Death on the Cherwell

Originally published in 1935, this Golden Age mystery from Hay (1894%E2%80%931979) offers a mesmerizing plot and credible characters. When four first-year students at Oxford's Persephone College gather on the gently sloping roof of a boathouse overlooking the river Cherwell to form a secret society, they notice Myra Denning, the college bursar, lying in a canoe drifting down the river. Upon pulling the canoe to shore, the four undergraduates%E2%80%94Sally Watson, Daphne Loveridge, Gwyneth Pane, and Nina Harson%E2%80%94find that Miss Denning is dead, perhaps drowned. While none of the four was particularly fond of the bursar, they all do what they can to help the police in what becomes a homicide case. Investigating on their own, Sally, Daphne, Gwyneth and Nina manage to unearth secrets that lead to a dramatic conclusion. Readers will be grateful that this classic wasn't lost for present and future mystery lovers to enjoy. (June)