The Transcendental Murder: A Homer Kelly Mystery (Penguin Crime Monthly) [Paperback]

Jane Langton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Homer Kelly Mystery | Publication Date: February 7, 1990

The peaceful town of Concord, Massachusetts, becomes a hotbed of intrigue and activity when the annual re-creation of the ride of Paul Revere ends in murder. And it falls to Homer Kelly to set things straight.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I'm not sure I've ever read a mystery novel that made such evocative use of its locale...informed and delightful" -- New York Times

"I'm not sure I've ever read a mystery novel that made such evocative use of its locale...informed and delightful" -- New York Times

"The sort of old-fashioned mystery that never goes out of style" -- Denver Post

"With a plot stemming from Concord's obsession with its own village history, this is fun, excitingly erudite, and inventively mystifying" -- Book Week --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

8 1-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 36 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (February 7, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140148523
• ISBN-13: 978-0140148527
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,475,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've written an awful lot of books. There are eleven for middle-aged children, mostly fantasies. The ones that have hung around the longest are "The Diamond in the Window" and "The Fledgling." The seventh in the series called "The Hall Family Chronicles" came out last spring, "The Mysterious Circus," and I've just finished writing an eighth, "The Dragon Tree."

All eighteen mysteries for adults have the same protagonists, Homer and Mary Kelly. Mary is the sensible one, but I confess I like Homer's rhapsodic flights of fancy. Most of their adventures happen in Massachusetts, but I've also sent them to farflung places I wanted to visit myself, like Florence, Oxford and Venice. Most of the novels are illustrated with my own drawings, but "The Escher Twist" has ten prints by the mysterious Dutch artist M. C. Escher, and the two historical mysteries are illustrated with nineteenth-century photographs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It stays in the mind, June 24, 2000

By 

Kay Cavanaugh (Oxnard, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Transcendental Murder: A Homer Kelly Mystery (Penguin Crime Monthly) (Paperback)

I first read this book in 1966 in high school and remember becoming instantly attracted to the characters and the New England setting. Even after all these years I remember worrying that Mary and Homer would never get together. They were both so different and eccentric they belonged together! Langton also manages to keep a respectable mystery going that keeps you guessing and with an exciting ending. Over the years I have read and enjoyed Langton's other books as very literate - just quirky and funny enough to be charming without being silly. Some years ago I visited New England and found myself imagining Mary and Homer in the places I visited. So it appears I can never forget Mary and Homer as they have become a part of my life. Over 30 years ago I wished these characters were real so I could meet them - after all this time I still do.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Henry David and Emily ?, April 22, 2003

By 

Gary Sprandel (Frankfort, Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Transcendental Murder (Homer Kelly Mystery) (Paperback)

Henry David Thoreau and Emily Dickenson together ... well perhaps? Detective Homer Kelly and beautiful librarian Mary Morgan together ... you'll just have to read it! The 60 short chapters keep the story and the mystery moving along shapely, like a bite out of a McIntosh apple or a cool swig of apple cider. Perhaps there is nothing transcendental about murder, but each chapter is introduced by a quote from Thoreau, Emerson, Dickenson, or the Alcotts, and the quotes help you feel the presence of these in Concord. A good mystery and a fun read! As a bird watcher, I would have to question the realism of the Bald Eagle being Teddy's last bird on Thoreau's list, particularly since the now extinct, Passenger Pigeon was seen by Thoreau.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read Book for Jane Langton Fans, November 17, 2008

By 

Former Astrologer (Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Transcendental Murder (Homer Kelly Mysteries, No. 1) (Paperback)

If you've read other Homer and Mary Kelly mysteries, but not this one, put this one on your list!

This book not only is a good story, but we get to see Homer and Mary when they first meet. Of course, they find each other irritating. The plot, which is quite good and intriguing, throws Mary and Homer together, but still it looks like they will never like each other. All the while, you the reader, know from the other books that they will end up together.

Langton has her usual cast of colorful and eccentric characters, an interesting mystery that goes back to the past and involves the Transcendentalists, and pokes her usual gentle fun at people who are carried away with themselves.

I enjoyed this both for seeing how Homer and Mary met, and for the story itself. A must for those who enjoy Homer and Mary Kelly!