2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"There are two kinds of old folks, those like you and me, who resent the stereotype, and the rest who are the stereotype.", November 10, 2006
This review is from: Impulse (Hardcover)
Chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the six best mysteries of 2006, Impulse involves the reader in two mysteries, one recent, and one from twenty-five years earlier. Frank Meredith Smith, returning to Scott Academy, his Baltimore boarding school, for his fiftieth reunion, has been under suspicion at his Arizona home for four years, ever since his wife Sandy disappeared without a trace. The author of mystery stories and of a successful TV series, Frank has mixed feelings about this reunion. A "Campus Kid," whose father was a well-loved English teacher at Scott, Frank loved the freedom of exploring the 900-acre campus, but he also suffered the loss of his older brother Jack as a direct result of an incident at Scott.
His return to campus is greeted enthusiastically by Brad Stark, Director of Development, who is hoping that he will persuade Frank to make a considerable donation to the school. To keep Frank interested in the school, Stark persuades Frank to investigate and possibly write about the disappearance of four twelve-year-olds who had been part of the 25th reunion class.
The action cuts from scene to scene, sometimes without transitions, as the author presents characters in action. The reader must often fill in the blanks regarding when, where, and who is involved in some of these short scenes, but eventually all connect to the central mysteries. While Frank is in Baltimore, police detectives in Arizona unearth new information about his wife's death. In a conversation with Frank, his daughter Barbara betrays her own uncertainty about her father's role in her mother's disappearance. In the meantime, Rosemary Mitchell, an old friend and fellow "Campus Kid," becomes Frank's assistant investigating the disappearances of the four young boys--or was it five?
The novel is beautifully paced, with both mysteries unfolding simultaneously and keeping the reader constantly involved with the action. Frank is a sympathetic main character, and his daughter Barbara's questions about her mother's death and her father's possible role in it are natural and understandable. Rosemary Mitchell, as Frank's 66-year-old companion, is realistic, not at all Miss Marple-ish, and the complications of the 25-year-old case provide plausible twists regarding the disappearances of the four young boys. Though the writing is not always smooth and the use of transitions between some of the scenes might make the action a bit easier to follow, the mysteries and their resolutions are top-notch. n Mary Whipple
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
entertaining cerebral mystery, July 5, 2006
One morning mystery writer Frank Smith's wife went out walking, but never returned home. The police especially the detective in charge believe he killed her for the insurance money. The cops never pursued any other potential suspects concentrating exclusively on Frank.
The writer attends his fiftieth prep school reunion in Maryland having not been on the campus since he graduated because his brother committed suicide after being expelled from there after an accusation by another student. At the school Frank meets his childhood sweetheart Rosemary. The two seniors hit off romantically. Frank is challenged to solve a mystery that has haunted the school for twenty-five years. A group of boys were seen entering Old Oak Woods, but never came out. Frank and Rosemary search the records and interview people when his wife's body is found. Sergeant Ledezma digs deep to prove Frank killed her.
IMPULSE is an entertaining cerebral mystery that contains two simultaneously running investigative subplots. Frederick Ramsey effortlessly guides his audience back and forth between the police inquiry and Frank's prep school case keeping readers' attention on both. The protagonist proves that life continues in spite of the clouds hanging over him and his advancing years. Mr. Ramsey tells a strong tale that keeps fans guessing whether Frank did it or not until the final moment.
Harriet Klausner
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterful Mystery!, August 23, 2011
Yesterday I didn't know who Frederick Ramsay was. Today I've finished the first of many books I will read that he has written--what a pleasant surprise to discover this knowledgeable, polished writer.
To begin with, Frederick Ramsay is a skilled prose craftsman. He knows how to construct a graceful sentence, set a meaningful scene, create characters who have depth and human-ness, and tangle two plot lines which merge and become one. I enjoyed the setting as well--all the more because it described my own backyard of Northwestern Michigan (Benzie and Leelanau Counties) and the people who live here--as well as the visitors we experience in the form of tourists and seasonal residents.
And finally it's enjoyable because the main character, Frank Smith, is of my age (old!!!) with all the attendent creaks and groans and fears. Frank also doesn't undergo any of the typical trite conventions of the current crop of detectives--he isn't run off the road by a large black truck and he doesn't get in a slugfest (well, almost not) with the town drunks.
He does return to his 50th class reunion, discover an old flame, and solve the mystery of the disappearance of four students some 25 years before.
Enjoyable. Erudite. In fact, "Impluse" is masterful. I recommend it.
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