Quoth the Raven
By Jane Haddam
3.5/5
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About this ebook
Since Father Tibor Kasparian escaped the Soviet Union, he has done his best to keep his philosophy to himself—not out of fear, but because he knows that few people could stomach an honest account of life under Stalinism. When he gets an invitation to spend a semester teaching philosophy at Independence College, Kasparian hesitates, but his friend Gregor Demarkian, a former FBI investigator, convinces him to accept. They will both wish he had decided to stay away. At Independence, Halloween is the biggest party of the year—it’s also the anniversary of the day that the school’s colonial founders pledged themselves to the American Revolution. As the students prepare to burn an effigy of King George, the hated professor Donegal Steele vanishes, and his secretary turns up dead. To keep his old friend from becoming the next victim, Demarkian will have to do his homework.
Jane Haddam
Jane Haddam (1951–2019) was an American author of mysteries. Born Orania Papazoglou, she worked as a college professor and magazine editor before publishing her Edgar Award–nominated first novel, Sweet, Savage Death, in 1984. This mystery introduced Patience McKenna, a sleuthing scribe who would go on to appear in four more books, including Wicked, Loving Murder (1985) and Rich, Radiant Slaughter (1988). Not a Creature Was Stirring (1990) introduced Haddam’s best-known character, former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian. The series spans more than twenty novels, many of them holiday-themed, including Murder Superior (1993), Fountain of Death (1995), and Wanting Sheila Dead (2005). Haddam’s later novels include Blood in the Water (2012) and Hearts of Sand (2013).
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Reviews for Quoth the Raven
56 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Father Tibor Kasparian has taken a temporary teaching assignment on a college campus. He becomes aware that all is not well and calls upon his friend, Gregor Demarkian, and ex-FBI agent, to come visit and speak at the campus. It isn't long before Gregor is called upon to unravel a crime and catch the criminal.I enjoyed this book, but not overwhelmingly. I never could get a handle on the main characters surrounding Gregor Demarkian, or even Gregor. It felt as if we were expected to have read the previous books. The other characters, the suspects, were drawn very well. The author took pains to show us the inner workings of each one. The crime and setting were also well done. I would certainly read more in this series if they came my way.Oh, forgot to say, the events take place over the three days before Halloween, and Halloween itself.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Conventional academic mystery aside rom the fact that the detective is an Armenian. This is one if a series of "holiday" themed mysteries --this one is for Hallowe'en. The college has had a custom of burning George III in effigy since 1776, buut this year a nasty new professor gets added.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I enjoyed reading my first Gregor Demarkian mystery. I was really surprised by the ending, its storyline was well thought out and written, the characters were realistic and could really be found on a camus at a small town college. Father Tibor was enchanting as was Bennis. I hope to get the rest of the books in this series. I would recommend this to one and all.***I received this book in exchange for an honest review***
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian is schedued to give a lecture at a small, private college in the Pennsylvania mountains on Hallween night.When the school's most eminent professor disappears and the secretary is poisoned with lye in front of a cafeteria full of students and faculty Demarkian gives a lesson in applied investigative skills as Hallween revelers party and prepare the school's traditional annual bonfire.This was quite a pleasant cozy, and I enjoyed it, though I did have a couple of problems with it.I found the author's choice of words distracting at times. I'm not referring to the dialogue.Another thing I found distracting was that although it was set in the 1990's, it seemed dated to the early 1960's in many respects, and many of the students seemed naive and childish, as did much of the way Halloween motif was done. I just can't picture female college students dressed en masse as pumpkins, or male college students in Batman costumes. The repeated mention of girls sewing costumes and making paper crepe decorations was dated and a bit distracting as well.Even with the problems I had with this book, I enjoyed it and am inclined to give the author and the series another try.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fourth in the Gregor Demarkian series about a retired FBI agent. Gregor's friend Tibor is teaching at Independent College for a semester and asks Gregor to give a talk on his FBI experiences on Halloween, and to bring Bennis with him. As they arrive, a secretary in Tibor's program falls down in the cafeteria. Gregor recognizes that she has ingested lye and starts to treat her. Meanwhile, a new, really obnoxious professor, has disappeared.Good novel, good series.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Father Tibor Kasparian has been invited to teach for a semester at a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. As Halloween approaches, he manages to secure an invitation for Gregor Demarkian to give a talk on FBI procedures for capturing serial killers. Accordingly, Demarkian, accompanied by Bennis Hannaford (naturally--who's going to keep her away?), arrives at the college which is in enthusiastic preparation for Halloween, a holiday that has been specially celebrated since time out of mind on the campus in a highly ritualized way--with blackouts, costumes, and a massive bonfire. Demarkian arrives in time to witness a horrifying and baffling attack, by lye, on an aging secretary of the program in which Tibor teaches. In addition, a highly paid, very prestigous, and universally loathed professor in that same program is missing. Add to the mix Lenore, a semi-tame raven, who is behaving most peculiarly. The climax comes fittingly on Halloween night.The fourth in the Gergor Demarkian Holiday series, Quoth the Raven is not one of Haddam's best efforts. The characters seem strained and hard to believe (even for academics), and the plot is introduced in a confusing fashion. Lenore the Raven (who turns out in reality to be Leonard) plays a part, but again, "her" role seems rather forced.Still, the Haddam sense of humor is right there and we're compensated by learning a good deal about raven behavior. A good if not spectacular read.