ARA Review by Melvin Tiley of Murder as the Organist Plays

[Melvin Tiley]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Murder as the Organist Plays.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Murder as the Organist Plays by Deborah DR Kralich

It's the first decade of the twentieth century and Wilding Falls, East Texas, has its celebrity wedding of the year. Senator Ellagin's daughter, Elicia, is about to marry the brilliant lawyer Cliff Cambray. Such an event is not to be missed. Everyone who is anyone cram into the venue as the organ plays The Wedding March. As the title implies, all does not go to plan when the bride appears in a frenzied state her dress splattered in blood; instead of giving his daughter away, Senator Ellagin has been stabbed to death.

From different people's perspectives, the reader is given an insight into the days before, during and after the shocking murder. Politicians and senior policemen know the case has to be handled sensitively; it wouldn't reflect well on them if the prime suspect, the daughter, is wrongly incarcerated only to be proven innocent. Journalists and photographers are keen to make hay, and even the hotel manager ponders over the pros and cons of hosting such a notorious event.

In its early stages, there is much to admire in this book. Kralich touches upon the dominance of WASP society and the prejudices against Catholics and women in general, and the reader gets a realistic insight into people's feelings towards new technology, such as the remarkable but unreliable telephone and the incredible flying machines. Readers also gain a sense of history, with the assassination of President McKinley. The sibling rivalry between Elicia and Coria is a recurring theme and keeps the reader guessing to the very end.

However, further into the book, it becomes increasingly difficult to suspend one's disbelief. When the four principal characters are confined to the quirky Ellagin house, the storyline becomes very one dimensional and unrealistic. There are plenty of twists, but the narrative becomes a type of Gothic melodrama of ridiculous proportions, and it's increasingly difficult to have any sympathy or empathy for the characters – their dialogue is stilted, repetitive and implausible.

It's such a shame, because the book began so well. I rate this book 3 out of 5.

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