Dorothy and Alan are pleased when Gillian, a friend of a friend, gets a job as a teaching assistant at a prestigious art college near their home. They happily take a tour of the strangely-proportioned college building with her, only to be stymied by an elevator that stops abruptly between floors while they are in it. But when they learn that the elevator has been stopped by the body of the college’s Head, which has a chisel in his back and which apparently has been in the elevator shaft for some weeks, they realize that once again they have stumbled into a murder - and one which might soon strike close to home…. I like Ms. Dams’ cozy series, set in contemporary England and featuring ex-pat American Dorothy Martin and her husband, retired police chief Alan Nesbitt; they are both older, presumably in their 70s (or nearing it anyway) and their skills and contacts complement each other nicely. Some of the books are better than others in this series; this entry is more of a favourite because I like the art college setting, the usual academic rivalries (albeit here formed by practitioners of different types of artistic endeavor) and the fact that the couple stays close to home for once (many of the books are set in different towns in the UK). A pleasant diversion; recommended. ( )

Thank goodness, The Gentle Art of Murder takes place in Sherebury, so Dorothy Martin and Alan Nesbit are home. The scene of the crime is the Wolfson College of Art and Design at Sherebury University where all is not well in the Fine Arts Department. Most of the teachers appear to be talented, dedicated, and frustrated by budget problems. The 'solutions' proposed by their department head, John Chandler, show what sort of person he is. Most of the money goes to Will Braithwaite's painting classes. 'W.T.' is even more full of himself than Chandler.

The reason Dorothy and Alan show up at a reception for Wolfson's new teachers is that Gillian Roberts, a very talented sculptress and a graduate assistant, is a friend of their friend, Inga Evans. The corpse is discovered at this event.

One of the teachers disappears, which provides an excuse for a brief trip to Wales. On the one hand, I wanted to growl at Dorothy for not immediately figuring out why a teacher made a certain request. On the other hand, my suspicion about the significance of a chisel was completely off.

This is a proper cozy and an enjoyable one. Except for chapter one, which is dated July 16, part of chapter two (August 31st), and chapter 30 (the following spring), the action here takes place in September.

Notes:

Chapter 2:

a. Dorothy says Alan has lived in Sherebury all his life.

b. Nigel gives Dorothy some of the history of Wolfson College of Art and Design.

c. Wolfson's building is about 50 years old.

d. Autre temps autres moeurs is French. One of the ways to translate it is, 'other days, other ways'.

Chapter 4:

a. Alan invokes Sherlock Holmes.

b. Rasputin, better known as the 'Mad Monk of Russia', died from bullet wounds, but the legend includes poisoning, beating, and drowning. Season 4, episode 5 of 'Saturday Night Live' included a 'The Death of Rasputin' skit. As I recall, John Belushi played Rasputin.

c. The Rose and Crown pub and inn in Cathedral Close is owned by Inga's parents.

Chapter 5:

a. The storm damage includes a big yew tree that was probably 1,000 years old.

b. We're introduced to Gillian's unfinished bronze, Summer. 'Gillian Roberts' is the pen name under which the excellent Amanda Pepper cozy mysteries were written. Is this a shout-out?

Chapter 7:

a. 'Charlie on the MTA [Metropolitan Transportation/Transit Authority]' is a 1949 song about a man on the Boston subway. You may hear the Kingston Trio singing it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP1bvY7IqZY

b. Dorothy's uncles were photographers back in Terre Haute, Indiana.

c. Famed photographers Ansel Adams and Edward Weston are mentioned.

d. Dorothy remembers a sign her first husband, Frank, had in his darkroom.

Chapter 8:

a. Dorothy makes up a saying about an Alsatian and cats.

b. Famed 15th-16th century painter, printer, and engraver Albrecht Dürer is mentioned.

c. I don't know if it's true that 19th century would-be seducers used to invite young ladies to see their etchings, but 'Have Some Madeira, M'dear' is an old song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA5MAF6NDsk

d. We learn about the tragic death of Pili, called Phil.

Chapter 9:

a. We learn what Alan means by the 'Sherebury Intelligence Agency' or SIA.

b. Will Rogers was a 19th-20th century American humorist. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/will_rogers.html

Chapter 10:

a. Dorothy talks about the cathedral's memorial to Lady Annabel, who died in 1753, leaving her husband, Sir Henry Brinton with eight children.

b. Nancy Drew books are mentioned.

Chapter 13: Blue Max, the Rose and Crown pub cat who fathered both Emmy and Sam, is mentioned.

Chapter 14:

a. Little Nigel Peter can't say 'godmother' and 'godfather,' so he calls Dorothy 'Gom' and Alan 'Gof'.

b. See The Evil That Men Do for the story of Watson's former owner.

c. Gillian asks if Emmy is a British Blue. Dorothy tells her that her father, Blue Max, is. She also says that Emmy's other half is tabby. [Since she said Max also fathered Sam, that makes Sam only half Siamese.] We're told that Emmy weighs 17 pounds [7.711 070 29 kilograms or 1.214 285 714 3 stone]. http://www.cfa.org/Breeds/BreedsAB/BritishShorthair.aspx

Chapter 17: See the Biblical 'Acts of the Apostles' chapter 5, verses 1 - 11, for the story of Ananias the liar.

