by Jane Langton
First published 1989
Homer Kelly finds himself drawn into another puzzling case when death strikes the world of Emily Dickinson scholarship. The former police detective turned literature professor must navigate the competitive realm of academic research, where scholarly reputations hang in the balance and long-buried secrets surface. As Kelly digs deeper into the mystery, he discovers that the reverent world of literary study harbors its own dark motivations. The investigation forces him to examine not only the evidence before him but also the passionate devotion that drives scholars to dedicate their lives to understanding a reclusive nineteenth-century poet. Kelly must untangle the connections between past and present, between the Belle of Amherst's mysterious life and a contemporary crime that threatens to destroy careers and lives.
Genres: american-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, literary-mystery
Setting: Amherst
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century
192 pages · Hardcover · Victor Gollancz Ltd