The Bones of Bascom Hall

by Betsy Draine, Michael Hinden

Campus police at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are baffled by the discovery of human remains in the attic of the administration building. Drawn into the investigation, visiting professor Nora Barnes connects the bones to the Vietnam-era bombing of Sterling Hall. But someone doesn’t want her probing the past. She’s side-swiped by a car while riding a bicycle and almost crushed in the art library’s motorized book stacks. Meanwhile, her high-spirited husband, Toby Sandler, is hot on the trail of lost architectural plans drafted by Frank Lloyd Wright.



Inspired by an event that traumatized Madison and shocked the nation, this absorbing novel blends fact and fiction and is sure to delight both mystery enthusiasts and UW alumni.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2024

Reviews

[Margie Dewind]

The story wasn't scintillating, but I enjoyed reading about familiar places and events.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery is not at all my usual genre, but a friend loaned this to me so I gave it a shot. It was OK- a bit predictable, a bit formulaic, more than a bit unbelievable (tell me what police officer welcomes citizen involvement in visiting an active crime scene), but.... that's mysteries, right? Interesting to have it set on the UW-Madison campus, though.

[Jerstyn Morehay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifth in a series of historically and culturally-themed mysteries involving married and frequently traveling Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler: an art professor, an antiques dealer; together, their combined expertise frequently expresses itself as a two-headed, incredibly learned amateur sleuth. The Bones of Bascom Hall finds the pair after previous adventures in France, their home turf near Bodega Bay, California, the various European haunts of Vincent van Gogh, and most recently the romantic coast of Ireland, settling for the summer of 2018 on a university teaching exchange in the somewhat less exotic but no less dramatic backdrop of Madison, Wisconsin. The state university, its main building at the top of Bascom Hill, and the brilliant architectural contributions throughout the city of UW alumnus and state native Frank Lloyd Wright are among the elements of a busy but consistently intriguing mystery involving the August 1970 bombing of the university's Sterling Hall, an activist who participated in that bombing and subsequently vanished, and the unidentified title-remains that Chapter 1, Page 1 crash through the ceiling over the university's main lecture-hall.
...

If anything, Michael Hinden and Betsy Draine's clever and inventive mystery is a mite too jam-packed with detail -- those remains described above, for instance, crashing through from a forgotten water-cistern under an absent dome, long-ago burned-away and formerly topping the title-building -- but as a resident of that city and a onetime student of the university I fully appreciated the hometown atmosphere they convincingly captured of this big-little college town. In addition, the complexities of its social and political history are skillfully incorporated into the mostly plausible, certainly tragic, but admirably light, suitably ironic, and often funny convolutions of a lively, regionally-inspired mystery.

Not so much a whodonit by the end as a whydonit, with even that question left mainly unanswered, I recognized much of the witty presence of the authors from having once taken Professor Draine's class on the "Diminishing Age" of British postwar literature way back in or around the year 2000, in addition to subsequently writing an obituary for then future Nobel laureate Doris Lessing, a full decade before she eventually died, as the later class's final exam. The best compliment I can pay Draine and Hinden's latest mystery, I suppose, is wondering where Sandler and Barnes will possibly end up next, while glad they got a chance to involve their jet-setting characters in a mystery right here at "home". As fine a performance as any involving mismatched handbags between Oscar Wilde characters seen at the outdoor theater up at Spring Green, or indeed as otherwise played on a connecting flight through O'Hare Airport, carrying human tissue in a similarly misplaced suitcase.

[Josephine Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A summer job. I really enjoyed my visit to Madison, Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin, Mrs. Draine is excellent is describing the world around her, making me want to visit Madison. Much of this is true, but the author takes some fiction from fact.

There is a time back in 1970 when Sterling Hall was blown up. Some students were against the Viet Nam war. Many felt to join the military was important to serve. Then some war haters blew up Sterling Hall. A brilliant professor was killed, four others were injured, three were arrested, sentenced to prison, the fourth ran away, was never found. It is not known if he is alive or dead.

2020, fifty years later, in the summer, Nora Barnes, an art professor from a small liberal college in Northern California is on faculty exchange. "Her friend is teaching in Nora's school. She and her husband, Toby, never been to Madison, both are interested in Frank Lloyd Wright and want to visit some of his buildings and learn more of his work." Toby owns an art and antiques gallery in Sonoma County. During a lecture at Bascom Hall, a speaker who is against liberal arts, he feels they are luxuries. Job training is badly needed. A ton of water tears out soaking the man. There are human bones found. Whose bones are these? Who was this person? Crime labs are investigating.

Nora begins her class on 20th century French painters. She meets students, then two older ladies enter. They are interested in art, one is an artist, both love art. Maureen Day from Philadelphia, Helen Foreman from Chicago. Nora and Toby meet Maureen's husband, Jimmy, Helen's boyfriend, Alan. The six become friends, go places. Nora and Toby go to see some of Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings and to some classes taught by a professor, Mr. Arp, who thinks women should stay home and out of men's occupations. He is quite a character as a few others the couple meet. But he a does a good job teaching. Pretty interesting teaching among professors.

