Treasure in Oxford

In a neatly done whodunit, Williams brings the analytical skills of Mark Treasure ( Divided Treasure ) to Oxford for testing. Merchant banker Treasure, at the university to chair the annual governor's meeting of the Moneybuckle Architectural Endowment, finds the group buzzing about the discovery of several sketches that seem to be the work of the English landscape painter John Constable. If authentic, the sketches will fetch a large sum at auction; this is motivation enough for the ugly murder someone later commits. After the police arrest a suspect Treasure believes is innocent, he applies himself to finding the killer's identity. Although the writing at first may seem overly burdened by precise descriptions of character and place, readers will soon realize they're in the hands of a careful craftsman who builds suspense through the deft placement of seemingly unrelated details. (Jan.)