Sweet Death, Kind Death by Amanda Cross

Patrice Umphelby was believed to have committed suicide by putting rocks in her pockets and walking out in the lake near Clare College where she was a professor. Kate Fansler, professor and amateur detective, had met Patrice only once at an airport where they had discussed God. After Patrice's funeral, Kate was approached by Archer and Herbert, the two men who were writing a biography of Patrice. They wished to know more about Kate's meeting with Patrice, and Archer questioned whether Patrice had committed suicide.

Patrice was a professor of history at Clare College. She had been married but her husband had been murdered; she had two children who dearly loved her. She had published works of history, novels, and stories, and had been a frequent speaker at other colleges and universities. She was forty nine when her husband died, and fifty eight when she committed suicide.

Kate Fansler agreed to take a closer look at the life and death of Patrice after Professor Norton, president of Clare College, called her and expressed her worries about the death of Patrice. It seemed that people on the campus were beginning to raise questions about the death, and Dr. Norton wanted to put an end to the questions. This mission to the college was a secret. Kate's appearance on campus was to appear that she would be on a committee to discuss the formation of a department of gender studies at Clare.

Kate interviewed many of the faculty members at the college. Since Patrice had a stong personality and did not hesitate to express her views, there were faculty members who were strongly opposed to her just as there were those who really like Patrice. Kate was faced with two problems. Who among these people had a strong enough motive to kill Patrice, and what means was used to force Patrice to commit suicide.

This is a very literate and witty novel. There are many allusions to writers and literature, and many mentions of Virginia Woolf who died in the same manner as Patrice. I highly recommend this book. If you like fast moving mystery novels with lots of action, this is not the book for you.

Amanda Cross was the pen name of Carolyn Heilbrun. She was a professor of English at Columbia University and was the author of fourteen non-fiction books and fourteen Kate Fansler mysteries. When she was seventy seven, she committed suicide because she felt her life had been completed. Sweet Death, Kind Death was published in 1984 when Heilbrun was fifty eight. This book contains many meditations upon suicide by Patrice, and the reader can only wonder if Heilbrun was already seriously thinking about suicide when this book was written.