Book Review: Murder in Volume

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Murder in Volume     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
D. R. Meredith
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Amateur Sleuth   Cozy
Series: Megan Clark - Reading Group Mysteries # 1
Berkley, Jan 2000, $5.99, 256 pp.

Although she works as an assistant research librarian in a branch of the Amarillo Public Library, Megan Clark is a forensic anthropologist and palopathologist. There are fifty professionals in this career field across the country with little employment available. Megan looks cute in a babyish way so no one seems to take her seriously as a forensic expert. That is no one except Professor Ryan Stevens, the curator of history at the Panhandle-Plains Museum, who begins to have romantic feelings for Megan.

Megan signs both she and Ryan to attend a session of mystery reading group held at the Murder by the Yard bookstore. After some of the incidents that Megan has involved him in, Ryan figures this will be a sedate enjoyable evening. Instead, this turns into their most terrifying adventure to date when one of the attendees is murdered with Megan concluding another group member has to be the killer. However, the evidence points towards Megan, who offers herself as bait to trap the real killer.

In spite of Megan’s deep loathing for the “C” word, MURDER IN VOLUME can be summed up in one word: cute. The adorable lead protagonists do a mating dance even as they conduct a murder investigation. The secondary people seem genuine and will remind readers of friends and family. The story line is well-plotted, leading to the conclusion that this is going to be a long lasting, great new series as D.R. Meredith provides a fresh and entertaining tale.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner