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Dr. Fenimore #1
The Doctor Digs a Grave
Winner of the Malice Domestic St. Martin's Press Award for "Best First Traditional Mystery of 1997"As Dr. Fenimore takes a stroll in Philadelphia's "Society Hill", he observes a teenager trying to bury a sack. When a guard chases the youth out of the park, Fenimore gets involved. "What's in the sack?" he asks.
"My cat", the youth says unhappily. "A car got him".
Fenimore leads the teenager to a burial ground set aside years ago by William Penn for the use of the Lenni Lenape Indians. But, while preparing the grave for the cat, the doctor discovers that the space is already occupied...by a young woman who has not been buried long, or in the usual way. She is sitting upright, facing East.
Investigating this mystery, Fenimore travels from rural South Jersey to the affluent Main Line suburbs and acquires the help of a cast of eccentric friends -- the teenager, an outspoken nurse, a cooperative policeman, an erudite bookseller and his blase cat Sal. In the end, however, it is the doctor's medical knowledge that provides the unique solution.
"My cat", the youth says unhappily. "A car got him".
Fenimore leads the teenager to a burial ground set aside years ago by William Penn for the use of the Lenni Lenape Indians. But, while preparing the grave for the cat, the doctor discovers that the space is already occupied...by a young woman who has not been buried long, or in the usual way. She is sitting upright, facing East.
Investigating this mystery, Fenimore travels from rural South Jersey to the affluent Main Line suburbs and acquires the help of a cast of eccentric friends -- the teenager, an outspoken nurse, a cooperative policeman, an erudite bookseller and his blase cat Sal. In the end, however, it is the doctor's medical knowledge that provides the unique solution.
259 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
13 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Robin Hathaway
11 books9 followersRobin graduated from Germantown Friends School and Smith College (BA/English). While her two daughters were young she owned and operated a printing/advertising firm Barnhouse Press from her home (there was a printing press in the barn and one in the house) and did freelance writing and photography. One daughter claims she was lulled to sleep by the methodical beat of a printing press in the kitchen and a close friend claimed she once found ink in her mashed potatoes!
But Robin had always wanted to write, and on her 50th birthday her husband told her, "It's now or never." So she began. She wrote three mystery novels in three years featuring Dr. Andrew Fenimore, an old-fashioned cardiologist who still made house calls. Robin's amateur sleuth was patterned after her husband, who just happened to also be a cardiologist.
When Robin isn't writing, she does free lance editing, teaches mystery writing, and lectures on the mystery novel at schools, libraries, and other institutions. Her short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Arthur Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and Death Knell.
Robin divides her time between Philadelphia and New York City.
But Robin had always wanted to write, and on her 50th birthday her husband told her, "It's now or never." So she began. She wrote three mystery novels in three years featuring Dr. Andrew Fenimore, an old-fashioned cardiologist who still made house calls. Robin's amateur sleuth was patterned after her husband, who just happened to also be a cardiologist.
When Robin isn't writing, she does free lance editing, teaches mystery writing, and lectures on the mystery novel at schools, libraries, and other institutions. Her short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Arthur Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and Death Knell.
Robin divides her time between Philadelphia and New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
February 6, 2015
Looking for a short, light detective story that is relaxing to read? Maybe the Dr. Fenimore series will be your cup of tea.
This series is just my style-- a mystery that is not too gory! I loved getting to know Dr. Andrew Fenimore, our cardiologist-detective, and his stable cast of characters Doyle, Horatio, Jennifer, Rafferty and Sal!
I like books that start off with a bang. Not bang as in the sound of a gun, but as in right away the author captures me as a reader. And that is what author Robin Hathaway accomplishes. Then it's not long before our Philadelphia detective/doctor digs up trouble; he is just trying to help bury a cat --already dead, of course.
Readers be ready to encounter Lenape Native American characters and traditions, complex family dynamics in a socially exclusive family, botanical clues, entertaining "office politics," and hospital scenes.
I read the series books #1 and #4 back to back, and I personally preferred #4 THE DOCTOR DINES IN PRAGUE, set mostly in Czechoslovakia.
Both books contained visually rich scenes making it easy for me to imagine the Fenimore books inspiring an appealing television/ film detective series.
