Debts of dishonor An Imogen Quy mystery

Set at St. Agatha's, a fictional Cambridge University college, Paton Walsh's bland academic cozy will appeal most to readers enamored of the culture of British higher education and conversant in its vocabulary. Others may find that the task of navigating unfamiliar surroundings presents too little payoff. Like many amateur sleuths before her, college nurse Imogen Quy strides blithely into dangerous situations, in this case attempting to learn whether Sir Julius Farran, a wealthy businessman and college benefactor, fell to his death accidentally or was pushed. Her investigation, fueled by information her students tell her in confidence, proceeds through multilayered adulteries and financial shenanigans that rival Enron and put the college at risk of bankruptcy. Like the two earlier Imogen Quy mysteries (The Wyndham Case and A Piece of Justice), this story is entirely plot driven and, except for one genuine surprise, that plot is largely unengaging. Paton Walsh, a prolific author of children's books, is best known in the mystery field for her posthumous collaborations with Dorothy Sayers. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

A potential Cambridge benefactor falls short. Saint Agatha's, one of Cambridge's least well-endowed colleges, is hopeful that the new bursar will put things right and that old boy Sir Julius Farran, the Takeover King, will donate a bundle to them. The problem? The bursar has gone walkabout; Sir Julius has slunk out of a drying-out establishment and plunged off a cliff called Hell's Elbow; and his son-in-law Max has been fatally stabbed. This is no way to run a business or a college, and the Farran Group and Saint Agatha's are in trouble. So is Andrew Duncombe, an economist with ties to both Saint A's and Sir Julius, and former beau of college nurse Imogen Quy (A Piece of Justice, 1995, etc.). Plucky Imogen uncovers many might-have-dunits, including the vengeful son of a man bamboozled by Sir Julius; a college don writing an expos of Sir Julius; and pretty Fiona, who first dallied with Sir Julius, then with Max, then with Andrew, and now has her sights on Lord Robinswood, chairman of the Farran Board of Directors. One of Imogen's hunches will take her to Paris, where the plot takes a major twist, then back to Cambridge, where she must wrestle with her conscience before parceling out justice. A tad too much financial wheeling and dealing to qualify as a true British cozy, but definitely geared toward the genteel reader. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.