The Shortest Day: Murder at the Revels

Homer Kelly #11

by Jane Langton

In the midst of the traditional Christmas Revels in Cambridge, the jealous husband of an attractive stage director turns the pageantry into an unhappy affair, bringing Homer Kelly to the scene in his eleventh case. Tour.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Christmas, Holiday, Mystery Thriller

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Langton was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She studied astronomy at Wellesley College and the University of Michigan, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1944. She received an M.A. in art history from the University of Michigan in 1945, and another M.A. from Radcliffe College in 1948. She studied at the Boston Museum School from 1958 to 1959.

In 1961 Langton wrote and illustrated her first book for children, The Majesty of Grace, a story about a young girl during the Depression who is certain she will some day be Queen of England. Langton has since written a children's series, The Hall Family Chronicles, and the Homer Kelly murder mystery novels. She has also written several stand-alone novels and picture books.

Langton's novel The Fledgling is a Newbery Honor book. Her novel Emily Dickinson is Dead was nominated for an Edgar Award and received a Nero Award. The Face on the Wall was an editors' choice selection by The Drood Review of Mystery for 1998.

Langton lives in Lincoln, Massachusetts, near the town of Concord, the setting of many of her novels. Her husband, Bill, died in 1997. Langton has three adult sons: Chris, David and Andy.

Series:
* Hall Family
* Homer Kelly Mystery

Reviews

[Tulay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Murders but no mystery.

Sanders Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts will enjoy this series. Saint George and the Dragon: A Mummer's Play, The Christmas Revels Songbook, verses from the The Oxford Book of Carols are in this book. Also Harvard astronomers, supernova. Author surged and spend some time with this story, not my kind of book.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane Langton is a local literary treasure. But the The Shortest Day , the eleventh edition in the Homer Kelly series fell short to my expectations. It is not a murder mystery, at least not a mystery to the reader, who is aware of who-done-its all along. There are two plots in this novel: a series of deaths surround an annual Harvard production of seasonal Mummers revels, while outside a homeless camp protesting Harvard's excessive wealth is led by a character with questionable motives.

Langton's story has some lovely seasonal aspects with the theatrical revels, the astronomer, the mothers and babies, and revolves around themes of spectacle, obsession exploitation, and revenge that offer some interesting counterpoints, but it almost felt like it would have been suited to another genre; the Kelly series' slapstick/ local color humor and the attempt to force it into a murder mystery genre did a disservice to the more serious subjects in the story, and made it feel fragmented. At the same time, there was little suspense in the pacing, which could have been remedied had it been framed more as a mystery or a phycological thriller; but I think the story really wanted to be something else. The disparate parts -- the farce, the domestic thriller, the social justice, didn't quite come together for me. I appreciated Langton's intention.

[Alton Motobu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emphasis on two despicable unsavory characters: (1) jealous husband, who is a Harvard professor, suspects his beautiful wife of cheating on him, so he kills off his perceived rivals one by one until three innocent men are dead and a fourth barely survives having his throat cut; (2) a publicity-seeking community activist who seems to fight for rights of the homeless to the point where he uses corpses for his own purposes. Homer Kelly is a minor supporting character in this story; he barely participates in the crime solving.

The jealous husband could have been a main character in another series; he is diabolical, clever and meticulous in planning his murders. Clearly a psychopath, he is equal to Jack the Ripper in his sadism. Read in this light (as a character study) the book is somewhat enjoyable; if read as a cozy Christmas mystery it is a failure.

Filled with illustrations by the author; these add to the atmosphere of the story. The extracts of poetry at the start of each chapter made no sense to me, so I ended up ignoring them completely.

[Miz Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a re-read of a book I originally read when it was first published. I have been a big fan of the Revels since my college days in Massachusetts when I first discovered them, even though I have never actually had the opportunity to attend a live performance. I have enjoyed them from afar through the audio recordings (originally a record album, then CDs). For the Revels 50th Anniversary in 2020, the Revels went online and I was able to enjoy a retrospective performance, which inspired me to pick up this book again. Homelessness and a series of murders amongst the cast and crew of the Revels keep the plot moving in an erudite novel that is structured like the mummer's play that is a core piece of the Revels. Worth the re-read, especially accompanied by Revels music and with the retrospective performance fresh in my mine.

