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Norman de Ratour #3
The Counterfeit Murder in the Museum of Man
When Norman de Ratour discovers the body of Heinrich von Grümh in a car outside his beloved Museum of Man, he knows he faces a sticky public relations mess. What he doesn’t know is that the gun used to kill the honorary curator is his own Smith & Wesson revolver. Implicated, publicly embarrassed, his life’s work in danger, Norman becomes the prime per- son on a list of unusual suspects.
Along the way, he both lives with and is aided by Alphus, former denizen of the Primate Pavilion and a creature who has an intellect to be reckoned with as well as a low, finely articulated opinion of the human species. As Norman endeavors to find the villain and clear his name, he learns that more than coins gets counterfeited — that people, from the ravishing merry widow Merissa Bonne to the dour Feidhlimidh de Buitliér, are not always what they purport to be.
Replete with institutional spoofery, a plot hedged like a garden maze, and a literate style that treats the English language like the verbal funhouse it is, this third in the Norman de Ratour murder mysteries series sustains the genre invented by Poe while twisting and bending it into new forms.
Along the way, he both lives with and is aided by Alphus, former denizen of the Primate Pavilion and a creature who has an intellect to be reckoned with as well as a low, finely articulated opinion of the human species. As Norman endeavors to find the villain and clear his name, he learns that more than coins gets counterfeited — that people, from the ravishing merry widow Merissa Bonne to the dour Feidhlimidh de Buitliér, are not always what they purport to be.
Replete with institutional spoofery, a plot hedged like a garden maze, and a literate style that treats the English language like the verbal funhouse it is, this third in the Norman de Ratour murder mysteries series sustains the genre invented by Poe while twisting and bending it into new forms.
327 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
3 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Alfred Alcorn
18 books1 followerAlfred Alcorn is the author of the second Norman de Ratour Mystery, The Love Potion Murders in the Museum of Man, and former director of travel at Harvard University's Museum of Natural History. He lives in Belmont, Masschusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 4, 2023
The words are great! I enjoyed the satire and humor about society in general. The chimpanzee was an interesting addition. I may go back and read books #1 and 2 of the series.
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September 21, 2012 From Publishers Weekly
At the start of Alcorn's uneven third Norman de Ratour mystery (after 2009's TheLove Potion Murders in the Museum of Man), Norman, the Museum of Man's director and the book's bloviating narrator, discovers a murdered man in a parked car near the museum, located in the New England town of Seaboard. Unfortunately, the victim is honorary numismatics curator Heinrich Heinie von Grümh, a wealthy MOM contributor. Worse, Heinie turns out to have been shot with Norman's revolver, making him a prime suspect. Meanwhile, Norman must find a new home for a highly articulate chimp, fend off neighboring Wainscott University's efforts to take over the MOM, and look into whether the antique coins Heinie gave the museum are fakes. Alcorn's barbed darts at academia and the rarified world of top-notch museums amuse, but humor alone isn't enough to redeem a rambling tale of wavering morals populated by mostly unattractive characters. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
"Before one can do justice to Alfred Alcorn's third Norman de Ratour mystery novel, it helps to haul out such adjectives as smart, sharp, fresh, sly, wise, original , and wildly funny. Alcorn can keep a story moving with the swiftness of a dirty look and the brilliance of a fine satire. Set in a mythical academic institution (read Harvard) lucky readers of this novel will meet and get to know characters they won't soon forget--especially Alphus , the most memorable of contemporary philosophers."
— Anne Bernays
Praise for Murder in the Museum of Man and The Love Potion Murders in the Museum of Man:
“The Marx Brothers would be very welcome at this quirky institution. . . . A stylish, fiendish detective story.” — _The New York Times Book Review
_
“An adroit, hilarious send-up.” —The New Yorker
“Readers will be choked with laughter.” — The Boston Sunday Herald
“Delicious details on every page.” —_ The Chicago Tribune_
“Sly and spicy from start to finish . . . a just-right balance of innocence, subtle malevolence and cheeky irony.” — Publishers Weekly
January 24, 2015
From Publishers Weekly
At the start of Alcorn's uneven third Norman de Ratour mystery (after 2009's TheLove Potion Murders in the Museum of Man), Norman, the Museum of Man's director and the book's bloviating narrator, discovers a murdered man in a parked car near the museum, located in the New England town of Seaboard. Unfortunately, the victim is honorary numismatics curator Heinrich Heinie von Grümh, a wealthy MOM contributor. Worse, Heinie turns out to have been shot with Norman's revolver, making him a prime suspect. Meanwhile, Norman must find a new home for a highly articulate chimp, fend off neighboring Wainscott University's efforts to take over the MOM, and look into whether the antique coins Heinie gave the museum are fakes. Alcorn's barbed darts at academia and the rarified world of top-notch museums amuse, but humor alone isn't enough to redeem a rambling tale of wavering morals populated by mostly unattractive characters. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
"Before one can do justice to Alfred Alcorn's third Norman de Ratour mystery novel, it helps to haul out such adjectives as smart, sharp, fresh, sly, wise, original , and wildly funny. Alcorn can keep a story moving with the swiftness of a dirty look and the brilliance of a fine satire. Set in a mythical academic institution (read Harvard) lucky readers of this novel will meet and get to know characters they won't soon forget--especially Alphus , the most memorable of contemporary philosophers."
