Simon Said Paperback – Import, 15 April 2011

This is a traditional mystery story set in 1996, where Simon Shaw is a Professor in forensic history at a college in Raleigh, North Carolina. His life is on a downward spiral having recently split up with his wife. He is suffering with depression which he is at pains to keep under wraps but his lack of interest in academic life has been noted by his colleagues and questions are being asked in some quarters about his abilities. Then a body is found on an archaeological dig at Bloodworth House by his friend David Morgan and it looks like he has a chance to use his skills to help him out. It doesn’t take long to realise that whilst the body is old, it isn’t all that old and Simon becomes obsessed with finding out more.With the date of the body still under consideration the Police are called to the site but are unwilling to carry out too much in way of an investigation considering the perpetrator is most likely dead. It is at this point we meet Julia, a lawyer with the police whose job it is to consider the legal aspects of how to file the crime. After all it doesn’t take much by way of an examination to realise that it is a crime, the skeleton has a bullet hole through their skull and they had been hidden below the floor of the kitchen at Bloodworth House.Simon soon becomes convinced that the bones belong to Anne Bloodworth who went missing in 1926 and was never seen again although there were rumours she’d run away because of a falling out with her father. Simon soon moves from a point of interest to obsession banishing the worst of his depression in research and Julia.This was a competent mystery story that held my attention for the duration. The plotting was solid and the historical aspect very well presented although perhaps the contrast between life in the 1920s and 1990s would have been more distinct had Simon not been a bit fussy and pernickety for a man who is reportedly only in his 30s, but maybe that’s what being a Professor at such a young age does to you? The book did however underline that the life of heiress Anne Bloodworth, was maybe not all it was cracked up to be. The book came into its own when it became clear that someone wanted to halt any investigation into her life and Julia became far more involved with the case and her character was a really good addition to the book as her role is one not usually seen in this type of crime fiction novel.The academic setting also made a pleasant change, we had academic in-fighting and jostling for position as a backdrop, I especially enjoyed the meetings which while differing in subject matter could mirror the petty concerns of work colleagues the world over, these adding shade to the storytelling.While the dénouement wasn’t especially inventive, it was fitting which to me is far more important anyway. I did guess some, but not all the mysteries, I was better on the who than the why. Given that the first book in the series is possibly the weakest in that a wide range of characters have to be given backstories I thought that Simon Said was a proficient and interesting opener.

I first read this book many years ago and was delighted to find it available on kindle. This is the first of a cozy series, set in North Carolina, and featuring Professor Simon Shaw.When we first meet Simon, he has been teaching at Kenan College, a small private college in the South, for six years. His wife has recently left him and he is struggling and depressed. So, when a mystery occurs on his doorstep, it becomes an intellectual challenge which he becomes very involved in. Kenan College was built on the original grounds of the historic Bloodworth House, which was donated to the college and about which Simon wrote a history. When the archeologist Dr David Morgan, a friend of Simon's, finds a body he suggests the police talk to Simon about it. Sergeant Otis Gates of the Raleigh Police Department knows the body has lain there for fifty years or more, but the fact it has a bullet hole in the back of the head means it was a homicide and has to be investigated.There is no murder associated with the history of Bloodworth House, but, in 1926, the young Anne Haworth Bloodworth did disappear and Simon is convinced it is her that Dr Morgan has found. Along with Gates and Julia McGlouchlan, the police legal adviser, Simon sets out to discover the identity of the body and who killed her.This is a great read and it was the 1996 St. Martin's Press/Malice Domestic Contest winner for Best First traditional mystery when it was first released. Simon is an engaging and pleasant character. The story has academic infighting, departmental politics, a love interest and an age old mystery which suddenly becomes dangerous. The only slight problem was that the kindle version did have a small amount of typos and some formatting issues, with lines running into each other. Not enough to spoil the book for me, but noticable and easily rectified, I would have thought. I had forgotten how good it was and will certainly want to re-read the series now. Very enjoyable and well written mystery.

This is one for the fan of the "cosy" mystery. This undemanding mystery novel is set in a Southern American college where an academic becomes involved in an older and a more recent mystery.Simon Shaw is an engaging hero in that he is depressed, clever, awkward around women and totally focused on working out what is going on. Most of the other characters are well enough depicted with an entertaining romantic episode between the professor and the police lawyer.This book is written in a light and easy to read style. The solution to the mysteries is obvious from early on in the story but the developing story is engaging enough. Nothing profound or complex, just entertaining reading.

I found this book enjoyable with idiosyncratic characters that were interesting to get to know, like other reviewers I did think that the formatting on the kindle was not as good as it could be but it didn't spoil the enjoyment too much. I also found the mystery predictable, guessing one strand of the mystery halfway through the book and the other well before the end too, which did make it seem a bit slow at times and was what prevented me from giving it 5 stars. However it is a promising start to a series and I enjoyed it well enough to look forward to reading the next installment.

I enjoyed reading this easy going book that involves Prof Simon solving a murder in 1926 whilst being involved in a present day (1996) mystery. It includes a bit of Southern USA history, atmosphere and small college politics. Not too demanding a plot and no gruesome details. I will read some other Prof Simon books. P.S. Is the book sponsored by Coca cola?