[Tom Godfrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Langton's books are unlike anyone else's. Her writing is sharp, vivid, and literate in the best sense. This book is set during the Christmas season in Harvard's environs, when
the Cambridge community annually presents a "revel" of medieval entertainments of mummers plays, carols, Morris dancers and the like. This is clearly a commentary on the preciousness of such establishments, but in Ms. Langton's hands it is also a true expression of the Christmas spirit. She pokes fun, but she also has a deep respect for real scholarship and the pursuit of knowledge. In the same way, her characters have strengths and weaknesses, just like everyone else. Yes, there are murders at the revels, but we know practically from the beginning who's responsible. There's no real mystery.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Homer and Mary are involved in the Christmas Revels at Harvard, pretty much run by Sarah. But Sarah's husband is extremely jealous of her, and when people start dying, he is the obvious suspect to Mary (and to the reader, as well.) But Sarah and Homer are both clueless. A lot of carols and mummer's play excerpts are used as chapter headings -- very interesting, and makes you want to look them up to find the rest of the song or story. This was not quite as good as some of the other Homer Kelly books I've read, but it still held my interest - I just won't be rereading it as soon as others. Could be because Sarah's husband is so obnoxious, and the pace is also a little slower.

[LaRae☕️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed many things about this book, including the setting, the characters, and the mystery itself. However, it was peppered with casual cursing, which felt incongruous. Maybe Jane Langton runs with a different crowd than I do, but I don’t know anyone who curses quite as much as her characters in a professional setting. It felt like she was trying desperately to make the book edgier than it actually is, because of her fear of having it labeled as a cozy.

[Melanie Barbarito · Rating 2 out of 5]

Re was so much about this book that bothered me, made me roll my eyes actually. Situations were made up that were simply silly. There were an awful lot of murders with plenty in common, and there were no homicide detectives around asking questions? Please. But I did read the whole thing at least. It was short.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder at The Revels. A fun read since we have gone to this celebration so often, although to NYC not Boston.

[Angie Carter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Its a mystery. Why I didn't enjoy this is an even bigger mystery.

[Jocelie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saved for me only by the drawings and the fact that it takes place among streets and within buildings I know, in Cambridge.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well plotted academic setting murder mystery

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice. Really good writing. Nice descriptions of locations (and pictures by the author!) Not really a who-dun-it though.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pulled this one out of my collection from the Mystery Book Club collection purchased in the 1990s. A cozy , set in Cambridge Massachusetts

[Phillip Mclaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

revels and the solstice a winter in Cambridge

Homer finds that Mary has the superior powers of observation in this book.
Multiple murders all on the periphery of University life

[Lisa Bushey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t remember the last time I read a Jane Langton book—probably in the 1990s. I hadn’t realized how much I missed Homer and Mary Kelly. I will definitely be visiting these old friends again.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#11 in the Homer Kelly series.

Homer Kelly series - In Cambridge, Mass., the annual Christmas Revels celebrating the Winter Solstice are being meticulously planned by beauteous Sarah Bailey, whose obsessively jealous husband, Morgan, an ornithologist, is clearly pinpointed as the deranged killer of all her imagined suitors. As a folksinger, an attorney and a dancer are dispatched with grisly efficiency, the self-satisfied Homer ignores the suspicions of demure, astute Mary. Meanwhile, much of Harvard's campus is taken over by activists as a well-organized tent city is erected by the homeless of Cambridge, under the direction of a professional protestor whose cynical manipulation of the media reaches new heights of black humor.

[Josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the earlier Homer Kelly mysteries--as another reviewer pointed out, the murderer was painfully obvious and I'm usually miserable at guessing whodunit. I'm giving it an extra star because I have fond memories of the Christmas Revels (a very real production, though somewhat fictionalized here) and her descriptions of the performance and audience reaction is a wistful trip back in time for me.

[Lisa Brintlinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though it's July, I read a Christmas book! Jane Langton has written a series and this is #11! It was a light read, perfect to put on my iPad and go on a trip! The book takes place in Boston so Bostonians would easily recognize the spots mentioned in the murder mystery story. The main characters, husband and wife professors, are involved in a Revels production and murders happen and get solved. Not too deep, not too hard at all to solve = a fine vacation book!

[Jrobertus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not great literature but it is a fun fast read. The setting is Harvard where facultly and friends are putting on an annual revel with Morris dancers, songs and a St George skit. The leader is the earth mother Sarah, but bodies pile and who is to blame? Not really hard to see but there you are. There is also a sub-plot about homelessness with some interesting social commentary.

[Grey853 · Rating 1 out of 5]

A man is run down and Mary Kelly is the only witness. Was it an accident or murder?

I wanted to like this holiday mystery, but I didn't. The writing style was choppy and the point of view all over the place. There really wasn't much of a mystery, either. It was very disappointing.

[Cece · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt rushed and formulatic-no mystery, really-and shallow characters. It was a disappointment compared to other Langton Kelly mysteries.

[Amyem]

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1...

[Linda]

I didn't love it, but for a mystery (sort of) it will provide some good subjects for book discussion. topics such as urban poverty, the universe, love and marriage, jealousy, etc.