I enjoy watching detective shows/ mysteries --and these days it's just not easy finding ones that are not too edgy for my more Miss Marple style tastes, meaning I prefer that if there is violence that the violence be off screen as much as possible.
I think Dr. Fenimore and the gang have real potential in that regard -- though I have no illusions that I have any influence with Hollywood or PBS mystery folks. So if YOU do, feel free to quote me !!!
This series is just my style-- a mystery that is not too gory! I loved getting to know Dr. Andrew Fenimore, our cardiologist-detective, and his stable cast of characters Doyle, Horatio, Jennifer, Rafferty and Sal!
I like books that start off with a bang. Not bang as in the sound of a gun, but as in right away the author captures me as a reader. And that is what author Robin Hathaway accomplishes. Then it's not long before our Philadelphia detective/doctor digs up trouble; he is just trying to help bury a cat --already dead, of course.
Readers be ready to encounter Lenape Native American characters and traditions, complex family dynamics in a socially exclusive family, botanical clues, entertaining "office politics," and hospital scenes.
I read the series books #1 and #4 back to back, and I personally preferred #4 THE DOCTOR DINES IN PRAGUE, set mostly in Czechoslovakia.
Both books contained visually rich scenes making it easy for me to imagine the Fenimore books inspiring an appealing television/ film detective series.
I enjoy watching detective shows/ mysteries --and these days it's just not easy finding ones that are not too edgy for my more Miss Marple style tastes, meaning I prefer that if there is violence that the violence be off screen as much as possible.
I think Dr. Fenimore and the gang have real potential in that regard -- though I have no illusions that I have any influence with Hollywood or PBS mystery folks. So if YOU do, feel free to quote me !!!
November 14, 2025
The Doctor Digs a Grave by Robin Hathaway (Dr. Fenimore #1) is my first exposure to this mystery series set in Philadelphia. Dr. Andrew Fenimore is a cardiologist working out Philadelphia. He doesn't like the hospital politics but still works out of his local hospital so he can access his hospitalized patients. He also runs a one-man practice out of his house with one assistant, Mrs. Doyle. Besides that the only other resident in the home is Sal, his cat, who will soon have some little kittens.
To supplement his income, Fenimore also works as a private detective, helping out (or getting in the way of) his friend, Detective Inspector Haggarty.
This story starts with a body being dropped off in a dark alley and buried there. There is a delay as the driver doesn't want to finish the job until it's dark enough. MEANWHILE.... Dr. Andrew Fenimore is taking a break from his hospital work and getting some fresh air. He sees a young man carrying a sack, looking through the hedges nearby. Interested, Fenimore follows the young man and discovers that the boy is trying to find a spot to bury his dead cat. It turns out that the alleyway previously mentioned is designated as Native American land, specifically the Lenape Indians and is purportedly also a burial ground. Fenimore and boy bury the cat there and see the parked truck. When Fenimore goes back later, the truck is gone and he sees that the earth has been disturbed where it was parked. Finding a shovel, he digs and discovers a body and then is hit across the back of the head with the self-same shovel.
And so it all begins. The body is that of a young Lenape Indian woman, with a history of heart problems. She was to be married shortly to a young man, heir to one of the rich Philadelphia families. And this begins an investigation, basically conducted by Fenimore, with help from his police friends and his assistant Mrs. Doyle and his new assistant, the young man he met earlier, named Horatio ('Rat').
It's an interesting story, filled with different people. We learn more about natural poisons. We learn about the Lenape Indian's culture and history. We meet Sweet Grass's brother, Roaring Wings, now living on reserve land in New Jersey, and a possible suspect. We meet the Hardwick family (Son Ted was to have married Sweet Grass). It's a neat little mystery that moves along nicely and has a satisfactory ending. I'd class it as a cozy mystery and am looking forward to reading #2, which awaits my attention. (3.0 stars)
To supplement his income, Fenimore also works as a private detective, helping out (or getting in the way of) his friend, Detective Inspector Haggarty.
