Preamble
If you’re interested in reading my academic work about detective and crime fiction (free PDFs available), check it out here. Or you can take a look at my short story collection of cosy mysteries featuring Victorian “lady detective” Meinir Davies; order now!
Review
I read all of the Michael Ohayon mysteries quite some time ago, but have only just started writing them up. I will probably cover all six of them eventually, but this one (book 4 of 6) is a weird one.
Ohayon mysteries usually dive into closed communities to unpick the simmering resentments, and in this book it’s the classical music community. The brother and father of Michael’s cellist friend and neighbour, Nita Van Gelden, are killed in short succession, he’s called on to investigate both murders. This is a slightly slower book than some of the others, and more sizeable in length, reflecting a common trend in series for books to enlarge as the characters settle in for the long haul. This is perhaps fitting for the classical music scene, though, with its concertos and lifetimes spent dedicated to a single instrument. Perhaps because it is one of Michael’s passions, it must become ours too, for a time.
There is a romantic sub-plot between Michael and Nita, not unexpectedly, but this is in part catalysed by an abandoned baby who Michael finds in their apartment building and decides that perhaps he might like to keep for a while. Yes, that’s right. A police officer finds an abandoned child and rather than thinking, “This is a crime,” or “What’s happened to mum?”, he thinks, “How can I keep this quiet from the rest of the authorities?” Not great, Michael. Not great.
As a precipitating incident, it’s hardly really necessary to throw him (a divorced dad of a 23-year-old) into the orbit of Nita, who’s a young mother so has baby food, nappies, etc., right on hand. This thread of paternal yearning running through the novel is quite odd, as although we have seen Michael navigating romantic relationships before, fatherhood has not been high on the agenda. It is perhaps some sort of metaphor for his paternal instincts towards junior staff, but it doesn’t really resonate within the series as a whole. It feels like a wacky idea that got away from the author.
In the meat of the mystery novel itself, the motive for the crime is a long-lost treasure within the music world. This would have been more than enough to be getting on with, but as it is the novel takes the long road to get there.
See also
These lists capture other stories and characters that I thought of as I was reading this piece. I won’t explain why, to avoid spoilers, but they’re associations and not ‘if you liked this, then you’ll love…’ recommendations!
- Murder on a Kibbutz (Batya Gur)
- Any Law and Order: Special Victims Unit where Olivia Benson thinks about adopting a child from the case (So. Many. Of Them.)
- The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
- White Collar
Take a look at my short story collection featuring Victorian “lady detective” Meinir Davies; order now!
Dominique Gracia 
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