Margery G

The author’s knowledge of music is astonishing. Sometimes he goes into too much irrelevant detail but I learned a lot. If you aren’t a fan of classical music, this may not be the book for you but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are interesting and well-drawn. The mystery keeps one guessing and wondering. It’s really a lesson in the importance of preserving culture and history when there are forces which look to rewrite it or erase it for their own power. I recommend this book.

The main character, Margaret is probably on the high end of the autism spectrum and is OCD. She's very bright and quite eccentric. She lacks social skills. She's trying to figure out who murdered her boss. She's a good detective because she uses reasoning and a scientific approach. Midway through the book she realizes she needs to change her perspective and her hypothesis. At first she is not an engaging character but then I felt for her as others dismiss her because she is peculiar and plain. There are a lot of botanical terms which I tended to skip over. Margaret feels she doesn't need companionship. Making a discovery is more satisfying. I loved that she took in a feral cat and had a pet companion and by the end of the book she finds it very rewarding to have a couple friends. Over all, I found the book to be an enjoyable read