Review: Shade (A Bob and Marcus Mystery #1) by H. N. Hirsch

SiriusB Reviews / Book Reviews1980s / Boston / gay mystery with romantic elements6 Comments

A modern murder mystery. Assistant Professor Marcus George, a young, gay Harvard faculty member striving to find his footing in the Ivy League, is drawn into investigating the murder of one of his former students, the son of an elite Massachusetts family. Centered on the tense, competitive world of academic politics, the narrative vividly captures the publish-or-perish standards of academia, the strictures of life in exclusive enclaves in Boston and Kennebunkport, and the gay subculture along the New England coast. As he investigates the murder, Marcus stumbles across academic and financial corruption that could ruin several lives — even as he falls into a tender and heartwarming love affair that will change his own. Hirsch’s first novel is a beautifully realized, gripping tale in the classic style of the murder mystery genre.

Review:

Dear H.N.Hirsh,

DA was contacted with the offer to review the fourth book in this series. I was intrigued enough and decided to try the first book. The book was on KU so it was easy enough.

Readers this is a gay mystery set up in 1985 when the two main characters meet and fall in love. I am assuming the next books are taking place in the later years but this is just my speculation. The set up dis escribed well enough in the blurb. From the afterword it sounded that author was a college professor, so I am going to take him on faith where the atmosphere of academia is described from the teacher’s point of view. I actually very much agree with the “narrative vividly captures” words from the blurb as applicable to the whole story. I thought the settings and characters were well drawn and I suspect Marcus and Bob will end up being memorable characters for me, but we shall see.

The love story was a little too fast for me, but somehow it all made sense. Sex was completely close door, but this was not really a romance in my opinion, it was a love story with a realistic feel and happy for now ending and it was probably more mystery than a love story. I also smiled at some point that a nice Jewish professor had to meet a nice Jewish boy :). I am a Jewish woman, I get that part.

It was basically your “amateur detective” subgenre of the mystery and I actually think Marcus was one of the smartest amateur detectives I have read about in a sense that if he discovered something important he called the police and actually shared the information and I appreciated that. It may have been a little less exciting when Marcus shared with the police lieutenant that a certain politician could have been one of the suspects and they ended up talking to him together than if Marcus for example barged in the politician’s office by himself, but it made more sense. As I said it made me feel that such a story had a chance to actually happen if we allow that the family of the deceased indeed asked someone else besides the police to look into it.

And what do you know, the police investigator did not act crazy either, knowing that other guy was just trying to help, he (within limits) did not mind sharing sometimes. It was refreshing, as I said maybe a little bit less exciting, but refreshing. Although at some point in the story I rolled my eyes when Marcus suddenly wondered and wondered if he should go to the police with a super important development he found it, but he did (!) and this is more than the majority of the amateur detectives do in the books I read so far.

The most shocking part was that while Marcus discovered who pulled the trigger, police discovered the one who was behind it all.

I enjoyed it well enough.

B

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Sirius

Sirius started reading books when she was four and reading and discussing books is still her favorite hobby. One of her very favorite gay romances is Tamara Allen’s Whistling in the Dark. In fact, she loves every book written by Tamara Allen. Amongst her other favorite romance writers are Ginn Hale, Nicole Kimberling, Josephine Myles, Taylor V. Donovan and many others. Sirius’ other favorite genres are scifi, mystery and Russian classics. Sirius also loves travelling, watching movies and long slow walks.

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