Shadows of a Down East Summer: An Antique Print Mystery by Lea Wait

" I've read all Lea Wait's Antique Print Mysteries and enjoyed all of them, and I feel this is Lea Wait's best book of the series. I'm a picky reader who looks, among other things, for substance, good writing skills, and a book to get me hooked before the first chapter is finished; this book had me staying up late at night, not wanting to put it down. I won't repeat character or plot details other than to say that the plot centers on dual mysteries from two periods of time -- one in present-day Maine, where someone is killing or assaulting people and ransacking houses, coupled with the possible theft of two valuable paintings; and the second mystery from Maine's past regarding the possible illegitimate child of Winslow Homer, thought to be related in an 1890s diary, kept hidden for over a hundred years, and read by protagonist professor/antique prints' dealer Maggie. The diary contents are related in spurts, as Maggie reads them, as she tries to solve the nineteenth century mystery along with the present-day mystery, which she thinks are somehow linked. The way I devoured this book, not wanting to stop reading, reminded me of my girlhood, pouring through a good Nancy Drew mystery. This book is cozy Maine at its best....."

코지 미스터리장르  Antique Print Mystery 시리즈의 5번째 작품이다. Maggie Summer라는 인물이 주인공인데  'Antique Print'라는 골동품과 미술 역사에 관하여 전문적인 지식을 가진 커뮤니티 칼리지의 교수로 등장한다. 미국의 메인주가 중심 장소이지만 이야기가 1890년대와 현대로 나누어지기 때문에 이 작품도 복잡한 이야기 구조를 갖고 있다. 특히 사건의 주요 등장인물들의 관계도는 읽으면서 정리를 할 필요가 있다.