By Frequent Angsh: Magnif-Cn

Neil Kelly #1

by S.F.X. Dean

Professor Neil Kelly is passionate about language, passionate about his scholarly work on John Donne, passionate about teaching at his venerable New England college. But with his wife dead these several years, he’s resigned himself to the belief that his chance for more personal passions . . . has passed. He’s reckoned, however, without the vibrant, brilliant Priscilla Lacey, his prize student and the daughter of his oldest friend. Incredibly, Priscilla has fallen wildly in love with him, and with a mixture of joy and terror Kelly has begun allowing her ardor to thaw his emotional frost. When Priscilla is murdered, Kelly roars to life, abandoning his scholarly pursuits and turning his ferocious intellect to the task of tracking down her killer. “Murder is often employed as a peg on which to hang a story,” said the San Diego Union-Tribune, “but in By Frequent Anguish it becomes what it actually is: a gut-wrenching, world-shattering tragedy for all concerned, including the murderer.” The 1st Neil Kelly mystery

Genres: Mystery

320 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1981

Reviews

[Susan in NC · Rating 2 out of 5]

2-2.5 stars, which is okay on my personal scale - being a first mystery, I would revisit this likable hero, Professor Neil Kelly to see how he evolves. There are a few pet peeves that are strikes against this book.

First strike for me was a big “ick” factor- as the story opens, Kelly is finally acknowledging that he returns the professed love of his brilliant student, Priscilla Lacey. The “ick” for me was not only that he was her faculty advisor, and 30 years her senior; but also her godfather, best friends with her parents, and had even dated her mother briefly in college. Sorry, that’s creepy - granted, the book was written in 1982, and is dated, but I started college around that time and that combination of relationships didn’t work for me. Second big strike - we know whodunnit too soon, always a weak plot point for a mystery.

Anyway, as the book opens, “Pril” has been repeatedly telling Neil, a respected professor of English and a widower, that she is in love with him, and he’s finally decided he loves her back and will tell her so. Before he can, she is murdered in the college library. Her wealthy parents, Neil’s dear old friends, ask him to investigate - they think the police will do their best, but just aren’t smart enough to get this right. I thought the relationship between the three was very well done, realistic and honest; Neil realizes as much as he loves his old friends, they are basically “beautiful sharks” and belong together - I couldn’t help wondering what kind of relationship they would have developed if Pril had lived, and she and Neil married.

There are several interesting leads, and possible suspects, and some satisfying characters. It seemed a weird combination of nerdy, intellectual students and profs who would seem more at home in a novel written in the 1930s or 40s, and other very sexually active, more radical (politically and sexually) students and faculty indulging in plenty of tawdry hanky-panky, more like the free love late 1960s! Odd, like the author wasn’t quite sure what period they wanted to portray. I got bored toward the end, once it was obvious who the murderer was (a weird stretch involving a decades-old vicious practical joke).

Frankly, I lost interest and started skimming at that point - the build-up just didn’t justify the dragged out ending. Typical problem for a debut mystery, but I’d read further to see how Kelly develops - he’s a very enjoyable character.

I read this book as part of the Book For All Seasons current equinox challenge to read a book by an author that shares my initials.

[Ramzi Zaindeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t believe I kept this book for 13 years before actually completing it.

It is a simple story of a Middle aged professor who falls in love with his student/his best friend’s daughter/ Godchild. Then the love story is prematurely halted as a result of the gruesome murder of his lover in the library. The story unfolds the mystery of the murder and the frequent anguish of the professor who attempts to solve the puzzle.

[Sand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was excellent except that I knew who the murderer was far too soon. I like the protagonist, Professor Neil Kelly. His reluctance to undertake the investigation, his ability to focus on the seemingly unimportant details and tease out the implications, made for interesting reading even though I was a bit impatient for him to discover what I already knew. The literary allusions were good additions and not too deep for someone who doesn't have a PHd in English. The characters were reasonably well-defined without being terribly cardboard. The lifestyle and motivations of the tenured and the literati are sufficiently sour and bitter to spice the mix a bit. And the romance added just enough sweetness to the backstory. I'm considering getting the next in the series. I probably will.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read for me as it takes place in Western Massachusetts where I live. Really enjoyed the fact that it's based in academia which all the quirky rules and people associated with that. Would definitely read this author again. This one is first in a series.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably more like a 2.5. I understand that the love story is necessary to motivate the mystery solving, but the re was still too much of it and not enough of the text-based sleuthing I like when literary professors turn into detectives.