a scientist' thought of one character rings true. The character development of the protagonists is delineated by their family relationships as well as their professional lives, but do not appear entirely plausible. The style, the plethora of adjectives and adverbs sometimes gives a slightly artificial feel to all of the characters.

This is not a book for a reader looking for forensic detail. I wondered how the police could know that Virginia had been buried alive, since her body had been reduced to a skeleton. However, Grave Circle' does not pretend to be the type of mystery novel which focuses on technical details. It is more in the style of the late Carolyn Heilbrun (Amanda Cross)'s academic mysteries than that of a police procedural novel. Some readers might find the style a little precious and irritating in places, but on the whole, I found the book to be light and entertaining.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Cheryl - RAM

Book Review: Grave Circle