Review of Death and the Maiden by

I thought it would be fun to read a book with a blind hero, lots of music appreciation, and a good mystery. That would be one star for each category and a fourth if the story was compelling.

I rated Death and the Maiden two stars for music commentary alone. Elias's knowledge and interpretation of Schubert's work of the same name was enjoyable and rewarding.

I liked the idea of Jacobus, my age and blind with a remarkable concert violinist career behind him, but found his character contrived and not very believable. Why must the 70 year old age group be portrayed as less than remarkable in personality, forever grumpy, secretly worried about and dreading the future, and unfriendly to a fault? It isn't funny and it didn't ring true to me.

The members of the fictional New Magini String Quartet were less than lukewarm. And of course, a blind man must have a side-kick. There was so much opportunity for remarkable writing here. Instead, the author went awry presenting what he must have thought of as other kinds of food for thought.

The Peruvian detective was more or less developed. There was some fun there. I wondered why the reader or Jacobus needed a back-up sleuth, on top of the proverbial and ever-present chief of detectives, but Oro would have made a fine main character. Perhaps another mystery series?

The Russian conversations, toasts, and antics were fun but didn't add to the story like a little good plot-related action might have.

As for the mystery itself, I couldn't get into it. I hate for the work to hinge on explanations that were presented poorly in the plot. I, the reader had no suspects, unnteresting clues, no action, no exciting turns and twists, and in short, nothing invested. I never even got my head around it.