Thu 10 Jul 2014
Reviewed by Allen J. Hubin: JOHN McALEER – Coign of Vantage.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[2] Comments
Allen J. Hubin
JOHN McALEER – Coign of Vantage; or, The Boston Athenaeum Murders. Foul Play, hardcover, 1988. No paperback edition.
After a biography and bibliography of Rex Stout, after studies of Emerson, Thoreau and Dreiser, after a Korean War novel, a professor of English at Boston College offers his first mystery novel. This is John McAleer, and his debut is Coign of Vantage.
The scene is first the Cat-Tail Club, a rarefied Boston literary society, three of whose members, vastly aged, have recently died. No matter their age, the odor of fish is detected, and Austin Layman, by no means a member but able to keep up his conversational end as if he were, is invited to have a look.
The scent leads to the Boston Athenaeum, august gentleman’s library, where apparently for innocent repose for forty years have lain scandalous manuscript pages now capable — wonder of wonders — of exciting passions, even murder, in geriatric literary breasts.
Full of sprightly dialogue, fabulous characters, and wit is this novel, and much to be pleasured, with only some weakness at the end to be regretted.
Vol. 11, No. 3, Summer 1989.
Bibliographic Note: This is John McAleer’s only entry in Al Hubin’s Crime Fiction IV.
July 10th, 2014 at 7:40 pm
It may have been Al’s review that so persuaded me, or perhaps not, but in any case, I made a point of purchasing this book as soon as I knew it was out. It was on or close to the top of my To Be Read pile for a long time, but you guessed it. I’ve never read it.
July 11th, 2014 at 1:31 pm
Steve
I bought it when it came out too, on Otto Penzler’s recommendation, but did read it. Book lovers will enjoy it as I did as both a solid biblodetective story and a witty intelligent literary thriller. It does lose a little energy at the end, but the ride there is full steam.