The James Joyce Murder

In this early Kate Fansler mystery, Kate spends some time away from the university, sorting letters from James Joyce to his American publisher. A local unlovable woman gets shot and the fun begins. This is an entertaining book with many possible suspects and almost as many plot twists.

Several academics in a country house containing rare James Joyce manuscripts. The murder plot is secondary to a lot of talk about academic and literary life some of which is clever and informative. The dialog is elaborate and full of phrases such as "If you had decided to embrace the rural life you might in decency have let me know" interpolated with Oscar Wilde type paradoxes, which are sometimes mildly amusing. Many cliches - people are in "hot pursuit" "immured in the library" "deep in conversation" and fall into "fitful sleep" If you like this you will like Sarah Caudwell, but the reverse does not hold. It's just not as good as Caudwell.