Customer Reviews

On the Fringe (Severn House Mysteries)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the latest in the series of books about young professional golfer Lee and her boyfriend (now fiancee) detective Graham. Until now, the formula has been that a murder happens at a golf tournament in which Lee is involved, which she solves with the help of Graham and her friend Peg. However, this time what is missing from that is the "golf tournament" part.

Lee has been invited as a guest to an exclusive Hawaiian private golf club. There are a few amusing bits where Lee (who grew up poor and playing on public courses) is exposed to the traditions of a private golf club where the "club" aspect is really more important than the "golf" aspect.

There is a mysterious lost treasure, and then there is a murder. Lee becomes involved, as do Graham and Peg. But without the narrative structure (and implied pressure) of the golf tournament in the background, the story does not have the same intensity that the previous books have had. And Graham seems less and less a character and more and more a convenient plot device.

Peg and Lee are more developed characters, but they also are starting to seem a bit stale. The best bits in the novel concern the wacky old codgers who run the club, but they are really only the supporting cast. There should be some central structure for everything else to hang off of, and it seems to be lacking. In short, there is a large, golf tournament shaped hole in the middle of the plot.

I am not at all disappointed there is no tournament. I failed to figure out whodunit, which is good, because if on rare occasion I do, I tend to think the author has not been sufficiently clever. The author's plogs came up, apparently only because I looked up the review. I am sorry there will be no more of this series, but happy Elkins continues to write, and hopefully will continue to be published. I have been a fan since day one - library books, I'm afraid - and recently have been catching up. I had been hoping more would be in audio, but that's not to be, apparently. So much to read, but Aaron Elkins is near the top of my "must" list. Only one to go and then I will await the title next August.