— Anne Bernays
Praise for Murder in the Museum of Man and The Love Potion Murders in the Museum of Man:
“The Marx Brothers would be very welcome at this quirky institution. . . . A stylish, fiendish detective story.” — _The New York Times Book Review
_
“An adroit, hilarious send-up.” —The New Yorker
“Readers will be choked with laughter.” — The Boston Sunday Herald
“Delicious details on every page.” —_ The Chicago Tribune_
“Sly and spicy from start to finish . . . a just-right balance of innocence, subtle malevolence and cheeky irony.” — Publishers Weekly
June 11, 2011
The Counterfeit Murder in the Museum of Man is Alcorn's third entry in the "Museum of Man" series. While containing individual clever bits, esp. the chimpanzee Alphus' ruminations on the nature of humanness and other philosophical issues, the book as a whole isn't as clever or complex as its two predecessors. Or perhaps I was just missing Corny Chard's inane input? Either way, it's always nice to check in with Norman and see the latest on dreadful Wainscott University's latest attempts to take over the Museum.
I do imagine that what bothered me most about this entry is Norman's ... shall we say... lax approach to museum ethics and professional standards (e.g., the apparent lack of an actual Scope of Collections, acquisitions policy, standards for authenticating materials, and policies that would prohibit curators and others from "self-dealing"). Despite those apparent shortcomings (and who knows, possibly those are part of what makes Norman almost relatable), the series continues to be a great romp through academia, so-called high culture, and the museum world. I just hope that in future Norman may at some point be surrounded by museum staff and colleages who are as competent as the museum's attorney--who totally saves the day in this outing.
I don't know what other readers think on this subject, but I find Norman's second wife, Diantha, utterly unsympathetic (i.e., on a par with Bella in the Twilight Series). Sure, she's a foil for Norman's pedantism, but she's also intensely self-absorbed and puts Norman in not only untenable situations but is hurtful, unfaithful, and oblivious to the fact that she very nearly costs him the thing he loves most. And at some point before long I sincerely hope that Nomran's signing (as in ASL) toddler, Elsie, will meet up with Alphus--as that will truly be a fascinating meeting of the primate minds. Alas, that is doubtless several books down the line. Either way, keep writing Mr. Alcorn, as this remains among the most amusing send-ups of academia and museology that I've encountered in some time.
I do imagine that what bothered me most about this entry is Norman's ... shall we say... lax approach to museum ethics and professional standards (e.g., the apparent lack of an actual Scope of Collections, acquisitions policy, standards for authenticating materials, and policies that would prohibit curators and others from "self-dealing"). Despite those apparent shortcomings (and who knows, possibly those are part of what makes Norman almost relatable), the series continues to be a great romp through academia, so-called high culture, and the museum world. I just hope that in future Norman may at some point be surrounded by museum staff and colleages who are as competent as the museum's attorney--who totally saves the day in this outing.
I don't know what other readers think on this subject, but I find Norman's second wife, Diantha, utterly unsympathetic (i.e., on a par with Bella in the Twilight Series). Sure, she's a foil for Norman's pedantism, but she's also intensely self-absorbed and puts Norman in not only untenable situations but is hurtful, unfaithful, and oblivious to the fact that she very nearly costs him the thing he loves most. And at some point before long I sincerely hope that Nomran's signing (as in ASL) toddler, Elsie, will meet up with Alphus--as that will truly be a fascinating meeting of the primate minds. Alas, that is doubtless several books down the line. Either way, keep writing Mr. Alcorn, as this remains among the most amusing send-ups of academia and museology that I've encountered in some time.
April 25, 2014
It was an interesting book. This is the first book by this author I have read. I'm not a huge fan of the main character, I did not relate to him very well. I do work in a museum and that was the part that interested me the most.
I'm not sure what the side story of the chimpanzee really had to do with anything. He went on about some interesting philosophical ideas, but I'm not a big fan of random side stories.
I'm not sure what the side story of the chimpanzee really had to do with anything. He went on about some interesting philosophical ideas, but I'm not a big fan of random side stories.
May 10, 2015
Beautifully written, entertaining, edifying and funny. What more can you ask ? This appears to be the last volume of the Museum of Man series. I hope I'm wrong. In any case I'm going to read some of Alfred Alcorns other books to see what they are like.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews