A Study in Deathr

By Iain McDowall

Book Overview

Dr. Roger Harvey, an academic who pursues women and European history with equal passion, is found murdered in his apartment. Detective Sargent Ian Kerr and Detective Chief Inspector Frank Jacobson can discern no obvious motive for the murder. Harvey didn't do serious drugs and didn't have a criminal record. Not even his closest friends can throw any light on the mystery that threatens to unravel in every direction. Kerr and Jacobson find the case difficult to crack, which increases Jacobson's dependence on alcohol, and puts more pressure on Kerr's disintegrating marriage. To untangle the dark threads of the mystery, the case takes them from Crowby University to Amsterdam, and involves everything from million dollar machinations in the software industry, to New Age cultists in the English Lake District.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312278683
• ISBN13: 9780312278687
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 186 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

definitely out of the ordinary

This book isn't for everyone. It's fast-paced and has its share of plot twists. But beware - it's not your average mystery story. The cops aren't "nice" and heartwarming. Life doesn't get better just because they solve the case. Instead you get real characters, real psychology and some wonderful writing. ("McCulloch tried a smile as slight as his huddled frame, as slender as his future"). If you like the finer things in a book and not the obvious, you will love it.

highly recommended

This is my book of the year so far. The pace never lets up and I was kept guessing right to the end. But most of all I liked the quality of the writing. Especially the way the town of Crowby (fictional?) really comes to life - almost like a character itself. For anyone who likes a dark mystery, well-told, this is a treat. Highly recommended

A creative mystery

In spite of properly casing the joint and doing everything in accordance with the break and enter handbook, George "Geordie" McCulloch selects the wrong apartment to burglarize. He enters the abode of Professor Roger Harvey only to find the occupant's corpse lying in bed. Doing the right thing, Geordie calls the police though being a Good Samaritan probably means the two-time loser will be doing time again. On the surface, the professor seems to have no enemies. He lived for his work though he seemed to set aside plenty of time for the ladies. As the Crowley police dig deeper into the academic's life, they begin to find many secrets that the professor hid, one of which one must have led to his murder. To this reviewer, a cleverly designed British procedural is always fun to read because of the comparisons with the American judicial system. In his debut, Iain McDowell provides sub-genre fans with a creative tale filled with legitimate red herrings that encourages the reader to guess who did it. Readers will remain on the look out for more novels from this new talent.Harriet Klausner