A Rare Murder In Princeton [Paperback]

Ann Waldron (Author)

Book Description

Series: Princeton | Publication Date: April 4, 2006

Journalist McLeod Dulaney investigates when a new friend meets an uncommon demise in the rare books section of Princeton's library.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425210375
• ISBN-13: 978-0425210376
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,528,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a visit to Princeton, July 19, 2009

By 

Carolyn Goodart "page turner" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Rare Murder In Princeton (Paperback)

I'm writing this review in hopes that the author will take note and write another book in this series. I discovered the "Princeton Murders" by chance at a used book sale at our local library. Having visited Princeton once and remembering what a charming place it is, I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of the story. And I admire the main character, a visiting writing instructor at Princeton, and her interaction with all the "university types" there. This particular story takes place in the Rare Books department of Princeton, and turns into a real murder mystery puzzle with some unusual suspects.

4.0 out of 5 stars Cleverly crafted, intelligently written, 4 1/2 stars, April 26, 2009

By 

Patrick W. Crabtree "The Old Grottomaster" (Lucasville, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Rare Murder In Princeton (Paperback)

I borrowed this one from the public library on impulse and when I sat down to begin reading, I was temporarily disheartened to see at the bottom of the front cover, "recipes included!" My initial thought was, "[Deleted expletive], another worthless 'culinary mystery'!" Thankfully, this fear did not materialize and, in fact, the reverse turned out to be true.

So many of these so-called "culinary mysteries" have become a mystery-marketing dumping ground, promoting authorship by anyone who can pick up a pencil and scribe witless prose about their mostly crummy recipes and then going back and vainly attempting to devise a mystery around this hackneyed device. Just a few of the early ones were pretty good but this sub-genre has radically deteriorated and my own little peer-band of mystery readers has universally abandoned this sort of "mystery goofy" altogether. (By the way, the few recipes in here are presented after the conclusion of the story, in the back of the book, so the reader is not distracted from this fine mystery story.)

But here, author Ann Waldron wrote a first class mystery and, quite honestly, there's not much "culinary mystery" to this one at all. The focus is on the story and not on food fluff. Many of my favorite stereotypes are shrewdly introduced here, a mysterious old house, lots of snow, a letter-opener murder weapon, and so on. The wallpaper and character development are much enhanced which heartily supports the dark underlying ambiance of this otherwise fun story. This book is a perfect blend of light escapism and "noir."

THE STORY: A talented lady writer is invited to Princeton to teach a seminar on writing non-fiction. She lodges with a Princeton friend in the local "murder house." Once there she ultimately discovers the cadaver of one of the University's major patrons -- of course, he's been murdered. More death and close calls follow.

As I mention in the title of my review, this tale is intelligently written and, as a huge Christie, Rinehart, Sayers, and Tey fan, this mystery really appealed to me. Here we have a "cozy murder" which does not come off as silly or stupid in any way as many of the current works do. This one stands out among contemporary mystery writing as a superior read. It's not the very best mystery ever but it's pretty darn good and certainly worthwhile genre reading.

I'll be reading more of this author very soon. Highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars "Death is academic" number four, March 1, 2007

By 

Corinne H. Smith (Athol, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Rare Murder In Princeton (Paperback)

McLeod Dulaney is a Florida journalist who has landed a great gig: teaching writing at Princeton University one semester a year. Coincidentally, every time she's up in New Jersey, she's involved in a murder investigation on campus. Inquisitive by nature, McLeod makes every attempt to solve the murder. She gets close to the truth but often comes to a slightly incorrect conclusion.

In this fourth installment in the series, McLeod becomes fascinated with the research possibilities in the Rare Books and Special Collections department of the Princeton libraries. After a major benefactor and Special Collections figurehead is murdered, McLeod tries to figure out who could have killed him. At the same time, her housemate George asks her to clean out the garage, and she discovers an old book and two rare artifacts that someone is evidently quite interested in. A second murder unfortunately takes place before McLeod can put two and two together. Will she figure everything out before she's next? And what's the status of her relationship with police investigator Nick Perry? What's up with her housemate and host, George Bridges?

The episodes in this series are like bags of potato chips: you can't stop at just one. Though the general writing style and the unraveling of each mystery won't set the world on fire, the books are entertaining enough -- especially for folks who are connected to Princeton or to any academic atmosphere where similar circumstances could certainly arise.