Rhapsody in Red by Donn Taylor

Donn Taylor is a Christian author unlike most. His characters are not always actively religious, but they end up in situations that cause them some religious introspection. And. This little touch of religion is but a small, small part of the overall book. Donn Taylor's personal religious philosophy shows up, though, in the overall squeaky clean nature of his writing. I love that.

This book is a mystery. Our main character, Preston Barclay, is a college professor of history. He is also a widower of several years (4 I think) and is still deeply mourning his wife. An interesting thing about Professor Barclay is the musical hallucinations that he has suffered ever since the death of his wife (who was a pianist). This means that there is an unexpected musical counterpoint to every experience and thought that he has--an interesting and entertaining touch for the reader. I thought it might be distracting from the story, but it really isn't.

Preston's colleague Mara Thorn (she's a comparative religion professor) ends up working with him in investigating the murder of another instructor at their college. They must contend with threats to their jobs, to their freedom and even to their lives.

I really liked this book. The ending just begged for a second book in this series, but this, I discovered, is the only one!! Sigh.