Who Killed Dorian Gray?

"Who Killed Dorian Gray" continues the remarkable new series of literate, deftly-plotted mysteries by Carole Bugge, including both the Claire/Meredith series, of which this is Number 2, and her Sherlock Holmes pastiches, "The Star of India" and "The Haunting of Torre Abbey" .. two of the best Holmes novels since Conan Doyle put down his pen. "Who Killed Dorian Gray" is rich in atmosphere, idiosyncratic characters, and a lovable and touching "Holmes-Watson" dynamic in the central relationship of Claire Rawlings and her doppelganger daughter, Meredith Lawrence. It is also an eminently fair mystery puzzle .. all the clues are there, but Oh! they are tough to spot!

Mystery editor Claire Rawlings looks forward to a peaceful summer's week teaching at a writers' workshop in Woodstock. The retreat turns out to be anything but tranquil, however, when she's confronted with a quirky, contentious group of artists and writers. Then there are two murders, one of the victims a female reporter who uses the byline Dorian Gray. Also on the scene is Claire's 13-year-old friend, Meredith, who is determined to emulate Sherlock Holmes and discover whodunit. What do Stephen Hawking, quantum theory, Einstein, and shape-shifters have to do with the solution? Read this deftly written, cleverly plotted, colorfully characterized and wonderfully entertaining mystery and find out. Warning: Be sure to read the first book in the series, "Who Killed Blanche DuBois?," before this one, which contains many references to the earlier case and numerous spoilers.