A Carol in the Dark

by Cathleen Jordan

Christmas week is approaching and the midwestern campus of Crosscreek University is quickly emptying. But two events disturb the holiday calm. First, Maisie Moffat. the town's grande dame, finds herself without the money she had pledged to a new library built in her father's memory. Her father's odd will has puzzled the family and the town for years, but now the need to find what was promised in the estate becomes paramount. Maisie's treasure hunt soon becomes the main topic of conversation in the community, as flyers promising a reward dot the bleak winter landscape.
Then the attractive young English professor, Tom Donahue, is found frozen to death on a lonely highway on the outskirts of town. Will Gray begins to suspect that the sudden and tragic death of his colleague might not be entirely accidental. As he looks into Donahue's life, he discovers some mysterious associations hidden deep in the other man's past. Why had native son Donahue, now a sophisticated New Yorker, come back to the Midwest? What was the "Close Company of Perfect Strangers?" And who is the bizarre Poppy Ruth, who appears on the day Tom dies?
Tragedy hits the campus again when a coed is murdered, and Will realizes that both victims were party to a secret that someone in the close-knit community wants to keep hidden. As Will looks into the facts, he finds that Maisie's treasure hunt has unearthed a wide trail of deceit and avarice.

Genres: Christmas, Mystery, Holiday

215 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Editor of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine from 1981 to 2002.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cathleen Jordan has written only one mystery, as far as I know, but it is one no fan should miss. It's bitter cold winter at Crosscreek University, and historian Will Grey discovers the body of popular visiting professor Tom Donahue. Tom's death certainly has nothing to do with Will's new task--to discover the secret behind a cryptic letter, written in 1940 by a now-dead professor, which may reveal the hiding place of a fortune. But Will is interested in Tom's attractive cousin, who is receiving flowers from New York with odd cards. And she tells Will that Tom had planned to go to New York for Christmas to attend the annual banquet of the Close Company of Perfect Strangers. Will determines to track down these Strangers, but finding them brings him no closer to Tom's murder. A fascinating plot, vivid writing, and almost too many colorful characters create a real classic.

[Lynnette Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all-time favorite murder mystery; it has a Christmas theme and I re-read it every holiday. It's how I start the Christmas season every year!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Premise is like an academic murder mystery. There are professors and goings on at a S Dakota university. It will ring true if you've spent time in academia. Not the murder so much..the tone. It's almost a cozy murder mystery. Almost. The people are interesting and she does a great job at setting. It captures the feel of a Midwest university.
Will Gray investigates when.someone murders an English professor. There's a treasure too. And clues. It's kinda like a Murder she wrote mystery. The characters are pretty intelligent. It's also.nice to read abt adults. There's also some good scholarship and sleuthing..and a mysterious group. Not the illuminati.

Highly recommend if you like that sort of thing..I taught a mystery class. One of our papers was setting. This one does a great job of it..would be a good mystery show with lite crime .maybe PBS..that crowd. I also laughed at some parts of it.

[Carol Colfer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this was about the worst mystery I've ever read! Any bearing that its title has on the story is beyond me. There were many characters, none of which was developed in such a way that I found any interest in their lives. I'm not at all sure why I finished reading it---some compulsion to finish, I guess.

[Grey853 · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Will Gray discovers the body of his ex's new boyfriend, he's drawn into investigating out what really happened to the man. There are a lot of twists and turns in this rather slowly paced whodunit. The main character is cool in the beginning, but he's clever and the author does a good job of seeding clues throughout the story. So, if you like old fashioned mysteries set in modern time, you might enjoy this one.

[Alton Motobu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Odd plotting - 1st half takes place on SD college campus where 2 people are murdered, and a hidden treasure mystery may be related. 2nd half takes place in NYC - secret organization finds treasures for profit, but someone is skimming money off the top. Prof. Will Gray unravels the mystery, but not everything is clearly explained. Fellow professor had found the treasure and murdered those in his way to claiming the whole thing for himself. Poor plotting, disjointed, and confusing.