An article detailing the interview subsequently appears in the Times. Concurrently, a resurgence of interest in the novel is taking place. Karen comes, despite her protests to the contrary, to be considered an expert on Mildred Deakins, the author of Oblivion Falls, who has, since 1959 , lived her life in seclusion. The Times reporter, Marty Katz, apparently caught up in the enthusiasm for the reclusive author, tracks her to a farm in New York State where she raises goats. At the farm Marty is shot and killed, and, of course, Mildred Deakins (a.k.a Mildred Finch) is arrested and charged with the murder.

Karen feels responsible for the reporter’s death. Had she not flippantly named Deakins’ novel as her pick for the book of the century, Katz would not have sought out the author. Moreover, she is not convinced Deakins killed Katz, justifying, at least to herself, her involvement in the case.

Be forewarned. You should have an interest in academics for this novel to get your attention., but if this milieu appeals, Joanne Dobson’s latest Karen Pelletier will certainly provide a few evenings entertainment. The author pokes fun at the academic war over semantics. Never use a simple word where a polysyllabic one can be substituted. Form takes precedence over substance, and prestige and status are all important commodities.

The plot is intimately tied to academic life. The usual motives of money and love are not germane here. If the characters’ beliefs reflect those of the author, prestige and stature are the primary motivators for the professorial crowd. If money were an issue, those involved would not have gravitated toward this lifestyle. However, the cast of characters is sufficiently large and opinionated to give the reader a variety of suspects from whom to choose. The added element that the fictitious novel was set in the 1950’s and seems semi autobiographical extends the range of possible suspects and motives.

Clearly, novels can educate as well as entertain, and Ms. Dobson has done just that in Cold and Pure and Very Dead. For the non-English major she provides some worthwhile definitions of literary terms important to the story and the English faculty at Enfield College. By allowing her heroine to explain to her family one more time why she finds her work satisfying, she explains the disparity in thought between academics and more industry oriented individuals.

Cold and Pure and Very Dead is the fourth in the Karen Pelletier series after The Northbury Papers, Quieter Than Sleep, and The Raven and the Nightingale. Although the series features an amateur sleuth Ms. Dobson does not fall prey to many of the usual failings of novels of this type. Coincidence does not play a significant role and the police vs. amateur sleuth relationships are well handled. The characters are not drawn in great depth, but they are sufficiently well described that they become more than mere stereotypes. A pleasant few hours of entertainment await readers in this latest outing for Karen Pelletier.

--Andy Plonka