Then Nora' sister, Angie, flies into visit them. She has an incident at the airport when her suitcase is stolen and she leaves with the other person's suitcase. Nora takes Angie on many tours around Madison.

The home where the couple is staying is broken into. The two are almost run over when biking around town. There is much happening around town.

The two other couples were students during the Viet Nam War. Alan hates wars, was one of the protestors. Maureen's boyfriend was the young man who was never found.

Nora and Toby get very involved in what was going on. Too much. Interesting read. Summer job.

[Wisconsin Alumni]

Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden, Emeritus Faculty
Coauthors

From the coauthors:
Amateur sleuths Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler find themselves caught up in a labyrinth of speculation when they arrive at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for Nora’s faculty exchange. Campus police are baffled by the discovery of human remains in the attic of the university’s administration building. Nora connects the bones to the Vietnam-era bombing of Sterling Hall, but someone doesn’t want her probing the past. She’s side-swiped by a car while riding a bicycle and almost crushed in the art library’s motorized book stacks. Meanwhile, Toby is hot on the trail of lost architectural plans drafted by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Inspired by an event that traumatized Madison and shocked the nation, Draine and Hinden interweave fact and fiction to create an intricate novel sure to delight both mystery enthusiasts and UW alumni.

[Christine DeSmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fun, contemporary mystery set in Madison, Wisconsin is almost a historical novel because so much of the book re-tells the time period and facts surrounding the bombing of Sterling Hall on the UW campus during the Viet Nam War era of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It also manages to weave into the plot a lot of truth about Frank Lloyd Wright and his design wishes for the campus and downtown Madison. The history leads us to solving the mystery as to whose bones are found in a cistern in Bascom Hall and who put them there. The married couple of Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler make a great “Nick and Nora/Hart to Hart” sort of couple reminiscent of past famous TV shows. Though part of a mystery series, this book easily stands on its own as a fine introduction to Nora and Toby and the authors.

[Brian Grover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this one for a family book club (which we ended up forgetting to have). Honestly, it's pretty lackluster as a mystery. The husband and wife team here aren't detectives, and it's weird that they're even allowed to be involved in the investigation. On the other hand, this book is written by a couple of UW profs, and it's an absolute love letter to Madison - they get brats at Memorial Union, hike around Olbrich Gardens, go kayaking in Lake Monona, etc... So that part of it was fun. Three stars, although if not for the Madison content, this would be a two star effort.

[DeForest Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Members rated from 2.5-4 stars.

The authors' focus is on the importance of place and getting readers in the location of the book, and that was achieved. Most members struggled with the writing style of the mystery though. They didn't think it hooked your attention. Those that lived through the Sterling Bombing thought the historical aspect engaging. The authors called out different parks/locations around Madison that locals don't always remember or think about, and that was interesting as well.

[Janice Pauc · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a UW graduate I loved all the campus references as well as the historical references to the Sterling Hall bombing. These protests occurred prior to my attendance by several years yet they were an integral part of campus life and I remember people asking why I would even consider attending such a radical university.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. If you are or were ever a Madisonian or went to UW Madison, this is a cute book. Kind of a cozy mystery surrounding true campus events. The characters were a little unbelievable, though. I think that & the constant Madison "shout-outs" really threw me off the story - which had more potential.

[Phil Bayly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing mystery begins with the discovery of old bones in a cistern on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. It brings together old friends who were campus radicals during the 1960s. Curiosity gets the better of them. They might even see some ghosts.

[Jcarlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have fond memories of Madison and the university there you will probably enjoy this book.
I found the mystery to be disappointingly trite. It will also help if you are a fan of Frank Loyd Wright.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the plot and the characters of the book but felt I was reading a travelogue about Madison and southern Wisconsin most of the time.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Implausible characters and plot. Often ridiculous. But I read it since it was set in nearby Madison, so the familiar setting was enjoyable.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

2-ish stars for the plot, added star for Madison vibes.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun read if you're a Madison/UW local! I think it was a little cheesy but cute all the same.

[Rosemary Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

To me, ( I live in Madison) this book was more a travelogue of Madison than a mystery. I enjoyed all of the familiar things in it, but felt that they crowded out the story.

[Driftless · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read for this lifelong Madisonian and UW alum!

[Sandra Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d give a 4.5. The struggled with the writing style. Maybe if I wasn’t from Madison, I’d give it a 5. I liked the plot twists.

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

A UW - Madison mystery? Yes, please!!!

This was a refreshing break from the WRMs book group reading list. Now, onward to King Lear :(

A smidge disappointed that Picnic Point was not involved somehow, or Taste of Madison, or Centennial Gardens, or the Boat/rowing house, or Babcock Ice Cream, or ....sigh, too many favorite spots neglected. Although, a plus that the subterranean steam tunnels were a hideout. High 5 Tunnel Bob! Kudos, also, for the Frank Lloyd Wright side plot.

If you're a Madisonian you should enjoy this good read. Perfect summer, light-hearted reading fare. I highly recommend reading this particular book while lounging at the Terrace.