Chapter 18:

a. Dorothy is again called 'Miss Marple' after Dame Agatha Christie's elderly amateur sleuth.

b. Dorothy's late friend, Dr. Temple, is mentioned.

c. Dorothy reads aloud that Beatrix Potter classic, Peter Rabbit.

Chapter 21:

a. Dorothy calls Alan 'Scarlett' for the heroine of Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind after he uses one of Ms. O'Hara's favorite phrases.

b. Dorothy's toiletries bag is decorated with cartoon cats.

c. Dorothy refers to a pair of her shoes as 'sneakers,' then corrects herself and says 'trainers' to Gillian. (I was going to add that sneakers are also called tennis shoes, but after checking to make sure the two are synonymous, I found out they aren't. http://www.differencebetween.net/object/difference-between-sneakers-and-tennis-s... )

d. Ellis Peter's Brother Cadfael books are mentioned.

e. See Murder at the Castle for the Welsh music festival Dorothy and Alan attended. (She says that was the first time she'd ever been to Wales.)

f. Dorothy tells us that 'Cymru,' the Welsh name for Wales, is pronounced something like 'Kumry'.

Chapter 21: The Brigadoon Dorothy wonders if Llangodfan village is like is another fictional village from a 1954 musical of the same name. Gene Kelley and Cyd Charisse. One of its songs, 'Almost Like Being in Love' has been covered by several singers, including Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra.

Chapter 21: That partial quotation Dorothy uses, '...there isn't any there there,' was by Gertrude Stein. It's about Oakland, California.

Chapter 24: Dorothy attempts to call past supporting characters Walter Tubbs and his wife, Sue; Charles Lambert, and Lynn & Tom Anderson.

Chapter 25: The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams is mentioned.

Chapter 27: Dorothy calls her nap her Rip Van Winkle act after the classic short story of the same name by Washington Irving.

Chapter 28:

a. Dorothy is quite correct in telling us that antibiotics won't help against a virus. A pity she didn't tell Gillian that. Over-prescribing antibiotics (and patients not taking all of the pills they were given) has led to resistant bacteria. I lost a friend to a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infection.

b. Dorothy had her tonsils removed 50 or more years ago.

Chapter 29:

a. Technically, St. Luke's Summer is a short period of warm weather around his Feast Day, October 18 and it's still September in this book, but both St. Luke's and St. Martin's summer (same thing in November) are similar to what Americans call 'Indian Summer'.

b. Dorothy is reading one of her favorite Agatha Christie books.

Dog lovers: Watson the mostly spaniel mutt is back.

Cat lovers: Sam and Emmy get to be onstage again. There's also a darling kitten. ( )

Like any business, universities must make money to survive, and departments that bring in the most money are favored above those which don’t. Even worse are departments that themselves need money to maintain their standards. Such is the case in the art department at Sherebury University. Declaring that funding to some of the programs would be cut and suggesting that they make do with inferior supplies did not win any accolades for the department head. But still, a new person was added to the staff. As guests at a party to welcome this new member, Dorothy and her husband Alan find more than nibbles and drinks at the affair: a body is discovered at the bottom of the lift shaft. Off on another sleuthing adventure, this one is full of twists and turns along the way before things are finally sorted out. With the delightful characters we have come to know and love in this series, this mystery is highly entertaining, even if a few ends are left dangling. Suffice it so say that truth will out and crime does not pay. ( )

The Gentle Art Of Murder is the sixteenth book in the Dorothy Martin Mysteries series.

Another wonderful story by Jeanne Dams. It's always enjoyable to stop by and visit with Dorothy Martin and her husband Alan Nesbitt.

Nigel Evans has extended an invitation to Dorothy and Alan to attend a reception at the Wolfson College of Art & Design for the new teachers just before the new term begins. Gillian Roberts, a long time friend of Nigel's wife Inga, will begin teaching there and the Evans' are attending to support Gillian new career. Shortly after arriving at the reception Dorothy and Alan quickly get the feeling that there is tension between the staff and the department head, John Chandler over budget cuts. The cuts also was causing in-fighting between the various department heads, too.

Gillian has taken Dorothy and Alan for a tour of the art school and its various departments. They have finally finished and by this time they are on the fourth floor, and with Dorothy still recovering, to some extent from knee surgery, suggest that they take the lift back down. Bit on the way down the lift won't go out the way to first floor. The fire department soon arrives and gets everyone out of the lift. It is soon learned that there is dead body at the bottom of shaft and was causing the problem. Since one of the firemen recognized Alan, he asked if he would take a look at the body. Alan discovers that there is a sculptor chisel in his back.

Soon, the police arrive and Detective Chief Inspector Derek Morrison, a long time friend of Alan's, to begin the investigation. What with Alan being there when the body was found and his being retired from the force, he is able to help, unofficially, with the investigation. With information gotten from Gillian, it's suspected that blackmail was could have been going on, but the police aren't sure who was doing the blackmailing or who they were doing it to. Then a couple acts of vandalism take place at the school. Then when Gillian relates that she has been getting harassing phone calls, Dorothy knows they have to knuckle down and find the killer before Gillian might be the next victim.

This is another well told story with interesting and believable characters. Most of the recurring characters are back to once again to help Dorothy with solving the case.

Looking forward to the next book in the series. ( )

More murderers running amok in jolly old England! Of course, Dorothy Martin is up to the task of catching them with some help from her retired chief inspector husband Alan. Great fun! ( )