The Question of Max

Professor Kate Fansler is flattered and curious when her friend, the urbane and extremely snobbish Max Reston (“younger son of a younger son of a duke”) asks her to accompany him to the home of a recently deceased literary author, whose literary executor he has become; it turns out that neighours have sighted intruders at the cottage and Max is afraid to go by himself. When they reach the Maine house by the sea, Kate is determined to climb the rocks down to the beach, but her determination is shattered when she comes across a corpse in a tidepool; worse, it turns out to be the body of a student she knew, who was working on a doctorate somewhat related to the deceased author. In spite of herself, Kate is drawn to further inquiries to show more resolve the matter, even if she must travel to Oxford to do so…. This is, I think, the fifth novel in the Kate Fansler series, and as ever it gleams with tidbits about the academic life, along with feminism in the 1970s - and, in this case, we also get a look into prep-school level basketball! I enjoyed this outing, although the actual mystery didn’t require much work to figure out; as a slice of life in that time period, it’s a very compelling and enjoyable read. Recommended! show less

This one was a slow read. Interesting characters. Not the usual mystery tale though it had its twists and turns. Very academic high brow feel to it. I'm not enamored of Ms Cross's writing, but I would try another before writing her off.

Although lots of things were interesting in this book, including the engagement with questions about who 'owns' or tells the stories of women's lives and the links to my other reading of the 'Somerville novelists,' I had a harder time than usual tolerating the arch tone: the artifice and pretension, though an homage, I know, to the Peter Wimsey books, sounds like them at their worst rather than at their best.

"A mysterious death plunges Professor Kate Fansler on a literary quest into a Bloomsbury-like group of feminist writers, and the questionable heritage of a man named Max - dear old Max - a thoroughly elegant snob, who may or may not be too impeccable for violence. The trail leads her from the rocky coast of Maine to the sleek masculine enclaves of Oxford, England, and a one-room cabin in the Berkshires, alone with a killer..." HarperCollins jacket notes. This series is okay, not great. My grandmother collected them. If I read too many in a row, I get annoyed with them.

With this fifth entry, I think I’m beginning to tire of this series. I can’t quite put my finger on what I don’t like as much about it—the plot itself is interesting, and the literary quotations don’t bother me, but somehow I just found it very easy to put down.