Lost men of American history,

by Morag Joss

Book Overview

IN A CITY OF BEAUTY AND HISTORY, A LITTLE NIGHT MURDER IS BEING COMPOSED... For world-class musicians, Bath is no mecca. But to cellist Sara Selkirk it is home, now invaded by an unbearably sexy Czech... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0006AQWUG
• ISBN13: 9781299100497
• Release Date: January 1946
• Publisher: The Macmillan Company
• Length: 370 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Only a few can write like this

One of only a few that I can't wait for and can't put down and then say, "Wow, what an experience" A new experience for those who can hardly push through P.D.James! She's still good, of course, but it's a whole different world in the books of Morag Joss. Please, mystery fans, get one and see what I mean!!

A Note About Morag Joss

A first class debut novel, evocative of both Ruth Rendell and P.D. James; followed by two successor novels in the series but presumably there will be no more; perhaps a difficult diad to construct consistently -- the police inspector and Sara Selkirk -- but classy all the same.

delightful mystery

At the Oxfam store in Bath, septuagenarian Imogen Beven puts out an old fur piece for sale. Animal rights activists Anna Ward-Partigan and Bren kick up a fuss to get it removed from the shelf. Imogen tells the irate duo to leave. As they do he says he will get even with the SOB. Not long afterward, Imogen receives a package in the mail. When she goes to open it, the package explodes. She dies in the hospital. Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Poole leads the investigation into the letter bomb homicide. He is distracted by his estrangement with his wife Valerie; she punishes him for an alleged affair with his beloved internationally acclaimed cellist Sara Selkirk that he wants but has not acted on out of fears of hurting his three children. Andrew learns of the Oxfam incident. He interviews Anna, who admits Bren vowed he would get even, has since vanished, and demands she see her father a judge as her animal rights idealism vanished once she understands the trouble she is in. A second homicide forces Sara into the investigation. FEARFUL SYMMETRY is a fabulous tale that starts off as a pure English police procedural, but towards the middle becomes an amateur sleuth investigation. The transition is effortlessly handled so that the audience accepts Sara's involvement without blinking. Andrew is an intriguing protagonist struggling with his growing love for Sara, but trying to remain faithful to his wife. Czech composer Herve Pretescu accentuates the personal drama when he meets Valerie and already knows Sara, but in turn somewhat overwhelms the mystery. As with the finely tuned FUNERAL MUSIC, Morag Joss provides a delightful mystery that looks deep into the key quartet. Harriet Klausner