The Mystery of Things (Ashland Grail Cycle ; Bk. 1) [Hardcover]

Debra Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ashland Grail Cycle ; Bk. 1 | Publication Date: November 2004

The myth of St. George-and-the-Dragon comes to new and provocative life in this metaphysical thriller set in Milwaukee.

Drawing liberally on Shakespearean and Arthurian themes, this is the story of James Ireton, a gifted young Shakespeare scholar haunted by a tragic past and recurring nightmares of a Knight, a Lady, and a vicious Dragon. James thinks they're just dreams, but when two of the people closest to him fall victim in a seemingly motiveless series of brutal murders, James finds himself faced with a singular—and universal—choice: either become St. George, or become the Dragon.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a good mystery in an intellectual, literary package." -- Barbara Wright, Murder and Mayhem Book Club, December 2004

"...it is a great achievement. I literally could hardly put it down. A true metaphysical thriller." -- Leonie Caldecott, co-editor of Second Spring: A Journal of Faith and Culture.

"...provocative intellectual reading that hangs you in suspense until the last page." -- Pogo's Bookshelf, The Midwest Book Review, December 2004

"How long is it - 3 or 4 nights since I have lived inside your novel?....a tour de force!" -- Ronda Chervin, Ph.D., author

"It is a great achievement. I literally could hardly put it down. A true metaphysical thriller..." -- Leonie Caldecott, co-editor Second Spring Journal, August 2004

"THE MYSTERY OF THINGS provides a good mystery in an intellectual, literary package." -- Barbara Wright, Murder and Mayhem Book Club

From the Publisher

A 2005 semi-finalist in the Independent Publishers Book Awards, THE MYSTERY OF THINGS is the first in a series of five projected thrillers reworking perennial Arthurian and Shakespearean themes, called THE ASHLAND GRAIL CYCLE. The second book in the series, ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE, set in Ashland, Oregon, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is scheduled for release in late 2007.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 388 pages
• Publisher: Idylls Pr (November 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595970002
• ISBN-13: 978-1595970008
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,332,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Debra grew up in Champaign, Illinois, attended Champaign Central High, and received her B.A. in History from the University of Illinois.

Debra's short story "Yardsticks" won the 1998 Kay Snow award sponsored by Willamette Writers, and was published in the Winter issue (no. 37) of Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion.

Debra's debut novel, "The Mystery of Things", a mystery-thriller with Catholic and literary themes, was published in December 2004 by Idylls Press (IdyllsPress.com).

Debra's has published articles in the US & UK Catholic press, most recently in THIS ROCK magazine, and was a contributing editor for Godspy (http://www.godspy.com). An avid moviegoer, reader, and Shakespeare fan, she is also a reviewer and editor of both Bardolatry.com and CatholicFiction.net. Debra's home page is DebraMurphy.com.

Debra lives in Ashland, Oregon, where she is currently working with her son (and screenwriting partner) John Murphy on several original scripts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping mystery, good theology, March 8, 2005

By 

Spacemouse (Western US) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Mystery of Things (Ashland Grail Cycle ; Bk. 1) (Hardcover)

Other reviewers have already noted that Debra Murphy draws a great deal from literature in this work: not just quoting Shakespeare and Spencer, but creating a narrative that is structored along Shakespearian and Spencerian lines. Fans of the medieval romance tradition may love the vision of the knight, the Lady, and the dragon which haunts James Ireton and the book. But Inklings fans --fans of Lewis, Tolkien, and Charles Williams-- will find the book particularly enjoyable, as it is a mystery in the tradition of the Christian romance (that's romance as in King Arthur, people, not as an in Danielle Steele!), grounded in theological truths. Murphy brings in the theology of the body and Hans Urs von Balthasar's theology of aesthetics, generally without pointing a huge narratorial finger at the influences. This should NOT scare away readers who are uninterested in or unaquainted with Catholic theology, however. You don't have to be a theologian to enjoy this book. (It probably helps more to be a mystery lover.) Suffice it to say that if you read the book and find yourself saying YES! at James Ireton's insistence that he needs beauty, and the novel's equation of ugliness and sin, then you may want to acquaint yourself with von Balthasar's theology of aesthetics, and if you find yourself eagerly nodding when Lupe talks about her body speaking a language to James, you may want to look into John Paul II's theology of the body, perhaps by way of Christopher West.

The novel is not perfect. Academic readers may find Murphy's description of literary theory and criticism to be a bit dated-- where's the post-colonialism? What happened to Edward Said? And who reads Derrida in English departments these days anyway? It's also worth pointing out that Marxism and New Historicism are not synonymous: for many historicists (who may have all different kinds of agendas), historicism is a methodology, not an ideology. For all the scholars of English who are interested in this book, I'd say, take these mistakes with a grain of salt, or else imagine the work as if it were set in the 80's, at which point it would be pretty accurate.

As for style and structure of the narrative, it took me a little while to get into the story, even though the book opens with some important events and encounters between characters. I also found it initially difficult to sympathize with James Ireton, but the novel develops his character fairly quickly and gives enough of the back story to help readers understand how he became who he is. However, like many mysteries, the book picked up speed in the second half; so much so that I made my husband wait to go out for dinner until I had finished the last 30 or 40 pages, because I couldn't stand not finishing it! For the most part, Murphy does a good job of maintaining all kinds of suspense: suspense about the crimes, but also about the characters' developments and relationships.

Mystery fans of many stripes will enjoy this book, I think, but Chesteronian readers and Inklings fans will be delighted with it and with Debra Murphy for working to start a new Catholic literary renaissance.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Literary Mystery - to be enjoyed by all, February 3, 2005

By 

Donovan D. Mattole "songofalbion" (Silverton, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mystery of Things (Ashland Grail Cycle ; Bk. 1) (Hardcover)

This is one of those novels that at first glance may be off putting - or at least it was for me. I'm not a Shakespeare scholar in the least and thought all of the literary references and Shakespearian quotes would go right over my head and I'd be lost. As soon as I started reading my apprehensions quickly evaporated. While it does abound with literary references and graduate students and their studies play a large part in in the book, the references only wet your appetite to read more of Shakespeare and those who influenced him. It truly is a mystery novel, but it is a lot more then your typical "who-did-it" variety. It is very well written and the descriptions and conversations bring the story and characters to life. While it is a mystery novel and the plot does move along pretty quickly, I really took my time reading it - enjoying each paragraph and savoring the writing and the story as it developed. I highly recommend this novel.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mystery of Things, November 19, 2004

By 

Kathleen Wilde (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mystery of Things (Ashland Grail Cycle ; Bk. 1) (Hardcover)

The Mystery of Things is a jolt to the minds of those of us forever mourning the death of the epic in modern literature. Debra Murphy's outstanding sense of the heroic plays on the best of our mythic sensibilities, producing a complex, multilayered story with classic echoes. A literary jamboree, the plot is riddled with salutes to the "greats" of western literature. However, the author does not stop at mere exultation of a form many call obsolete. Her profound awareness of the anxieties of modern life, coupled with excellent use of irony and humor, make The Mystery of Things that extremely rare text that bridges the daunting gap of old vs. new. While celebrating the beauty inherent in religion, a clear disdain for fundamentalism made the text palatable even to this heathen skeptic. The mystery compels, driven by genuine suspense and a feeling of horror Nabokov would appreciate. The love story is realistic and harrowing, challenging the limits of both the protagonists' and the reader's hearts. Characters are intricate and convincing, struggling with issues central to human existence: Love, Death, Faith, etc. The Mystery of Things is a refreshing revival of our most ancient forms that remains highly relevant to the modern reader.