The Edge of Doom

Kate Fansler Mystery #14

by Amanda Cross, Carolyn G. Heilbrun

Rich and witty, the literary whodunits by Amanda Cross are a delight for readers who like their mysteries smart and suspenseful. Now comes the highly anticipated sequel to her Kate Fansler novel, Honest Doubt, which the Providence Journal called “one of [her] best books in years.” Here, Cross takes her beloved protagonist into uncharted territory, turning Kate Fansler’s world upside down.

Just when Kate Fansler thinks life couldn’t possibly hold any more surprises, she receives a phone call from Laurence, the eldest of her imperious brothers. But a woman as sharp as Kate knows that the moment one stops believing in life’s little bends in the road is the time when it has more twists in store.

Kate has always been different from the other Fanslers–a free and independent thinker in a family where propriety and decorum are prized above all. She has always assumed it was because she was the youngest and the only girl in the family. But over a drink with Laurence, Kate’s whole understanding of herself is thrown into question as he calmly tells her that a strange man came to his office claiming to be Kate’s father–and it’s quite possible that she is not a Fansler after all.

There are even more dangerous curves in the road for Kate Fansler, especially after she meets the man who calls himself her father. When more life-threatening secrets and lies emerge, Kate and the Fansler family are suddenly pitched perilously close to the edge of doom


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Cozy Mystery

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

A psuedonym of Carolyn G. Heilbrun.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual final installment of the Kate Fansler series, published the year before Carolyn Heilbrun chose to take her life. The basic story brings a stranger into the Fansler world claiming to be Kate's biological father. He approaches Kate's eldest brother Laurence with this news who then calls Kate for lunch at his club where he shares this news.
The author threaded Shakespearean quotes throughout this tale and kept the loving bond between Kate and Reed solidly demonstrated. They strategize together how to approach the investigation of this man's claims. Physically he presents as a match to Kate, both tall with shared eye color that had varied from Kate's siblings.
There is consideration of art theft and art beyond the generally intelligent dialogue and amusing exchanges with Kate's Fansler relations.

one such: “Let’s look at a few wonderful paintings and forget all this nastiness.”
“Good idea. The Metropolitan?”
“No. Too big, too spread out, too pullulating.”
“Kate! What a word. Surely they don’t pullulate at the Met.”
“It just means teeming,” she said, “Crowded. Like the mackerel crowded sea.”
“What?”
“Yeats. Not to worry. Let’s go to the Frick...There are two Holbein portraits that might be titled Good and Evil: Thomas Moore and Thomas Cromwell.”

And from her newfound father:
“But please, Kate. I haven’t committed a criminal offense: I’m not a criminal under any law. I wouldn’t have burdened you in this way, except that someone is trying to kill me.”

[Angel Pedroza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read most of Amanda Cross' Kate Fansler series as they were published up until the late 1990's. In my opinion they were beautifully written and the literary information given and the mystery offered were terrific. I recently purchased The Players Come Again and The Edge of Doom book in a second hand shop and I am glad I did. The reading of these two books was like finding old friends. They are both worth reading.

[Nell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally I wouldn't start with number 14 in a series, but this was given to me by a friend when I ran out of reading material on a recent trip. It is fine as a standalone but piques my interest in the earlier books, which I will start as soon as I catch up with Peter Diamond.

I wouldn't call it a cozy, but no one gets killed despite some threatening lurking and a situation that could have gone either way. The mystery is in who Kate's long-lost father really is and what really happened fifty-odd years ago. Kate and her husband Reed have a wonderfully supportive relationship that contrasts with prickly state of affairs between Kate and her brothers.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last of the series - I have enjoyed rereading all the Kate Fansler books. This one is a bit slow, interesting without being riveting. Jay Smith reaches Kate's brother, claiming to be Kate's biological father via a long-ago affair with her mother. When a DNA test proves out, Kate has to come to terms with the whole thing. Reed suspects something not right in Jay's past and does some investigating, while Kate's brother is also having Jay investigated. It turns out someone he testified against many years ago is out of prison now and is after Jay to get revenge. This of course endangers Kate, too. The story held my interest, but I found the ending rather flat.

[Felicity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really not one of her best. I love Amanda Cross' Kate Fansler books but this is. . huh. What is it? It's not a mystery, it's more of a, um. A commentary in search of a theme and a plot? She's a little too in love with her main character and in this latest one she not only manages to rid her of her distasteful capitalist roots, she takes ten or fifteen years off her age. Unfortunately, now she rings a little false.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

We're doing Amanda Cross in the mystery book club I go to. I read one book and a collection of short stories and liked both but the more I read the less she works for me. This on would have made a good short story but at even short book length it really drags.

[Carolyn Virginia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the plot very tedious/dull. Story involves Kate's biological father coming into her life. I found her conversations with her husband very stilted--do intellectuals really talk that way to each other?

[Susan Mock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally, I love her books, but this one kept meandering around. It was okay. BUT, the writing, as usual, was so well done.

I just reread this book because I wanted to reread her books.

[Meg Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sad to come to the end of this series.

[Alison C · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the lingering mysteries of Kate Fansler’s life is how she came to be so utterly unlike her older brothers. When her oldest brother Laurence is visited by a man claiming to be Kate’s natural father, it is with some surprise that Kate agrees to DNA testing, which in fact proves the man’s claim. But why has he come back into Kate’s life when she is in her mid-50s and he is in his 70s? And what does he want from the Fansler family?.... This is the last of the Kate Fansler mystery series and, unlike the previous book, Kate is all over this one. As is Shakespeare, as each chapter has an epigram (most, I think, if not all from The Tempest). The relationship between fathers and daughters is the overarching theme, and unlike other books in the series there are no murders to investigate here; the very idea of the self-aware and hyper-conscious Kate working to deepen her understanding of herself will either please or infuriate readers, depending on their relationship to the character. For myself, I’m glad I read it, and equally glad to finally be done with the exasperating Kate. Mildly recommended.