This story starts with a body being dropped off in a dark alley and buried there. There is a delay as the driver doesn't want to finish the job until it's dark enough. MEANWHILE.... Dr. Andrew Fenimore is taking a break from his hospital work and getting some fresh air. He sees a young man carrying a sack, looking through the hedges nearby. Interested, Fenimore follows the young man and discovers that the boy is trying to find a spot to bury his dead cat. It turns out that the alleyway previously mentioned is designated as Native American land, specifically the Lenape Indians and is purportedly also a burial ground. Fenimore and boy bury the cat there and see the parked truck. When Fenimore goes back later, the truck is gone and he sees that the earth has been disturbed where it was parked. Finding a shovel, he digs and discovers a body and then is hit across the back of the head with the self-same shovel.
And so it all begins. The body is that of a young Lenape Indian woman, with a history of heart problems. She was to be married shortly to a young man, heir to one of the rich Philadelphia families. And this begins an investigation, basically conducted by Fenimore, with help from his police friends and his assistant Mrs. Doyle and his new assistant, the young man he met earlier, named Horatio ('Rat').
It's an interesting story, filled with different people. We learn more about natural poisons. We learn about the Lenape Indian's culture and history. We meet Sweet Grass's brother, Roaring Wings, now living on reserve land in New Jersey, and a possible suspect. We meet the Hardwick family (Son Ted was to have married Sweet Grass). It's a neat little mystery that moves along nicely and has a satisfactory ending. I'd class it as a cozy mystery and am looking forward to reading #2, which awaits my attention. (3.0 stars)
January 30, 2016
Decent mystery, in which I couldn't guess the murderer, but rounding down from a 3 to 2.5 because:
Horatio talks like no 14-year-old I ever met in 1998. And I met a lot of them, because I was the exact same age. I doubt slang was that different in Philadelphia, where the book is set, and cincinnati, where I lived. He's all over the place, sounding sometimes like it's the 1970s all the way back to the office boy in PG Wodehouse's Psmith, Journalist, published around 1915. He calls a woman a dame at one point, and uses the word "cop" to mean "steal" at another.
We find out who the paid grave digger is, but not the two thugs who are sent to beat up Fenimore and tell him to "lay off the Lenape." They should be fsirly easy to trace, too: check hospital records for a guy who came in with a cat scratch to the eyeball.
Horatio talks like no 14-year-old I ever met in 1998. And I met a lot of them, because I was the exact same age. I doubt slang was that different in Philadelphia, where the book is set, and cincinnati, where I lived. He's all over the place, sounding sometimes like it's the 1970s all the way back to the office boy in PG Wodehouse's Psmith, Journalist, published around 1915. He calls a woman a dame at one point, and uses the word "cop" to mean "steal" at another.
We find out who the paid grave digger is, but not the two thugs who are sent to beat up Fenimore and tell him to "lay off the Lenape." They should be fsirly easy to trace, too: check hospital records for a guy who came in with a cat scratch to the eyeball.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2018
This has the dry, academic atmosphere of one of those old BBC procedurals you’d watch on Netflix while getting over the flu. And much like those selfsame procedurals, it has some kind of strange ideas about women and race that are easy to gloss over in a one-hour tv episode, and less so in a book.
February 21, 2017
More a 3 1/2 than a 3. Published in 1998 but seems set in an older time. Even if the protagonist is old-fashioned the other characters would have used up-to-date electronics.
October 23, 2022
I got this book for Christmas 1999, and I read it right away. I reread it in January 2013, On neither occasion did I give it a rating nor write a review (or at least my impressions). Now, 9 years later, I have read it again. And I wonder why I haven't pursued other books in this series. I certainly enjoyed this one.
Maybe I brought more to it this time. Not only did I just finish reading A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths where bones collected in Australia a lifetime ago are at last returned to their aboriginal ancestors, but I have been involved a lot during this and the past several years reading and learning about the rights of Indigenous people in North America and their struggle for proper treatment and recognition. So to find a plot involving a woman whose heritage is Leni Lenape and the bigotry that caused her death, meant more to me this time than before I knew anything about this human rights issue.
I also liked the well-drawn characters, and I look forward to learning more bout Fennimore, Doyle, Horatio, Rafferty, and even the cat, Sal.
