I was browsing a few weeks ago among the fabulous displays done by the Lit staff at the Central Library and happened across a familiar author writing in an unfamiliar genre. Jill Paton Walsh has been one of my top 10 favorite young adult authors ever since Ellin Chu made me read A Parcel of Patterns years ago. Imagine my surprise and delight when I fouund that she’s now writing mysteries for adults.

The Bad Quarto is the latest in her Imogen Quy (rhymes with “why”) series. Imogen is a nurse at St. Agatha’s College, Cambridge University, but moonlights as a part-time sleuth. Devoted mystery readers know that the Universities in England are awash with mystery and intrigue, and in the grand tradition of Dorothy Sayers, St. Agatha’s is no different. This time around, Imogen must unravel the mysterious death of a promising scholar, which becomes tied up with a production of Shakespeare’s “Bad Quarto” version of Hamlet, which which leads her to the daring “night climbers” of Cambridge, and finally to a sad and dangerous young woman.

Imogen is everything we want in a sleuth – single, self-possessed, empathetic, smart, funny, daring — a real Nancy Drew. She handles all the (many) characters throughout the story with aplomb. The story is short, a mere 265 pages, but Paton Walsh packs a lot into that small space — almost too much. There is an over abundance of characters here and I did have some trouble keeping them all straight at times. However, Paton Walsh ties up the ends into a neat little bow, leaving me wanting more of Imogen Quy. I will be looking for her earlier titles now, and waiting for the next in the series. ( )

4th book in the series and again the mystery has a moral element to it that is often missing in the police procedural mysteries. In this case there's a staging of Hamlet, taken from the so called Bad Quarto, which is being underwritten by someone perceived as being a bit of a prat, but in fact has an agenda that has nothing to do with the play. instead he uses hamlet's "play within a play" to accuse a member of the audience of murdering a fried of his. This happens to have happened in St Agatha's & so Imogen gets involved. in this case, the story is somewhat convoluted, in that it's a complex tale of revenge and the issue of scientific certainty. I have to say I felt that the ending was just a bit too tidy, but that was my only quibble. inventive and different, as ever. Unfortunately, I think that means I'm up to date with the series. ( )

This book isn't great literature and it isn't a very mysterious mystery--but it's fun. The book includes many of my favorite elements: a likeable woman detective, a British university setting (Cambridge), and lots of urban climbing. I'm sure I'll be reading more Imogen Quy mysteries--probably soon. ( )

This book isn't great literature and it isn't a very mysterious mystery--but it's fun. The book includes many of my favorite elements: a likeable woman detective, a British university setting (Cambridge), and lots of urban climbing. I'm sure I'll be reading more Imogen Quy mysteries--probably soon. ( )

Better than the last one - not so depressing. But the first and second in the series are still much better - brighter and stronger. Not so many people who've given up one way or another - druggies and so on. The puzzle itself (when we finally got to it) was not bad, the 'conscience of the king' bit was...extremely stupid, in my opinion and Imogene Quy's, the final solution was not bad. ( )