[Marsha Valance · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Columbia literature professor/amateur sleuth Kate Fansler discovers thru a DNA test that she is illegitimate. the result of a clandestine affair between her mother & a Yale student. she decides she must investigate the circumstances. With the aid of her retired DA husband Reed Amhearst & Banty, their St. Bernard, she looks into the history of art thefts in the US, the Witness Protection program, & her mother's Edith Wharton-ish outlook. Kidnapped by a paroled murderer looking for revenge on her biological father, Kate uses insights gained from Shakespeare to ensure a positive outcome. I regret the non-appearance of her niece & nephew, but her 3 [half]brothers are out in force. Not my favorite in the series.

[Lelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read other Kate Fansler books years ago and loved them, so I was disappointed to find that this book was a drag. I don’t know if my tastes have changed or if this one doesn’t measure up to earlier stories, but almost nothing happens. What does happen is excessively long (this coming from an English major) conversations about literature - including a synopsis of A Winter’s Tale - current (2002) events, DNA tests, the wheelings and dealings of art thieves, Kate’s musings and the rehashing of already told stories. Kate is a bit like a Barbara Pym heroine, but more self-absorbed and without a sense of humor. I’m guessing Carolyn Heilbrun was tired of writing Fansler mysteries by the time she got to this one.

[Lia Marcoux · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know how this ended up on my to-read list, but I do know that another book could have been published inside the leading and margins of this book. This read is SLIGHT. Mind you, I wasn't craving more. I guess there's no rule that says a dog can't play basketball a purported mystery featuring an investigator has to have any sleuthing, it can just have ruminations on the effects of genetics I guess. Also, the climactic sequence is a long-winded septegenarian monologuing in an ice cream parlor while the author describes his audience drinking glasses of water (note: there is no ice cream). Where is the doom edge? How did this end up on my list??

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like the Isabel Dalhousie mysteries from Alexander McCall Smith, you might like this series, as it also features an academically-minded female protagonist prone to quoting from literature and finding herself caught up in mysteries in need of solving. I read books 1-13 years ago and only recently realized there was one more remaining to be read.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the last Kate Fansler book and I wonder what was the point. It was, in my opinion, disjointed and hard to follow ( or maybe just difficult to care). Kate didn't even seem interested. I finished it but it was disappointing after the fun of most of the other books.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

literary element - Shakespeare - fathers/daughters. i don't like Kate much, i don't think

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

disappointing. Ending not believable.

[Bill Finley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda Cross saved the best for last.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a smart, engaging story! The Shakespeare refs worked, and I had no idea what would happen.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reliably entertaining

[Jeannine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost tedious. Much ado about not very much.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Edge of Doom by Amanda Cross is the 7th (and final) book of the Kate Fansler mystery series set in late-20th-century New York City. Kate is a university professor of literature; her husband Reed is a retired District Attorney. They live in an apartment with their huge dog Banny. I've read the series in order. While reading several books prior to this one, I felt the series had dragged on too long. Although meant to be literary whodunits, I felt they had too much introspection, not enough plot to sustain interest (and I detested the motorcycle-rider detour the series took). But I was determined to finish the series, so I read this last one anyway - I'm glad I did. This book starts off interesting immediately: Kate finds out she was adopted. There is plenty of introspection, as you expect when your identity changes - but the pace keeps up with plot surprises, too. First Kate must decide how to relate to her father, then he disappears, then he returns but is in danger, and she must find out why, for her own safety.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not care for this book, but to be fair I might have enjoyed it more if I had read previous books in the series. Still, I don't think I will because the Kate Fansler character did not engage me. Additionally, I couldn't get over feeling that some of the things that occur to move the story forward were awkward and not believable. For instance, going in the ladies room to prick her finger and put , blood on a handkerchief at her brothers request for a DNA sample. This occurs between wealthy people over 50, while sitting in a Manhattan private club, so it just sounds goofy.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haven't read the series for a long while now, but I enjoyed this one. Kate Fansler (the main character in this series) can be very superficial, very much an intellectual type, and very prone to talking and talking and talking about her feelings, which is why I tired of the series. But the plots, when they are really a good integral part of the book can be very interesting and fun. This one works well and is an interesting insight into Kate's background. Do read this one AFTER reading a few of the first few books in the series... it will make more sense.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amanda Cross is a pen name for the late feminist scholar, Carolyn G. Heilbrun, perhaps best known for Writing a Woman's Life. What I liked about The Edge of Doom is that it drew on the life of Edith Wharton, the great American writer, although it certainly reconfigured the biographical information. A fun read.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over the years I have read many of the Kate Fansler mysteries. This one had a very good premise, but it became tedious. Kate continually spoke in a way to make herself seem clever and smart. It mostly made her seem as if she did not know how to communicate.

[Sallie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not impressed with this book, it just seemed to go on and on with no real point to it. It's really a 1.5 star since I didn't hate it but it left me feeling 'meh'. Going to the used bookstore shelves.

[Tina]

Amanda Cross is growing on me - mediocre mysteries but good social commentary.

[Candace Wegner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this more than I expected.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry to see the end.