The Corpse in Oozak's Pond (Peter Shandy Mysteries) Review

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The Corpse in Oozak's Pond (Peter Shandy Mysteries) ReviewThe Corpse in Oozak's Pond was my first experience with a Charlotte MacLeod story and I only read it because 1987 (when the book was published) was one of the best years for mystery fiction, in my opinion. In fact, three of my favorites of that year - `Old Bones' by Aaron Elkins, `Rough Cider' by Peter Lovesey, and `Nursery Crimes' by B.M. Gill were nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. Since The Corpse in Oozak's Pond was also nominated that year in the same category I figured it was time to give it a read. MacLeod's work is out of print now but I was able to find a copy in a used bookstore.
Professor Peter Shandy and his Librarian wife, Helen, both employees of Balaclava Agriculture College, are called upon to solve the mystery of an unknown corpse dressed in century old clothing after it floats to the top of Ooozak's pond during a rather festive Groundhog Day ceremony. Added to this is an unfortunate lawsuit against the college by the founder's descendants and two more bodies found poisoned to death. Shandy just wants to get back to his students and rutabagas but first he has to sort out all the conflicting evidence and find a killer before it's too late.
I had real problems keeping the cast of characters straight in this story and had to re-read the first couple of chapters a couple of times just to get my bearings. I am always leery of stories that provide a genealogy chart in the beginning of the book. This usually indicates you are going to need a playlist to keep track of the key players. I know this was supposed to be a light, whimsical murder mystery but I expected a little more character development so I could root for Shandy as he goes through his investigation. Unfortunately I felt no connection to any of the characters. Speaking of said investigation, the whole course of the story from discovery of the first body to the final solution takes all of two days! Nothing seemed to flow organically. I wanted to like this story and was expecting the same type of engrossing mystery as the other Edgar Nominated books for that year but this one seemed to be the odd man out and didn't really satisfy like the others. The characters are quirky, the msyetry complex, and the setting is interesting but ultimately this seesm to be a case of style over substance with no depth of character. Maybe other books in the Peter Shandy series are better but nothing in this book makes me want to find out.
The Corpse in Oozak's Pond (Peter Shandy Mysteries) OverviewFrom the incomparable Charlotte MacLeod, award-winning author of Rest You Merry and The Plain Old Man, comes the newest Peter Shandy mystery in which the good professor goes digging into the past to discover the bizarre circumstances surrounding a 100-year-old corpse.

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