Natural History: A Novel

By Maureen Howard

Book Overview

In Maureen Howard's renowned masterpiece, a society vamp kills a soldier, and the murder is investigated by swaggering detective Billy Bray. The mysterious circumstances which surround this murder and the investigation that ensued reveal an undertow of sex and moral confusion that has a profound effect on the detective's family. "[A] synergy of ... meditative social vision and storytelling immediacy, of ... highly developed technical skill and of [an] alert heart." New York Times Book Review (front page)

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060975695
• ISBN13: 9780060975692
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 393 Pages
• Weight: 3.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Different type of murder mystery

"Natural History" offered a totally different reading experience. It was like 2 books in one; one printed on the even numbered pages and one printed on the odd numbered pages; one in a narrative style and the other in a newsprint/scrapbook type style (including pictures). The story is as much about family relations as it is about a murder mystery. As Billy Bray uncovers more about the murder he slowly uncovers more of his family's secrets. The novel covers the family dynamics involved in unearthing the past.