A Dying Fall

by Laura Shea

When his beloved copy of the Oxford English Dictionary falls from its perch and cracks the skull of pedantic Professor Parkinson, few of his colleagues seem to notice--and fewer seem to mind. Only Erica Duncan, a newly appointed Assistant Professor of English, questions the events surrounding the mysterious death of the resident medievalist, a topic that her colleagues studiously avoid. The new girl in town, Erica must tread lightly if she wants to take a ride on the tenure track at Brixton University. Anything else would be the death of her career, as she is reminded by the man who shares her life, an actor currently on tour, and by the man who shares her office, with an interest in Erica that is not strictly professional. Erica must decide what she is willing to risk, both personally and professionally, to find out the truth about the dead man that nobody really knew. Did the dictionary jump or was it pushed? It will take all of Erica's wit and intellect to answer the questions raised by A Dying Fall.

186 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Damaskcat · Rating 3 out of 5]

An academic felled by his own copy of the Oxford English Dictionary might seem like poetic justice and it is certainly a good start to a crime novel. But this isn’t altogether a conventional crime novel. The police are not interested in the case as it seems like just an unfortunate accident but to Erica, one of his colleagues, the whole things seems suspicious and she starts asking questions. Even when she half decided she isn’t going to get involved evidence keeps presenting itself to her.

This is an interesting story set in an American university. The characters are somewhat two dimensional at times though I did warm to Erica who seemed to be trying to live up to her own principles while about her were losing theirs. I liked the literary quotes at the head of each chapter though I found the humour and the slick repartee a little wearing after a while. I felt the author was trying to be a bit too clever. In this respect the second half of the book was better than the first, where the author seemed to stop trying to make an impression and concentrated more on what was going on.

The book did keep me entertained even when I was wincing at the dialogue and I think the author may go on to write better books. I thought the solution was intriguing and Erica’s own reaction to it was interesting. Overall this is an enjoyable read but not one of the best.