Beyond the Grave

John Quincannon #2

by Bill Pronzini, Marcia Muller

The bestselling author of The McCone Files teams up with the creator of the "Nameless Detective" for a collaborative mystery that bridges the San Franciscos of 1894 and 1986. Muller and Pronzini masterfully parallel the investigations of turn-of-the-century detective Quincannon and Chicana amateur sleuth Elena Oliverez.

Genres: Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Mystery Writers of America Awards "Grand Master" 2008
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1999) for Boobytrap
Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee (1998) for A Wasteland of Strangers
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) for Sentinels
Shamus Awards "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) 1987
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1982) for Hoodwink

Married to author Marcia Muller.

Pseudonyms:
Robert Hart Davis (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Jack Foxx
William Jeffrey (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Alex Saxon

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few books I've reread because it's my favorite category in general: Mystery,
and it involves 'time travel'.
Definitely in my 'top ten'

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting way to tell a story: two protagonists — John Quincannon, a private investigator in the late 1800s, and amateur sleuth Elena Oliverez in the 1980s.

Quincannon is hired to locate a missing treasure, one that was hidden by his client's late father, who perished in a battle with John Fremont; Oliverez, who is also a curator at a museum of Hispanic art, purchases a marriage coffin (like a hope chest) at an auction and discovers a secret compartment that holds papers from Quincannon about his case.

Both find themselves involved in a hunt for the truth and the treasure.

The stories are complicated: Quincannon is working for an employer who doesn't like him and the only clue to go on is a statue of the Virgin Mary, part of the treasure but found 50 years later in a San Francisco curio shop. Oliverez has broken up with her policeman boyfriend and her mother is in the hospital having surgery.

Oliverez is intrigued and when the first notes end in midstream, eager to get her hands on the rest of Quincannon's notes. Fortunately for her, she has taken some time off and can spend it exploring the location of the former hacienda, which was apparently abandoned at some point after Quincannon's time.

Back and forth between the two time periods and with the two protagonists, we follow the action of each in a strong mystery created by the husband-wife duo of Pronzini and Muller. The dialogue, the descriptions and the action are well written and the story is gripping.

[Tim Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concept of two writers/spouses dealing with events almost a century apart sounded clumsy, but this one really worked for me. I found it not nearly as disjointed as did some others. Very much enjoyed Pronzini's sections, and especially liked Muller's parts. Her (Muller) colors of late 20th Century CA were vivid, and her treatment of the rural landscapes spoke to me. I could feel the weather she described. Pronzini's humor was in fine form.

[M Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dual timelines - 1890s & 1980s Santa Barbara. Muller and Pronzini do a creditable job telling the the story. And in several ways it's more of a story, a ghost story, a historical fiction than a mystery. Better as it goes along. If California history is of interest, add a star.

[Laraf123 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea but it had its moments.

[John Stisk · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite incredibly boring.
More like a badly written museum guide.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#2 in the John Quincannon series - #3 in the Elena Oliverez series. An intriguing blend of Bill Pronzini's late 19th century private detective and Marcia Muller's contemporary museum director. Some treasured artifacts were lost during Califirnia's Bear Flag Rebellion in 1846. In 1894, Quincannon is hired by the descendant of the original owner to track them down after one is found in a pawn shop. In 1986, Oliverez discovers part of Quincannon's report in an antique chest she has purchased for her museum. She first wants to find the remainder of Quincannon's report and then to solve the unfinished mystery. Groups of chapters alternate the point-of-view from 1986 to 1894. A weak plot device was having the original report fragmented and having the successsive pieces re-discovered by Oliverez to further her investigation.

Elena Oliverez & John Quincannon series - Santa Barbara art museum director Oliverez has bought a Mexican wedding chest at auction for her art museum, and when she's examining it, she finds an old report written by San Francisco private investigator John Quincannon inside a hidden compartment. He had been on the trail of some lost religious artifacts, but apparently was never able to find them. By using Quincannon's report, Oliverez hopes to recover the valuable pieces. In the process of searching, both characters encounter murder and face danger.

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini, Beyond the Grave (Carroll and Graf, 1986)

Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini team up for a novel that takes place in two times focusing on the same mystery. Elena Oliverez, in the present day, accidentally stumbles upon a piece of the report of one Detective Quincannon, hired to find the stolen treasures of a Mexican ranchero in the 1890s. As Oliverez gets absorbed in Quincannon's story, she finds herself looking to solve the mystery Quincannon wasn't able to uncover eighty years previously.

The two stories interlock without a hitch, and both Oliverez and Quincannon are engaging protagonists. This is quick, easy beach fare; fast-paced, homey, digestible, and well worth the time for mystery fans. Those who haven't yet discovered either Muller or Pronzini, this is one of many good starting points...

[LJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

BEYOND THE GRAVE - Okay
Muller, Marica and Bill Pronzini - 2nd in series

The bestselling author of The McCone Files teams up with the creator of the "Nameless Detective" for a collaborative mystery that bridges the San Franciscos of 1894 and 1986. Muller and Pronzini masterfully parallel the investigations of turn-of-the-century detective Quincannon and Chicana amateur sleuth Elena Oliverez.

I love the work of both authors individually, but this just not work for me.

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixes history and mystery -- it’s a mys-tory! Switching between 1894 and 1986 to solve a crime committed in 1846 - and 1986. Interesting mixture, well done by this husband-and-wife writing team.

The detectives in 1894 are the male/female team of Carpenter and Quincannon, creations of Pronzini, the detective in 1986 a female Hispanic detective drawn by Marcia Muller, each the subjects of their own books by their respective creators.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Muller obviously. She's my most read author. This is from the new series written with her husband, a throwback to detectives from San Francisco before the turn of the century. In this one, a "modern" story parallels the old detective story. I use the term "modern" loosely. "Modern" is the mid-1980's. You get tastes of California history, San Francisco in the 1890's, a look at Latino culture, a generally good story and, of course, a good mystery.

[joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading books that take place in California, that are historical mysteries, but not always ones that skip back & forth in time. However, the "Mulzinis" carry this off with style. Nicely captures the period of time when California was leaving the Mexican rule and heading toward John Fremont & the United States.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

she writes this one with her husband also, but it was much better than The Lighthouse - the flashback idea helped a lot

[Donna Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent, I loved the background history about the California Mission era and history of Santa Barbara.

[Kirsty Darbyshire]

I read this several years back and I'm just having a bit of a reread for a mailing list discussion of the book.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

must look for more Quincannon

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

She's better on her own.

[Cecilia Rodriguez · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot switches between 1986 and 1894 using John Quincannon's notes that are hidden inside a marriage casket.

Elena is far more intresting than John and is more belivable.

[Carolyn McBride · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it difficult to read, because I don't do spanish well, and all the Spanish names threw me off.
Sorry.

[Regine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, slightly awkward.