- Paperback: 361 pages
- Publisher: Allison & Busby; New edition edition (12 Mar 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0749080108
- ISBN-13: 978-0749080105
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,458,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'The character of Vanessa is such a lovely vessel eager to be filled with knowledge and experience... An original and fascinating story' Chicago Tribune 'Intriguing, thought-provoking and cleverly plotted... Stylishly told' Mystery Women
Product Description
It is March, 1896. Motherhood and work as a private detective don't easily go hand-in-hand, but Vanessa is determined to give it a try. Four years have passed since her last major investigation and since then Vanessa's personal life has radically changed; she has married Arthur Weatherburn and now has two delightful little toddlers, Cecily and Cedric. Being a wife and mother has meant that she's had to give up her beloved teaching job, but Vanessa has been kept busy by a string of requests asking for her help in solving troubling cases. It is not often, though, that her investigations involve violent death...When three sombre professors knock on her door, Vanessa knows they have come in search of her help. But when they explain the circumstances surrounding their colleague's murder, she begins to doubt whether her modest capabilities will be enough to solve the mystery. Professor Ralston died after being shot in the library at King's College University, London. Sounds of a violent quarrel were heard by witnesses outside the building moments before the shot. With the only suspect being an elderly Jewish gentleman who left the building a matter of seconds before the shot was heard, and with witnesses testifying that no one left the building after the shot rang out, it is a perplexing puzzle how the killer could have escaped. Leaving the comforts and pleasures of her home in Cambridge behind for the duration of the enquiry, Vanessa embarks on a journey to London where the grim realities of life threaten to overwhelm her. This is an exquisitely written and devilishly clever murder mystery by the author of "The Three Body Problem" and "Flowers Stained with Moonlight".
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
I don't normally like murder mysteries set in other historical periods. However the first few pages seemed good so I gave it a go. Overall I enjoyed it with a few reservations. I disliked the long passages of theory for example, pages on mathematical theory-it wasn't necessary to understand them to follow the plot. Also lots about the Hassidic sect of Judaism. In both cases a bit of knowledge was very interesting but the author went too far. (Which of them is the subject she studies I wonder)I also question whether young unmarried women of the time would have been allowed to share a flat together in the way 2 of the characters do.
Still it kept me interested to the end and I will look out for her other books.
Still it kept me interested to the end and I will look out for her other books.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
a treat to read
1 Mar 2009
Format:Paperback
I just read Catherine Shaw's The Library Paradox and enjoyed it mightily all the way through. I found the plot to move quickly without dragging. The case is presented as a logic problem, with an intriguing venture into the world of Hasidic Jews in 1896 London. A reference to Sherlock Holmes indicates that he is real and not fictional to the characters of this fictional book.
The publishers, Felony & Mayhem, recommend this book as being most enjoyable for fans of Anne Perry and of Jacqueline Winspear's "Maisie Dobbs" series. It's true in my case. I will be looking closely at other recommendations by this publisher. I am eager to read more by Catherine Shaw.
The publishers, Felony & Mayhem, recommend this book as being most enjoyable for fans of Anne Perry and of Jacqueline Winspear's "Maisie Dobbs" series. It's true in my case. I will be looking closely at other recommendations by this publisher. I am eager to read more by Catherine Shaw.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A mathematical paradox turned into a historical mystery
1 Oct 2010
Format:Paperback
This book is set in London in the late 1800's. It focuses on a amateur female detective, Vanessa Duncan, now married with 2 small children. I didn't realize when I got it that it was part of a series, and is actually the third book. Nonetheless, it was easy to follow the actual mystery. A professor, who lived in an apartment above the library, was murdered in his study. Witnesses outside heard a struggle and the shot, but found no one inside. Vanessa must find out who might have murdered the man, who was an ardent anti-Semitic. Was it the mysterious elderly Hasidic man, or someone else. Vanessa is aided by a former pupil and her friends, who are Jewish and give her an inside look into the London Jewish community. The Library Paradox is presented which was an actual logical puzzle proposed by Bertrand Russell. In the end, I figured out the outcome, but the reasoning behind it was interesting. I may go back and get the earlier books in the series.
An Fascinating Mystery
20 April 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
In spite of the female sleuth and the setting of the 1890's, this is no "cozy". It is an intelligently written, thoughtful story told in first person as it is being written in a diary. There seemed to be two threads here, the mathematical paradox, and another paradox of human behavior relating to choices made and the eventual outcome.
I did find the theme of racism uncomfortable reading at times, but the historical aspect of the story combined with true events wove an interesting framework on which to hang the tale. Vanessa, the female detective, also gave balance through her actions to some of the unjust occurrences.
Mysteries are my favorite genre, and I have read many tales, but this was one of the most unusual and thought-provoking mysteries I have read in a long time.
I did find the theme of racism uncomfortable reading at times, but the historical aspect of the story combined with true events wove an interesting framework on which to hang the tale. Vanessa, the female detective, also gave balance through her actions to some of the unjust occurrences.
Mysteries are my favorite genre, and I have read many tales, but this was one of the most unusual and thought-provoking mysteries I have read in a long time.
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