Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Derek Wilson: The Nature of Rare Things

Derek Wilson is the author of over fifty books, and while I haven't actually added them up I suspect that the majority are non-fiction. You can study his output in more detail at his web site.

The Nature of Rare Things is a crime novel, and it is the second book in a series featuring Dr Nathaniel Guy. Guy is a lecturer in paranormal psychology at the University of Cambridge, and occasionally -- as one does -- he finds himself investigating crimes which involve the paranormal. In this book it is a case where a painting goes missing in apparently impossible circumstances, and the man who is accused of stealing it commits suicide. Some time later, the dead man is sid to be attempting to prove his innocence by communicating through a medium.

The book is carefully researched, professionally put together, and is written in a traditional style; younger readers may find it a trifle old-fashioned and staid. It's not a book that will make much impression as a mass-market paperback (if it ever appears in that form), but it will be often borrowed through the public libraries.

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