Rhapsody in Red

By Donn E. Taylor

It was a bad day to find a corpse on campus. Preston Barclay is a self-made recluse (and he likes it that way). Teaching college history allows him time to grieve the loss of his pianist wife and find... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802451160
• ISBN13: 9780802451163
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.9" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

No speed-reading, you'll miss too much!

Some mysteries make you want to whip through them and find the clues, the action, the solution. This one makes you want to read slowly and savor the subtleties. Donn Taylor's background as a college instructor in literature and English and an officer in military air reconnaissance more than qualify him to create amusing and multi-faceted characters. Professor Preston Barclay is a history instructor at a small, once-Christian university. His wry sense of humor fills his thoughts and words with academic allusions to literature and poetry. Music also fills his mind in "musical hallucinations." More than in "last song syndrome," but almost similar to a movie theme, melodies almost constantly contrast with or augment situations he faces. One character always inspires a visit from a bassoon. And he mourns the loss of his wife, worries over his loss of fellowship with God, and wrestles with the lack of female companionship--as well as with its presence. One such presence, a Wiccan, shares a dubious honor with him--the status of murder suspect when a colleague is murdered. They soon realize their faculty friends are not all they seem. The two reticent suspects must learn to trust each other in order to clear themselves. His background in Special Ops gives him the inclination and ability to launch his own investigation apart from that of the police, one of whom nurses an old grudge. A bump on the head, ominous stalkers, and portable evidence along with veiled threats from their colleagues make them wonder if they will succeed--or also end up murdered. The plot, the academic setting, the suspense, the well-rounded characters and the droll wit of the reluctant hero earn this mystery five stars.

Hum While Reading

By the end of chapter one, a dead body is discovered, a possibility exists for romance, and I've chuckled aloud! What a terrific beginning. The descriptive wording is a delightful change from the clichés of most novels; with allusions sprinkled throughout, English majors are bound to love this one! Music lovers will appreciate the musical theme playing as pages are turned. Musical terminology and titles of music are referred to as Press goes about investigating the murder. He has musical hallucinations--uncontrollable music-like sounds inside his brain that sometimes makes clear-thinking difficult. The major characters are both flawed. In addition to his internal music, Press is mourning the death of his wife, struggling to hang on to his university teaching schedule, and his colleague, Mara, a Wiccan, does not tolerate touching or "coloring outside the box." I liked both Press and Mara and look forward to meeting them again in a future work. If you like whodunits, this one's for you.

RED HOT AND SIZZLING NEW MYSTERY!

Professor Preston Barclay has been stuck in a self-imposed rut since his wife died three years before, but all that is about to change. When fellow Professor Mara Thorn asks his help with another faculty member, and they discover that individual's body, neither of their lives will ever be the same. This is a fast-paced, witty, multi-dimensional mystery that will keep you glued to till the very end!

I loved this book!

Donn Taylor's Rhapsody in Red is a mystery filled with suspense and laced with humor. The protagonist, Preston Barclay, is a history professor at a small college that has morphed from a Christian institution to a secular one in order to draw more students. "Press" Barclay's wry comments on college faculty infighting will bring a smile to the reader's lips even as they're racing through the story. Rhapsody in Red has all the outer accouterments to cause browsers to select this novel from among others on the shelf. The cover is bright red, with a black stiletto (the shoe, not the dagger) above the title. Back cover copy reads, "That Wednesday, two weeks before Thanksgiving, was a bad day to find a corpse on campus." But what really drew me in was the introduction of the secondary character, Mara Thorn, as the Wiccan head of the department of religious studies. That addition gives the story an additional twist. Press and Mara have the misfortune to discover the murdered body of a dead colleague, and the further misfortune of being the primary suspects of the crime. The story takes off at a run from that point, and doesn't slow down until the surprising conclusion. Every time I told myself I'd read to the end of a chapter, then put the book down, I found myself saying, "Well, one more chapter, then I'll stop." Donn Taylor added several dimensions to this novel, which in my opinion, raise it above the average mystery. His protagonist, Press Barclay, suffers from musical hallucinations, so many scenes are enlivened by Barclay's description of the melodies that are haunting his mind. Taylor cleverly sets the mood for much of the action in Rhapsody in Red by describing the instruments playing in Press's head. Further, Taylor's droll sense of humor, especially when directed at the faculty of the university where his protagonist is employed, will cause the reader to snicker even while his heart pounds with the suspense that Taylor so adroitly weaves into each chapter. Rhapsody in Red rates high on my recommended list.

A Concert of Recovery

In Donn Taylor's Rhapsody in Red, the reader glimpses university campus life, academics, and a thrilling adventure along the way as Professor Preston Barclay sleuths about with fellow Professor Mara Thorn to discover who killed a colleague. The professor is still mourning the passing of his wife, but a special treat throughout the novel is musical scores, symphonies, bands, and lone instruments that haunt, taunt, and sometimes annoy Professor Barclay because he suffers from a malady known as "musical hallucinations." Since I'm not an aficionado of music titles, I didn't know all the names of the pieces Barclay held in private concert; no doubt I'd have recognized more if I'd heard a few strains. Adept, Taylor crafts the story to a satisfactory conclusion, and his humor throughout the novel is a real delight. He knows how to make a reader smile and keep turning pages. And for that reason, I'm giving this novel a five star rating. I laid aside all other reading material to read through his fiction at bedtime in just a few nights. A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holidays The Stained Glass Pickup: Glimpses of God's Uncommon Wisdom