The
body of Claudia, an American art history student Claudia,
is found at the bottom of a well. Initially, drugs are suspected.
Or is it related to Claudia's digging into the past of the
art historian and scholar with whom she had been studying?
And what about the young falconer, recently released from
jail, who had become friends with Claudia. It's up to Bruno
to find the answers.
Walker creates characters one would want to know. While Bruno
is the central character, those around him are fully developed
and interesting. The victim's mother is a good example of
that. There does always seem to be someone floating around
Bruno's romantic life.
Beginning the story with a search and discovery of a body
determined to have been murdered is an interesting approach
and provided some of the best suspense of the book. There
is good police work done, and a very nicely done plot twist.
The actual mystery is very good. but one wishes there had
been more focus on it. Instead, the mystery becomes rather
lost among all the information on the resistance, wine, art,
falconry, jazz, and Josephine Baker. It is interesting, but
after a while, one begins to feel as though one were Clara
from the old Wendy's commercials wondering "Where's the
beef?".
Bruno is a strong character with an interesting background.
One hopes to see more of that in the next book.
The
Body in the Castle Well does have very good moments and
a solid mystery at its heart, but the resolution was somewhat
disappointing. This is not Walker's best book. Significant
editing would have helped tighten the plot and made the story
more effective.
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