Maybe I brought more to it this time. Not only did I just finish reading A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths where bones collected in Australia a lifetime ago are at last returned to their aboriginal ancestors, but I have been involved a lot during this and the past several years reading and learning about the rights of Indigenous people in North America and their struggle for proper treatment and recognition. So to find a plot involving a woman whose heritage is Leni Lenape and the bigotry that caused her death, meant more to me this time than before I knew anything about this human rights issue.
I also liked the well-drawn characters, and I look forward to learning more bout Fennimore, Doyle, Horatio, Rafferty, and even the cat, Sal.
August 9, 2019
This was the first in the series (her debut). I didn’t like it as well as the others. Obviously an homage to her cardiologist husband, there was way too much medical jargon and detail. Same with the Lanapes and poison plants. It seemed like she was trying to include everything she knew about all three subjects.
I will continue with the rest of the books because I like the characters, Doctor, Doyle and Horatio.
I will continue with the rest of the books because I like the characters, Doctor, Doyle and Horatio.
May 1, 2018
A really fun read!
June 24, 2018
Like anything Joss Whedon has ever said this book did not age well.
August 4, 2018
Lightweight, fun read.
January 5, 2019
This was very good and I enjoyed the medical component. It is making me think about what is in my garden. Danger lurks there.
August 26, 2019
Light murder mystery. Enjoyable read.
September 20, 2020
A light-hearted ( if you can classify murder that way) mystery that's a little hokey and a little formulaic but entertaining over all. A welcome distraction from heavy thrillers.
January 26, 2022
A little dated. Could have been a bit more character development
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September 20, 2022Mild, amateur.
January 31, 2016
#1 in the Dr. Fenimore series. "1997 Agatha Award for Best First Novel; Finalist 1999 Barry Award for Best First Novel; Finalist 1998 Macavity Award for Best First Novel".
Philadelphia doctor Andrew Fenimore series - When cardiologist Dr. Andrew Fenimore isn't mending weak hearts, he's solving crimes in Philadelphia's wealthy Society Hill. But murder is the last thing the good doctor expects when he befriends a teenage boy trying to bury his dead cat. As the two dig a grave for the cat's final resting place in a vacant lot-- which happens to be an ancient burial ground-- they discover a fresh corpse, buried feet flexed, facing east, according to Lenape Indian tradition. Fenimore's P.I. pastime starts to become a health hazard as he and his young sidekick follow the trail of the deceased young woman straight to the son of a colleague, one of Philadelphia's most prominent surgeons.
Philadelphia doctor Andrew Fenimore series - When cardiologist Dr. Andrew Fenimore isn't mending weak hearts, he's solving crimes in Philadelphia's wealthy Society Hill. But murder is the last thing the good doctor expects when he befriends a teenage boy trying to bury his dead cat. As the two dig a grave for the cat's final resting place in a vacant lot-- which happens to be an ancient burial ground-- they discover a fresh corpse, buried feet flexed, facing east, according to Lenape Indian tradition. Fenimore's P.I. pastime starts to become a health hazard as he and his young sidekick follow the trail of the deceased young woman straight to the son of a colleague, one of Philadelphia's most prominent surgeons.
April 14, 2014
In the Doctor Digs the Grave by Robin Hathaway, this traditional mystery had a helluva twist. We're introduced to Dr. Andrew Fenimore, a doctor and sometimes PI, when he's not with patients. It all started with Fenimore and Horatio, a young boy who wanted to bury his cat. But what they discovered on ancient Native American Indian burial ground, they found the body of a barely dead young woman. From there, they investigate the murder and find out all about her, including her medical history and her relations with her fiance's family. There's plenty shocking twisty turns in this mystery, as Fenimore gets closer to the truth and his life's on the line. As he narrowed the field to a culprit, he didn't see it coming, before it's too late. Right under the nose, he uncovered how the murder was done and who did it and why. A lovely mystery set in Philadelphia and parts of New Jersey.
April 5, 2014
This was a delightful book. I found two of the later books in a library book sale and put them on my very full to-read shelf, and then randomly and completely separately picked book one off the library shelf to borrow.
