Murder Duet: A Musical Case

The lives of classical musicians are the focus of the latest entry in Gur's admirable series featuring Israeli Chief Superintendent Michael Ohayon (Murder on a Kibbutz, etc.). A divorc with one adult child, Michael is returning to work after a two-year study leave, and his life is empty and lonely. So when an abandoned baby girl appears on his doorstep, he turns to his upstairs neighbor, a single mother and cellist named Nita van Gelden, for help. Nita belongs to a close-knit family of prominent musicians and music lovers. Her brother Theo is an internationally known conductor; another brother, Gabriel, is a violinist; and her father, Felix, is the owner of a famed music shop. When Nita's father is murdered, Michael faces a dilemma: he wants to lead the investigation, but he's afraid his growing affection for Nita will interfere with his inquiry, which involves the possible discovery of a previously unknown Vivaldi requiem. Gur's small group of suspects live in an insular world devoted to classical music, and she excels at exploring their psychological motivations in her long, complex tale. Relief from the preoccupation with composers is found in Gur's touching portrait of Michael and Nita's obsession with the babies they care for. Though Gur constructs her plot carefully, the novel is most memorable for its abundant digressions on music history and the musical life. (Nov.)