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Joanne Kilbourn Is At It Again!
© Paula E. Kirman
Dec 1, 2000
The genre of mystery is much maligned. Often lumped into the same category as pulp fiction, commercial slasher horror, and mass-produced romance, mystery is viewed as literature for the unliterary; the common folks who buy used paperbacks by the boxfull at the local second hand bookstore -- you know, the one with the wall of crumpled peeler magazines for sale.
I would argue that those who read popular fiction probably bury their heads in books more often than anyone else, save perhaps for students. And as for the popularity of the mystery, it is difficult not to get off on the building suspense and final "ah-hah!" of discovering who the culprit really is.
Gail Bowen has become a master of literary mysteries. These are books that even if you are a discriminating reader (or, literary snob as I like to call them), you don't have to be ashamed if you are caught red-handed with one of her books. Bowen's Joanne Kilbourn series has made her a household name with Canadian mystery lovers.
Burying Ariel (M&S; hardcover; 254 pp.; $32.99) marks Joanne Kilbourn's seventh novel. The novel begins with Joanne planning a weekend off to relax and enjoy her family. This is not to be, as one of Joanne's colleagues at the university where she teaches is found stabbed to death in the library.
What ensues is a compelling "who did it?," complete with two seemingly obvious perpetrators: Ariel's lover, Charlie Dowhanuik who almost implicated himself on the radio talkshow he hosts; and Kevin Coyle, a professor that has been accused of sexual harassment.
However, the plot takes a spin when the feminists get involved on the Regina campus where much of the novel is set. A vigil intended to celebrate Ariel's life turns into a protest against violence towards women. As anger penetrates the event, many of the women claim they know exactly what happened, and promise vengeance.
Burying Ariel, with so many surprises and an endearing main character, who deals with her own family issues as she goes about solving her cases, is the perfect mystery novel for someone who would otherwise eschew the genre. And long-time fans will not be disappointed.
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