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
- Hallowed Murder, 1989
- Vital Lies, 1991
- Stage Fright, 1992
- A Killing Cure, 1993
- A Small Sacrifice, 1994
- Faint Praise, 1995
- Robber's Wine, 1996
- Wicked Games, 1998
- Hunting the Witch, 1999
- Merchant of Venus, 2001
- Immaculate Midnight, 2002
- An Intimate Ghost, 2004
- The Iron Girl, 2005
- Night Vision, 2006
- The Mortal Groove, 2007
- Sweet Poison, 2008
- The Mirror and the Mask, 2009
- The Cruel Ever After, 2010
- Lost Women of Lost Lake, 2011
- Rest for the Wicked, 2012
- Forthcoming: Taken by the Wind, 2013
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