Murder Most Puzzling: A Literary Mystery

Rating:
Summary: an excellent mystery/comedy of manners
Review: Combining elements of the academic literary mystery, a comedy of manners, and, perhaps, a touch of soap opera, _Murder Most Puzzling_ really delivers an excellent addition to the sub-genre of campus murder. This is a novel where characterization is more important to the plot than procedure, set in a campus easily familiar to many academics. I certainly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: This is an exciting and thought-provoking look at academia
Review: Even though I am not a fan of mysteries, I found this book to be exciting, well-paced and extremely entertaining. The hero, a female professor of poetry, breathes new life into the stale role of the murder mystery detective. The action is well-paced, starts quickly and creates a realistic atmosphere of the tensions academics go through. Even though this book stays true to many of the conventions of the mystery- a notably anti-feminist genre- it also overturns and transce3nds others, making this a readable, fun blend of an exciting traditional whodunit and a sensitive view of academic life from a woman's perspective. Whether you are a mystery fanatic or not, get a copy of this book. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I am not a big fan of mysteries.

Rating:
Summary: This is an exciting and thought-provoking look at academia
Review: I devoured this book compulsively. It was exquisitely funny, charmingly witty and brilliantly smart. The book is full of beautiful insights into people and also into the times we have just lived through -- 1980's America. The writing is resonant and often (aptly) poetic. Its characters are believable and simultaneously worthy of our interest. The protagonist is the most realistic heterosexual woman I have ever encountered in a detective novel, and by far the more likable for it. The historical mystery that underlies the action is, honestly, the best one of its kind that I have encountered. What a relief to be entertained while simultaneously being thoughtfully engaged! Lillian Robinson has concentrated in book form everything that is engaging about her -- her wit, intellect, charm, politics and joie de vivre. Buy this book for a left-leaning academic you love today!! I can promise you s/he could use a laugh.

Rating:
Summary: This book is a rare treat!
Review: I devoured this book compulsively. It was exquisitely funny, charmingly witty and brilliantly smart. The book is full of beautiful insights into people and also into the times we have just lived through -- 1980's America. The writing is resonant and often (aptly) poetic. Its characters are believable and simultaneously worthy of our interest. The protagonist is the most realistic heterosexual woman I have ever encountered in a detective novel, and by far the more likable for it. The historical mystery that underlies the action is, honestly, the best one of its kind that I have encountered. What a relief to be entertained while simultaneously being thoughtfully engaged! Lillian Robinson has concentrated in book form everything that is engaging about her -- her wit, intellect, charm, politics and joie de vivre. Buy this book for a left-leaning academic you love today!! I can promise you s/he could use a laugh.

Rating:
Summary: Very promising, but it doesn't deliver
Review: I picked up this "literary mystery" with great glee. However, I found the book slow-paced, and the plot had more to do with the protagonist's sexual exploits and meanderings than a very interesting manuscript from the 19th century. The female protagonist, a poet and scholar, was believable, but the constant emphasis on sex, both hetero- and homo-, took away from the plot that left many loose ends. Very promising, but it just did not deliver.

Rating:
Summary: More than a mystery novel!
Review: I wouldn't categorize this book as simply a mystery. It is a rich and complex novel, both a satisfying and thought-provoking read. I think if Robinson starts a series it will outshine those of both Amanda Cross and Susan Albert. Bring it out in paperback soon!!

Rating:
Summary: An Intelligent Woman Sleuth
Review: Lillian S. Robinson's fine literary work succeeds in captivating our attention until the last page. A real page turner of a book for those interested in classic mystery done with intelligence. The academic University environment provides the perfect backdrop for murder and to tensions revealed around such complex issues as feminism, sexuality, and academic integrity. I only hope we can look forward to a sequel of a most convincing woman sleuth. Margaret Jameson, poetess and detective, is sure to continue her adventures into the mysterious machinations of those who work within the pillars of academia.

Rating:
Summary: Fast read and marvellous book
Review: Murder Most Puzzling is both a fast read--couldn't put it down!--and a deeply satisfying book. It's rare that one title turns out to be an indepth look at the politics of academia, an interesting medly of human relationships, a gender analysis of society . . . and a first-rate murder mystery that holds one's attention to the last page. I heartily recommend this one!