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The Bad Quarto: An Imogen Quy Mystery

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In Jill Paton Walsh's "The Bad Quarto," Imogen Quy, the resident nurse and a fellow of St. Agatha's College, Cambridge, becomes embroiled in academic politics and a case of "murder most foul." The victim is research fellow John Talentire, a provocative teacher whose death had originally been ruled accidental. After a night of drinking, Talentire had attempted to jump a gap known as Harding's Folly, a feat that had taken the lives of other daredevils before him. It seems that risking one's life climbing monuments of Cambridge architecture has been a tradition of long standing. There are those who believe that Talentire was too experienced a climber to have fallen to his death. It is possible that someone who held a grudge against him may have precipitated his fatal fall.

Meanwhile, Imogen's lodger, Frances Bullion, belongs to a university dramatic society known as the Kyd Players. The Players have an emergency committee meeting in Imogen's living room to plan strategy, since they are in danger of imminent bankruptcy. Their only hope is to stage a production of Hamlet (a shortened version known as the Bad Quarto) to be funded by a wealthy young man named Martin Mottle. The catch? Mottle, a man with no acting experience, will play Hamlet. At the risk of making themselves a laughingstock, the Kyd Players accept Mottle's offer. Little do they know that this young man has his own secret plans for the forthcoming production.

Imogen Quy is a gentle, intelligent, and extremely curious individual who thinks nothing of nosing into other people's lives. She is a talented amateur sleuth whose sharp eyes and keen mind miss very little. Her responsibilities as a college nurse range from tending to her students' minor physical ailments to handling their emotional ups and downs. For example, Imogen attempts to calm the nervous Samantha Barton, a young woman who is terrified that she will do poorly on her upcoming English exam. On a more serious note, the nurse decides to conduct her own inquiries into the circumstances surrounding John Talentire's untimely death.

Walsh's lively cast of characters include a washed up alcoholic actor named Gadgby, who can still recite Shakespeare with panache, Susan Inchman, a student who enrolled in Cambridge after spending much of her tragic childhood in foster homes, and Dr. Percy Venton-Gimps, an arrogant scholar with an almost irrational loathing for Shakespeare. "The Bad Quarto" is thoughtful and charming, with lovely descriptive writing, dry humor, and a satisfying plot that will please aficionados of literate British mysteries.

"Night Climbers" is the term given to students who climb and clamber all over the roofs and ledges of the colleges at Cambridge university, risking life and limb and unfortunately, sometimes coming to grief because of bravado and youthful stupidity. Imogen Quy is the resident nurse at St.Agatha's, one of the colleges and is an amateur sleuth who likes to keep her finger on the pulse of student life. When a young professor is killed while attempting a climb, one of his friends protests that it was really murder and tries to shock the murderer into revealing himself by virtually accusing him in a short version of Hamlet, known as The Bad Quarto, played by the University players. I enjoyed all the descriptions of the surrounds of the college and of the scenery of the nearby fens but, on the whole, found this book to be rather dull and not at all gripping. Other readers seem to enjoy the series featuring Imogen Quy...perhaps this wasn't one of the better ones.

Imogen Quy serves as an effective college nurse at St. Agatha's College, Cambridge University. However, her serene academic world is shook just as she is about to bike home for the evening. A stunned student calls for her assistance. She finds college fellow John Talentire dying with her realizing it is too late for him as blood pours everywhere. Apparently following what the locals dub Harding's Folly from a previous human dive, John fell off the side of a tower that he was climbing.

At a BAD QUARTO production of Hamlet, the Kyd Society players imply that Talentire, a Shakespearean researcher was murdered when his rope was loosened. Unable to neither mind her business nor forget the sight of all the blood as John died, Imogen quietly makes inquiries to what has been officially considered a tragic foolish accident only to find the Shakespearean scholars being Lady Macbeth stock that has the Bard turning over in his grave.

Using the shortened Hamlet as a reason to investigate, Jill Paton Walsh provides the audience with a wonderful amateur sleuth academic whodunit. The scholars are quite a crew with Imogen realizing any of them seem capable of unethical behavior yet pondering who would kill to do so as she is convinced someone murdered Talentire. Imogen keeps the tale focused as a magnificent central character whose investigation provides a spotlight on the backstabbing rival fellows. (See DEBTS OF DISHONOR).

Harriet Klausner

In The Bad Quarto, Imogen Quy is presented with a cold case. I won't spoil it, but will say that theater fans as well as murder mystery readers will enjoy this one.

I must say, Imogen is growing on me. This is the second one I've read, after Debts of Dishonor, and I enjoyed it much more than D of D. The characters still don't have as much depth as I'd like, but the story is so well-plotted, and draws in so many different elements, that it really doesn't matter. Plus, of course, there's the wonderful Cambridge setting, and if Imogen is just a little too good to be true, I'm caring about that less and less.

This book in the Imogen Quy Mystery series begins with the falling death of a student at St. Agatha's College in Cambridge, where Imogen Quy works as a nurse. The death is ruled an accident.

Then the plot moves on to the next year and focuses on the seemingly-unrelated problem of a student theatrical company forced to cast a bad actor in the key role of Hamlet--so he'll donate considerable money. There is also trouble between two female roommates.

The Bad Quarto gets its title from a real document, the 1603 First Quarto of Hamlet, published in the Clarendon Press edition of 1965--more of a practice piece for Shakespeare.

The main character Imogen learns that at least one person believes the earlier death was no accident and is determined to root out the villain by Shakespeare's own technique of the play-within-a-play in Hamlet.

I liked the pacing and background depth of this book, a British mystery in the traditional style. The author has written several other Imogen Quy books as well a couple of unrelated mysteries done with Dorothy L. Sayers.

Armchair Interviews says: This Quy series will be well worth your while if you're looking for something more than the usual slam-bang of American mysteries.