Hallowed Murder by Ellen Hart

Hallowed Murder by Ellen Hart

The Seal Press, 1989

Overview: On an early morning walk, Jane Lawless finds a body floating in a lake. Worse, she recognizes the body; it is Allison, one of the members of the Kappa Alpha Sigma sorority where Jane is an alumna advisor. When the police find out that Allison was a lesbian, they quickly rule the death a suicide, but Jane suspects otherwise. Soon, other members of the sorority come forward with their own tales of disturbing happenings around the house and Jane, with the help of her very theatrical friend Cordelia, knows she must get to the bottom of the mystery before anyone else gets hurt.

My Reaction: Whew!  This one is exciting and a little crazy. Suspects abound, and I kept guessing until the end who might have committed the murder. Overall, it was a well done mystery, told from multiple perspectives, and held together by the sensible, late-thirty-something Jane (a lesbian herself and owner of the most cozy and delicious-sounding restaurant ever, which I wish was real).

A warning to those who are sensitive to rabid homophobia, even from unlikable characters: I found some of the homophobic religious perspectives aired in the book a little off-putting, even if they are clearly realistic and whole-heartedly discredited. Jane is positive about being a lesbian, but she’s in the closet, especially around the other alumnae of her former sorority. Also, while I enjoyed the story, it definitely felt dated (it was written over 20 years ago), both in the ways characters talk about queer folks and in the social structure of the sorority itself (do sororities still have house mothers?).

I give this one a decent, but I think Hart’s series has a lot of potential. There must be a reason why my local library bought three copies of the newest Jane Lawless book, published last year, and that all three are checked out!

Jane Lawless Series

1. Hallowed Murder, 1989
2. Vital Lies, 1991
3. Stage Fright, 1992
4. A Killing Cure, 1993
5. A Small Sacrifice, 1994
6. Faint Praise, 1995
7. Robber's Wine, 1996
8. Wicked Games, 1998
9. Hunting the Witch, 1999
10. Merchant of Venus, 2001
11. Immaculate Midnight, 2002
12. An Intimate Ghost, 2004
13. The Iron Girl, 2005
14. Night Vision, 2006
15. The Mortal Groove, 2007
16. Sweet Poison, 2008
17. The Mirror and the Mask, 2009
18. The Cruel Ever After, 2010
19. Lost Women of Lost Lake, 2011
20. Rest for the Wicked, 2012
21. Forthcoming: Taken by the Wind, 2013