The Bug Funeral

by Sarah R. Shaber

Book Overview

Although there is a murder in Shaber's Bug Funeral, the bugs themselves aren't the victims. In the engaging series launched by Shaber's Malice-winning first novel, Simon Said, the author's amateur sleuth is a professor of history, particularly that of a relatively recent period. In each of the stories, Shaber has set her pleasant, somewhat bumbling and extremely likeable detective figuratively and often literally digging into a happening that could...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312322186
• ISBN13: 9780312322182
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 227 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.6" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Really like the characters ...

Have read the series out of order, but it doesn't seem to matter too much, although I prefer to read chronilogically. I tend to read books I like more than once, and will definitely be reading these again. They are well-creafted and the characters are complex enough to seem real and very likeable.

Reincarnation mystery: North Carolina past and present

THE BUG FUNERAL by Sarah R. Shaber is a fast-paced intriguing cozy mystery. The amateur sleuth Simon Shaw looks back into the past to solve a current day problem. The North Carolina setting, past and present creates a wonderful backdrop for this mystery. Doctor Wade Ferrell approaches his friend Simon Shaw, a history professor at a small college in Raleigh, North Carolina with an unusual request. Helen Williams has memories of the life of a woman who lived at the turn of the century. In all other areas, her life is normal and she has been to psychologists and psychologists alike. Nothing can rid her of these memories. She feels she cannot marry her fiance until she knows the truth about whether she killed a baby in a past life of a woman named Annie Evans. Will Simon investigate? Simon figures he will put in a couple of hours of work, say he cannot find anything and then be done with her while satisfying his friend's request. There is just one problem --- the more he investigates history, the more credibility her memories have. THE BUG FUNERAL captivates. The mystery and the atmosphere intrigue. The look at North Carolina now and in 1910 was beautifully written and opened up an earlier era for me. I had just never really thought before how it must have been like to live in my home state at that time. Readers will appreciate the familiar current day North Carolina landmarks and way of life. Whether it be the K & W cafeteria or mention of NC BBQ or mention of the Jewish, Cherokee and Baptist communities, Sarah R. Shaber transports her readers to North Carolina, past and present. The sleuth, Helen and Annie Evans are wonderful characters that inspire the reader to unravel the mystery and get to know them. The reincarnation theme was done extremely well. Each chapter starts with a quote about reincarnation from from people and characters like Sherlock Holmes, Benjamin Franklin, Carl Jung, Socrates, Mark Twain, Henry Ford. Religious texts and ideas from different faiths are examined -- not in an academic way but in chapter quotes and dialogue that flow naturally. The mystery itself is quite heart-moving with definitely a surprise or two at the end. The tone is sweet and tender with a unique puzzle to solve. Goodness emanates from the characters and yet the puzzle hints at a darker side. I would definitely include THE BUG FUNERAL in my top mystery reads. This mystery has a nice Christmas touch. The Raleigh are descriptions made me homesick for my native state and add an extra dimension for any North Carolinian fan.

The Bug Funeral

A wonderful addition to the Professor Simon Shaw mystery stories. Sarah Shaber has, as always, thoroughly researched her story background and fitted together a tight and believable plot. I anxiously await her next book; she only gets better at her craft.

Unpretentious, delightful cozy

I gave The Bug Funeral four stars because it delivers what it promises: a cozy with charming characters, not quite as clever as those in the MC Beaton series but definitely enjoyable. Simon Shaw, award-winning history professor, gets drawn into a case proposed by an attractive woman. She remembers events that took place nearly a hundred years ago, imagining herself as a woman named Annie Evans. Reincarnation? False memories? But how does she get the data to create false memories? She's been tested by psychologists and found sane. Simon discovers Annie Evans existed after all. She worked in an orphanage that's long gone, but there's ample evidence to corroborate her story. Together with Helen, he tracks down friends and relatives who remembered Annie. And working from careful observation, he solves the dual mystery of what happened to Annie and how Helen got caught up in Annie's memories. The story held my interest to the end, with charming details of Simon Shaw's comfortable bachelor life, the North Carolina culture and forays into history. I would have liked an author's note to tell us what she researched: what's plausible about the ending, how realistic the historical touches are, and more. Yet for a cozy, this type of neat ending seems just right.

charming amateur sleuth

Pulitzer Prize winning author Simon Shaw is a tenured professor at Kenan College in the historic part of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. He is famous for solving three cold cases and has become known as a forensic historian. Helen Williams is referred to Simon by a mutual friend because she has a very big problem. She has the memories of an Annie Evans who lived in Raleigh in 1910 and remembers burying an eighteen month baby girl in an unmarked grave.Neither Simon nor Helen believes in reincarnation or past life memories but the traumas she dreams about as Annie are making her a nervous wreck. She wants a logical answer for these memories and she hopes Simon can help her. Although at first Simon thinks she's mentally disturbed he agrees to look into the matter and is shocked to find out that Annie Evans did exist. As he is researching her life, he questions many people who knew her and one of them is murdered leading Helen and Simon to believe that there is a secret involving Annie that someone doesn't want revealed.The protagonist is a historian who uses primary and secondary sources to move forward his investigation and it is fascinating to watch him go from not believing in Annie to piecing together the important parts of her life. The relationship between Annie to Helen is as much a mystery as the murder of one of Simon's interviewees and readers will feel totally satisfied with the outcome to both puzzles. THE BUG FUNERAL is a charming amateur sleuth tale.Harriet Klausner