This is a great mystery. I loved the doctor, his knowledge, his morals, his approach to people from all backgrounds and walks in life. I really love Horatio - what a cool boy! Was expecting more from Mrs Doyle, the secretary/nurse/sidekick and then suddenly wasn't disappointed at all although I hope to see more of her in her next book!
A fun tale with some nice twists and complexities.
I am very sad to learn that this author has died but am grateful that she wrote some magnificent novels so her imagination and spirit live on.
This is a great mystery. I loved the doctor, his knowledge, his morals, his approach to people from all backgrounds and walks in life. I really love Horatio - what a cool boy! Was expecting more from Mrs Doyle, the secretary/nurse/sidekick and then suddenly wasn't disappointed at all although I hope to see more of her in her next book!
A fun tale with some nice twists and complexities.
I am very sad to learn that this author has died but am grateful that she wrote some magnificent novels so her imagination and spirit live on.
April 13, 2014
I found little to object to in this rather light mystery. The main character, Andrew Fennimore, is a cardiologist in private practice. His resistance to joining a large group practice seems to have left him with very little practice indeed, since he has ample time for his sideline which is private investigation. Doctor Fennimore is a likable character with a strong moral grounding, a loyal nurse, a patient girlfriend, and in this book, a young African American friend who latches onto him after an act of kindness. Add in a plot that involves the Lenni Lenape tribe of Native Americans, and there is much to maintain a reader's interest.
March 5, 2013
Okay, another of those "why did it take me so long to start this series?" books. Unfortunately it took the death of Robin Hathaway to get me moving.
Dr. Andrew Fenimore is a surgeon who spends his free time as a private eye. When he stumbles across a dead body while helping a young man bury a cat he gets involved with the investigation of the girls death.
There are plenty of twists and turns making a satisfying mystery. I can't wait to read more in the series.
Dr. Andrew Fenimore is a surgeon who spends his free time as a private eye. When he stumbles across a dead body while helping a young man bury a cat he gets involved with the investigation of the girls death.
There are plenty of twists and turns making a satisfying mystery. I can't wait to read more in the series.
June 13, 2013
I read this book because it was a book club suggestion. I enjoyed the book's Philadelphia setting since I'm new to the city. It's not the most enthralling mystery and I didn't have trouble putting it down at night (that's my typical measure for a mystery). Overall it's a quick read and it's mildly entertaining. If you are looking for something more compelling or that's a page turner then this book is not for you.
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September 1, 2014I am still plugging away at a molassas slow level at reading all the Agathas. This won the 1998 Agatha for best first novel. Here's a quote from the back which is interesting: "At first glance, Dr. Andrew Fenimore could come straight from an Agatha Christie novel. It's only upon observation that reader understands that Robin Hathaway uses the bounds of a traditional mystery to bring to light social and cultural problems.
June 16, 2014
I really enjoyed reading this one. I had the large print version which was kind on my eyes and I read it in just over a day - two sittings. The information gleaned from it about Native Americans was really interesting and it was fun working out how the murder was done. Sadly my Library did not have another Robin Hathaway title on the large print shelves today but I will keep looking.
November 29, 2012
I was happy to discover this series about a Philadelphia doctor who practices old school medicine while solving crimes as a sideline. The whole cast of characters is intriguing, the mystery complicated and the local history fascinating.
February 28, 2013
I've had this book for a number of years and just got around to reading it. Admirable for a cozy, in my opinion, as it doesn't rely heavily on coincidence and serendipity. Plus there are some interesting medical facts sprinkled throughout.
January 26, 2009
A cozy mystery starring Andrew Fenimore MD - cardiologist and part-time private investigator. Light, fun reading. A few itmes didn't ring true, but I'll keep reading the series.
July 13, 2012
I enjoyed this cozy mystery. I like Doctor and the supporting characters gave me insight into his personality. There interactions with him help to build the plot and the setting for this story.
March 7, 2013
This book helped me go to sleep at night because it went so slowly.I think this book is more for older teens how love to be confused.
September 10, 2014
This was Robin Hathaway's first book. I LOVED IT! She started writing late in life and I wish she were still here to write more. She died in 2013. I give it 5 stars!!!
December 1, 2014
Loved this book and want to read the rest of the series!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews