The Body in Bodega Bay

The Body in Bodega Bay is a classic example of the old adage that, “Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.” The authors are a pair of professors who teach English. Thus, as you would expect, the prose is elegant and the plot beautifully researched. Indeed, if you wanted to find out about how Russian icons come to be in America or explore aspects of how the movie, The Birds, came to be shot in Bodega Bay, this is the book for you. The authors’ hard work in excavating endless nuggets of interesting information is clearly on display.

Unfortunately, what should be a mystery with thriller elements lacks any real spark of excitement. Despite the mastery of the English language and the endeavor of the research, this comes across as worthy and rather dull. Matching the pair of authors, we have a pair of protagonists. Nora is the academic and Toby runs an antiques business. Toby’s business partner is murdered in the first few pages and our protagonists find their home and business searched. This leaves us wondering what the killer(s) is/are looking for. The answers are somewhat tame although, no doubt to those with an interest in icons, worth killing for.